Welcome to Rap, the Musical...just kidding! The last thing you need while you're trying to immerse yourself in travel is someone breaking into corny song. We know, we’ve seen Momma Mia. But for some bizarre reason catchy, corny song connections just wouldn't go away this issue. So if you'd love to rock the kasbah with Karsten, taste a slice of heaven with Hayley, have a beer with Alisa, or even just call to say "I love you" from anywhere in the world and save 70% on your mobile, you'll be right at home.

Happy New Year...and we intend to keep it that way, Someone had to show global gloom the door, so this month's Rap is splashed with lashings of bright colours, feel good stories, upbeat adventures and groovy competitions. We've even found a hotel that deals in nothing less than beaming smiles! So grab the nearest white dove, twist open an ice cold Pure Blonde and take a little time to remember that it really is a wonderful world out there.

The past few months at Reho Travel have been busier than Stephanie Rice’s Facebook page! The dust has finally settled, so we’ve wrapped up the best bits for you to savour in the comfort of your inbox – fantastic new travel services, consultant reports, client feedback, amazing hotels and holiday specials ranging from Queensland to Rio Carnival and Egypt. Plus, you get to meet our four new golden girls of travel. So don’t wait for the starters gun. Dive in, swim around and we’ll be here in the stands if you need a quote or any helpful advice.

And just so it stays that way, we're kickstarting February with a bundle of hot specials and insider news guaranteed to keep those back to work blues at bay. From hanging with Orangutan's and skiing with Kiwi's to shopping in Hawaii and sleeping with beauty's, everything has been carefully selected to turn grimmest of office frowns completely upside down. In the jungle, the mighty jungle, the lion might sleep tonight, but Karsten's home with some roaring tales and a flock of photos to dig your claws into. 

Your RehoRap is now sporting a trimmer, tauter and fresher look with more cosmetic enhancements than a Baywatch Reunion Special. Now you can dive into exclusive offers, fantastic holiday ideas, tempting tales and breaking news all with a quick scroll n' click. They say a change is as good as a holiday. We say, our Rap readers deserve both! We hope you enjoy your new look Rap, and would be delighted to hear your feedback and suggestions.

Do not adjust your monitor! That’s just steam forming on your screen from all the sizzling hot, spicy and exotic delights in this month’s Rap. “Be gone winter weather!” we say. Time to toss out the chilly, and bring on the chilli, as Lydia goes cooking in Northern Thailand and Kathleen laps up Laotian life. For some sultry Latin rhythms, head back to Colombia with Karsten, where 25 years ago he almost became South America's Tom Hanks in his own version of The Terminal. Then tempt yourself with our Ultimate Indulgence tour that kicks off in the cigar, rum and salsa haze of hedonistic Havana. 

After a hectic start to the year, we rewarded The Rap with a holiday over April at a cyber retreat for emails. Eating tofu, being twisted into watery-eyed yogi poses, “hommmm”ing and chanting gives a newsletter plenty of time to ponder the importance of balance, especially in today’s busy travel world. Take our destination of the month for example. The yin of the beautiful, silent, haunting Nevada desert keeps the yang of raucous, bright, crazy Las Vegas from going completely bonkers. Yet in the stunning eco-beauty of Costa Rica, Karsten finds signs of man’s excesses beginning to mess with nature’s scales. Just as importantly, our own 21st century travel habits need to weigh up. 

Summer is supposed to be a time to forget about the stresses of work right? Well according to some of the Reho staff, there hasn’t been a moments grace over the past few months as taskmasters Ros & Karsten cracked the whip and sent these valiant troops on Herculean missions to the far reaches of the globe. Each was given strict orders not to return without a bounty of travel tips, tidings, tattles and tans. You can read these poor souls tales of incalculable hardships, which include sipping champagne on luxury cruisers, lounging around King Suites, jetskiing, dining with Paris Hilton and things we can’t mention in a family newsletter.

As it's almost Ho Ho Ho o'clock we thought it would be nice to end the year with a few Christmas Carols. If you know the tunes, don't be shy, sing along out loud...a one, a two, a one two three...

"Dashing through Beijing, in a taxi not a sleigh, Karsten hit the Wall, Now he's back to have his say.
Great news for mum and dad, we'll make your spirits bright, travelwithkidz has just been launched, so call us for advice.

Airline news, airline news, at 30,000ft, Oh what fun it is to ride in United's first class seat, hey!
Need a rest, need a tan, some pampering and some fun? Check out our deluxe hotels, they're basking in the sun, hey!"

