Abercrombie & Kent Presents “Cinema-cations”

From reel to reality: A&K offers movie-inspired travel

Movies and travel have one powerful thing in common: the ability to transport us to another place. Enter the "cinema-cation," a movie-inspired vacation captured in a variety of itineraries from luxury travel operator Abercrombie & Kent (A&K). Whether whimsically in your mind, or physically in an experience, the silver screen portrayal of Morocco, India, Jordan or Egypt motivates travelers to get out and explore the world. With a cinema-cation, A&K takes you behind the scenes, following in the footsteps of your favorite actors.

Perfect for: A Personal Journey

Inspired by: "Eat, Pray, Love"

Cinema-cation Recommendation: A&K Journeys for Women - Treasures of Northern India

Director's Notes:  Explore India from a woman's point of view with A&K guide Shagun Mohan. "We spend time with local women at a bead-making workshop in the holy city of Varanasi, witness a spiritual Aarti ceremony on the Ganges at night, see the Taj Mahal at both sunrise and sunset, and visit Khajuraho's Hindu temples. This kind of journey is a life-changing experience for almost anyone."

 

Perfect for: Romantics

Inspired by: "Cairo Time" (opening August 6, 2010)

Cinema-cation Recommendation: A&K's Tailor Made Egypt: El Dahabieh Cruise

Director's Notes: "Explore the cafes and souks of Cairo with Patricia Clarkson and Alexander Siddiq, who share the romance of sunset over the Pyramids,'" reports A&K Regional Managing Director Amr Badr.  He recommends escaping Cairo for a romantic cruise between Luxor and Aswan on a traditional dahabieh, a lanteen-rigged sailboat.

 

Perfect for: Family Travel

Inspired by: "Harry Potter & The Deathly Hallow Part 1" (opening November 19, 2010)

Cinema-cation Recommendation: A&K Tailor Made Magical Great Britain

Director's Notes: A&K Europe's Duncan Hambidge and his family have visited many of the magical places featured in the Harry Potter films. "One highlight for children is the Great Hall at Oxford University, Hogwart's Dining Room. But their favorite is crossing the dramatic Glenfinnian Viaduct in the Western Highlands aboard The Royal Scotsman, the route taken by the Hogwart's Express train in the "Chambers of Secrets," "The Prisoner of Azkaban" and "The Goblet of Fire."

 

Perfect for: The Stylish City Woman/Man

Inspired by: "Sex and the City 2"

Cinema-cation Recommendation: A&K Splendors of Morocco

Director's Notes: A&K Morocco Managing Director Jean-Bernard Coudon was nearby while the crew was filming at the palatial Amanjena Hotel and later in the souks surrounding Djemaa el-Fna Square. He reports that the pool scenes were shot at the soon-to-open Mandarin Oriental Jnan Rahma in the lush Palmeraie in the foothills of the Atlas Mountains. "One of the most memorable experiences is taking a camel ride at sunset and spending the night under the stars in an Arab Caidal-style tented camp surrounded by the largest sand dunes in the world."

 

Perfect for: Adventure Seekers

Inspired by: "The Hurt Locker" (Academy Award for Best Picture 2009)

Cinema-cation Recommendation: A&K Extreme Adventures Jordan – Following the Steps of Lawrence of Arabia

Director's Notes: A&K's Raed Omar Saleem has been leading adventure-seekers on hiking and four-wheel-drive jeep treks through Jordan's deserts since 1997. He recalls from a recent trip, "In the middle of nowhere, we pitch our tents and gather around the campfire for dinner, recalling the hikes through ancient cities, the 4X4 treks and mountain climbs that brought us here. Without speaking of it, we all share the same sense of awe, the palpable sense that time passes through this desert yet barely seems to touch it. The moon-like landscape stretches to the mountains, bannered by multicolored striations in the rock. The smooth reddish sand is devoid of stones, and our camels' toes rouse no dust as they thudded in their steady pace. There is no dust here in the valley of Wadi Rum, once a sea basin and later the place T.E. Lawrence found his calling. That is the beauty of the desert: it is nothing and everything."  

 

Perfect for: Family Travel/Adventurers

Inspired by: "Creation: The True Story of Charles Darwin" (2010)

Cinema-cation Recommendations: A&K Wonders of the Galapagos

Director's Notes: "The islands of the Galapagos offer an opportunity to interact with the natural world to a degree that's virtually impossible anywhere else," reports A&K's Ian Mackinnon. "Swim and snorkel with sea lions and turtles. Stroll past colonies of penguins and blue-footed boobies. Imagine yourself as Charles Darwin seeing a tortoise for the first time. Every island is unique; it's no wonder Darwin was changed by his time there."

  

Perfect for: Romantics/Adventurers

Inspired by: "Out of Africa" (1985)

Cinema-cation Recommendation: A&K's Out of Africa Safari

Director's Note: A&K Private Label Guide Toby Fenwick-Wilson has planned a safari inspired by the movie. "We'll begin at Karen Blixen's real home, now a museum, and have tea at The Dairy, the location of her house in the film, now the property of Sally Dudmesh, a celebrated jeweler. Dinner will be at the Muthaiga, as it is known, the most celebrated and private members' club in Africa. In the film, this is where Karen Blixen was allowed to have a drink in the Men Only bar – a rare and exceptional concession for her bravery. And we'll picnic on the Siria Escarpment in the same place where Meryl Streep and Robert Redford looked out over the Masai Mara."       

For more information on any of these inspiring experiences -- or help creating your own "cinema-cation" -- call 800 554 7094 or visit www.abercrombiekent.com     

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