Zerotwonine

Last year, 029 launched their first ever lottery where its members could win envy-generating travel and lifestyle prizes. Not surprisingly, 029 had heaps of eager members lusting over our top two prizes: safaris in Rwanda and Tanzania.

And for the lucky winners of these experiences, the trips have lived up to (and will live up to -for those yet to go) each and every one of their expectations.

Take the travel report below, from the lovely Susanne who along with her travel companions, Marc, Romina and Christopher, took off to Tanzania for a weeklong safari at the Hatari Lodge and Shu’mata Camp.

Full of anticipation, but without any precise idea of what exactly to expect, we took off to the first safari of our lives at Hatari Lodge and Shu’mata Camp in November 2010. Already on our way from Arusha airport to Hatari Lodge, our first stop, we saw a multitude of exotic animals, such as giraffes, buffalos, zebras, baboons and other monkeys – and that was just the start!

Arriving at Hatari early in the morning, three giraffes were having breakfast with us right at the terrace of the lodge.

In the following days, we were about to experience the green, fertile and woody land around Hatari with its incredible diversity of animals – we saw thousands of sunbathing flamingos and exotic birds, many different kinds of apes as well as hippos, giraffes, zebras, buffalos and hyenas.

Every morning provided a new surprise with a variety of animals taking a nap or eating just in front of our beautifully equipped bungalow. Marlies, Jörg and the team were very concerned about our well-being, serving excellent food and wines in a very familial atmosphere.

After a couple of days at Hatari, we took off to the sandy and dusty land around Shu’mata Camp – what a contrast in vegetation, only a two hour drive away! Shu’mata Camp is a tented camp, which can be only described with one word: breathtaking!

The tents are beautifully furnished with much love to detail and the location on top of a hill close to the foot of Kilimanjaro provides great views on the mountain and the savannah and its animals.

On our daily game drives, we saw lots of elephants, gnus, ostrichs, antelopes, impalas, gazelles, giraffes, zebras, eagles and other exotic birds.

Also at Hatari, the food was excellent and always served at a long table, where guests could share their experiences from the day.

We were truly sad to leave this paradise after one week of adventure and game viewing, but have all agreed that this was not our last vacation of this kind.

Now that we’ve done it, we can say that a safari truly is a once in a lifetime experience!

For those of you who received our Insider News yesterday, you will have noticed that 029 is offering a spectacular benefit to our members - the ability to join Seven Swans, the über-cool members only club in Frankfurt.

We have high quality standards here at 029, and you know what, the Seven Swans multifunctional clubhouse leaps over our quality hurdle. We were particularly enamoured with the fingerprint access bit - very James Bond/Bourne Identity-like (insert your favourite spy film title). Let’s be honest, isn’t there a little secret agent in all of us? We thought so.

So, you want to know more about the Seven Swans membership? Our influential Member Relations team will give you the inside scoop on how to get the inside access at Seven Swans.

Your mission, should you accept it, is to get in touch with us! Black suit and sunglasses not required for entry, but also not frowned upon either. Debonair is never a bad thing.

Wait. You didn’t receive our Insider News yesterday? We would love to fix that…because we’re proud of our informative newsletters, which I might add, also have a tendency to be creatively written, as they detail our  member benefits and worldwide experiences. People like being in the loop and love being the first to know about something fresh and new.

We are the membership only club for discerning travellers and thrill seekers. Our members are not common, average, or ordinary, they are extraordinary. And part of the draw of 029 is that it is a network of like-minded individuals, and although it is global and rapidly expanding, 029 does not seek to be all encompassing. As we aim to keep the exclusivity aspect, we count on our already trusted and valued members to help expand 029 by inviting their trusted and valued friends. Don’t worry, if you truly are an international jet-setter, experience seeker, or wanderlust-professional you will come across a like-minded individual who is already a 029 member to invite you into the selective world of 029.