"Liss was dreaming of a sun-bleached Queensland, just like the ones the brochures show,
Where the pool tops glisten, and the waiters listen, for 'cocktails please', from the pool below."

"Bali nights, Arabian nights, A Rockies drive to catch the sights,
Break out of the office, with mother and child, Club Med have a deal, where the kids can run wild,
Half price and games never ceeease, So you get some heavenly peace."

We’re just waiting for the field to get settled for the biggest event on the Spring Racing Carnival calendar, the Reho Rap Newsletter Stakes. In the Rap Stand the girls are mingling with Australian sporting elite, impressing the judges with their glamorous tales of Croatia, Sydney, The Whitsundays and Wilsons Prom! And back on the track...they’re off! Airline News jumps out of the gate with exciting stories about Reho Sydney, Qantas, and extra Virgin fights to London. Destination of the Month starts to move around the inside ridden by Los Mexicana in the sequined poncho and sombrero. At the halfway mark it’s Sleeping Beauties, carrying 10 of the world’s hippest properties. But wait, there’s a protest against Head Scratchers for bad news at the airport! At the stretch it’s Break Out of The Office carrying Hayman Island, the delights of China and more. It’s a photo finish folks! We’ll have to go to our fantastic new competition 'Take A Moment' for a winner.

This month’s episode of The Rap has more bold and beautiful characters than daytime American soap opera. Forget Ridge, we’re talking Bulgarian mountain gypsies. Why settle for a Hunter, when you can take an African safari? And who wants to wade around a Brooke when you can cruise on the Caribbean? And the bizarre plot lines have more twists and turns than an Eastern European contortionist convention. If hotel activities has you yawning with visions of paddleboats, table tennis and mini golf, maybe it’s time for a little dog sledding or piranha fishing before lunch. This month we reveal the world’s top ten quirky hotels. And if you like to boo and hiss at the shady bad guys, take a look at our story on scam artists lurking in world of online travel. Whether you’re young and restless, or time is ticking away like sand through the hourglass, the August Rap is for you, because these are the days of our travelling lives.

Here we go, ole ole ole, Lament not bleary-eyed night owls, we might have lost to Brazil, but there's plenty of other small screen spectacles to cheer about this week. The Wallabies beat England, we have a new golf champ, and now your June newsletter is here! To kick off this months issue, we've got stories from Asia, hot holidays to Kewl destinations, and the launch of our brand new online hotel system - dare we say, your bookings will never go into extra time again! And by pure co-incidence, we've also thrown in some football faux pas' and a taste of destination Brazilian.

Lucky those World Cup organisers have delayed the Croatia game until hysteria about The June Rap dies down. If you see something you like, please give us a call, shoot through an email, or pass it around to friends...before everyone jumps on the bandwagon!

Xin-chou, Namaste, Konnichiwa, and while we're at it, G'day! Pack the poppadoms and don't forget your chopsticks, because we're off to Asia this month. Along with all the regular Rap menu dishes, we'd like to draw your attention to a feast of spicy chef specials cooking below. For starters we recommend the Destination of the Month, exotic Vietnam, complimented by a truly inspirational story from Reho client Janine Hendry, with a side order of mouthwatering specials and tempting resorts. For main course, we suggest you start taking more photos than a Japanese wedding party watching kangaroos do the Harbour Bridge climb. The 2005 photo competition winners might be off to Sapporo, but the 2006 prize to India is still sizzling on the hot plate just waiting to be gobbled up. If you can make room for dessert, then wrap your laughing gear around Karsten's encounter with the abominable snowboard in the mountains of India. And because you'll be hungry again in an hour, we've slipped in a serving of Spanish touring from the Briagolong School of Fine Art.

Re Ho Ho Ho everybody, It’s that time of year again, when we find ourselves out on the street, post-Office Christmas Party, wearing someone else’s neon bulb reindeer ears, wondering why passing taxi drivers keep turning off their ‘Vacant’ sign. Not that the Reho Team would know anything about that sort of behaviour! We have some exciting "presents" under the Reho Rap tree for you, including our beautifully wrapped new domestic online Self Booking Tool, tips to help you haggle for a bargain (although we can’t guarantee they’ll work for your Chrissy shopping at Myer) and lots of reports from people lazing around on beaches around the world. We don’t want to spoil all the surprises so go sneak a look for yourself before we break into the carol singing.