Did you know…?

In South Africa, some people eat caterpillars as a delicacy on Christmas.

In Greenland, one Christmas recipe includes raw whale skin and blubber.

In New Zealand, they decorate Pohutukawa trees rather than traditional pine trees.

In Iceland, they have a “Yule Cat” that stalks the hills, and children leave a shoe on their windowsills that is filled with candy at night.

In Italy, children are visited by the friendly witch Befana – not Santa Claus.

In Ireland, the tradition is to leave Santa mince pies and a bottle of Guinness for a snack.

Here at Esplanade, our favorite Christmas tradition is gathering around with loved ones and sharing our favorite travel stories.

Merry Christmas and happy holidays to all from the Esplanade Travel team!

From left to right: Diane, Kit, Harvey, Ksusha, Tess, Jacky and Sarah. Not pictured: Jill

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Our week of touring NZ’s South Island was great. All of the arrangements you made for us were flawless. If we could, we both would give you a super hug—and may do that anyway the next time we see you. Feel free to use us as a reference. Your service was 4.0 on a 4.0 scale.

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