Join the celebrations
Thomas Bywater checks out anniversaries , adventures and expeditions around the world for 2023, where it’s worth joining the party
One hundred and fifty years ago, the fictional Phileas Fogg set off from the Reform Club in London on an 80-Day journey that would change travel forever. Around the World in Eighty Days captured the imaginations of armchair travellers and explorers around the world.
Jules Verne set the adventure in one of the “numerous societies which swarm in the English capital,” focusing on a clubbish London gent. Which is a stroke of genius that still rings true today.
With his sole qualifications being fabulously wealthy and fabulously unbusy, Fogg might be the great grandfather of the “travel influencer”.
“Staked £20,000 on a race around the world 4 the lulz!” Now that’s a Tiktok account I would follow.
While his 1873 readers followed along as passengers on the journey, a century and a half later there are plenty of opportunities to take up your own adventure.
To celebrate 150 Years of Tour Du Monde there are TV series, museum exhibitions and events around the world — from Prague to the Isle of Nantes in Verne’s home on the Loire River. Boutique travel operator Undiscovered Destinations launched an 80-day rail and sail itinerary to circumnavigate the world, taking in 16 different countries without a single plane.
Unfortunately that itinerary was derailed and no longer goes through Russia. undiscovered-destinations.com
Still, for those happy to step on a plane, Star Alliance runs a Round-the-world ticket inspired by Verne. It allows passengers to spend up to a year and a total of 15 stops across 162 countries on Star Alliance airlines for less than $5000. Considering the current price of return tickets to Europe, it’s a steal. It’s fuel for planning a globetrotting tour of your own to mark the anniversary. roundtheworld.staralliance.com
There are plenty of milestones to pass along the way. After a recent dearth of opportunities, 2023 is full of anniversaries and reasons to circumnavigate the globe.
Here are a collection of our favourites.
100 years of Tutankhamun
It’s exactly a century since Egyptologist Howard Carter broke into a pharaoh’s tomb, discovering wild treasures making Egypt and Tutankhamun a global obsession. You can visit both the modern city with Intrepid Travel and take a tour on the Nile to see the Valley of the Kings where the pharaoh was found. The Grand Egyptian Museum is, tentatively, due to open next year making 2023 the year of the Mummy’s Return. intrepidtravel.com/nz/egypt/tours-to-cairo
100 years of New Zealand in Antarctica
In 1923 a small corner of Antarctica became part of New Zealand. The same year as the death of Ernest Shackleton and the end of the so-called “Heroic Age” of exploration, the Ross Sea became a dependency of Aotearoa. It’s where New Zealand’s Scott Base would eventually be built. You can track your way down through the subantarctic islands and icefields with Ponant. Departures are from Dunedin or Ushuaia, circumnavigating the frozen continent. discover.ponant.com/antarctica
70 years since Everest was ascended
May will mark 70 years since Hillary and Tenzing knocked Everest off. An achievement in mountaineering but also New Zealand folklore, Nepal and the Everest Valleys are still a place many adventurous Kiwis regard as a must-visit. Though not everyone is heading for the top, trekking tours to Everest Base Camp have become a pilgrimage site.
World Expeditions has partnered with the Himalayan Trust to mark the milestone with a series of fundraising tours and events in Nepal. worldexpeditions.com/nepal/ trekking-walking/everest-trek-incomfort
35 years of Bungy
Arguably the practice of throwing oneself off heights with only cord for protection is hundreds of years old, however it was not until November 12, 1988, that anybody was foolish enough to pay for it.
Next year marks 35 years since AJ Hackett and Dan Van Ash opened the first commercial bungy jump in Queenstown. As recently as 2020, groups from Vanuatu’s Pentecost Island threatened legal action against the operators for profiting from their tradition of “land diving”. However the Kawarau Bridge Jump has become a right of passage for many backpackers and adventurous Kiwis. Thrillseekers can mark the milestone by giving it a go, or watching the pros at the Nagol Festival by visiting Vanuatu Travel. vanuatu.travel/en/provinces/sanmaprovince/malo/events/event/94-landdiving-or-nagol-festival
100 years of Disneyland
A centennial celebration is the kind of celebration that a global entertainment company doesn’t let go by lightly. No fairy dust has been spared on Disneyland’s 100-year programme. Mickey’s Anaheim home will get a “platinum” makeover with film tie-ins, rides and night-time parades. Evening events are planned at the LA park, and shared with Florida-based Disney World which has its own 50-year anniversary to mark, in March. For Disney die-hards there is a sculpture trail of 50 golden characters hidden across all four international theme parks including a statue of Walt, who will be unveiled in Hong Kong next year. Also, for the first time, Walt Disney will be coming to New Zealand aboard the Disney Wonder cruise liner from October. disneyland.disney.go.com/100thanniversary
50 years since the death of J R R Tolkien Despite the best efforts of a recent television series, there is an undying appetite for all things Lord of The Rings. With next year marking 50 years since the author and polyglot journeyed to the “Undying Lands”, fans of his fictional works have planned trips across the places connected to his stories. Visit England is welcoming visitors to the author’s Midlands home and from the Malvern Hills to the spires of the Bodleian Library in Oxford, there will be a collection of tours and events over September.
Of course, since the 2001 movies, Middle-earth will be inextricably linked with Aotearoa. The third Cruise to Middle-earth returns to the shores of New Zealand in January after a decadelong hiatus. Red Carpet Tours has a long waiting list for their $8000 14-day Tolkien tour departing Auckland next December.
theonering.net/torwp/ 2022/05/26/113295-announcing-the-thirdcruise-to-middle-earth ;
red-carpet-tours.rezdy.com/449968/14-day2023-anniversary-tour-single-rate
50th Anniversary of the Sydney Opera House Even New Zealanders must admit, the skyline from Circular Quay and Sydney Harbour is one of the greatest cityscapes. The focal point of which is the Sydney Opera House, one of the most recognisable buildings in the world. Half a century old (plus 15 years to build) Jørn Utzon’s circular shell designs still look timeless. The cultural heart of Australia is hosting thousands of performers — including national treasures the Central Australian Women’s Aboriginal Choir and Nick Cave. While October is the birthday month, she will take pride of place during other calendar highlights, including World Pride which arrives in Australia for the first time in March. Book early. It will be a full house. sydneyoperahouse.com/50.html