This tour will offer you the chance to see a side of Japan not commonly experienced, from meditation sessions in a mountain monastery to shiatsu treatments to relax mind and body. There will be a stay at a mountaintop monastery on Mount Haguro and a session at a famed "onsen" (hot spring baths). Add to this several walks in stunning forests, visits to ancient Shinto and Zen shrines and, of course, the chance to visit Tokyo and the beautiful Kyoto - and you have an exceptional Japan experience.

Join Judy for a very special tour which takes in the famed Jaipur Literature Festival. Add to this sightseeing and some special experiences in Kolkata, Jaipur and Delhi and you have a unique tour which will offer a slice of the richness and depth of India's literary tradition and cultural richness.

Note : There are TWO options for this tour. You may choose to do the whole tour, including Kolkata, Delhi and Jaipur or you can opt to join the tour in Delhi and do just Delhi and Jaipur with us.

India has some of the most diverse wildlife habitats on earth and this journey takes you into the heartland of the subcontinent – to the famed wildlife reserves of Kanha National Park in central India (the inspiration for Kipling’s novel “Kim”), to remote Kaziranga National Park in India’s remote north-east and finally to the little-known or visited Andaman Islands in the Bay of Bengal. The tour will be led by two passionate wildlife enthusiasts – (Mr) Avijit Sarkhel, from India, who is one of India’s finest naturalists with a special flair for birding – and (Mr) Pasang Tenzing from Australia – a marine biologist by trade, a wildlife enthusiast and an “old India hand”.

Bhutan is one of the world's most unique and rewarding destinations and on this tour you will have the additional treat of attending the annual festival of the Black-Necked Crane at the 17th century monastery of Gangtey in the remote and mystical Phobjikha Valley in central Bhutan. This valley is famous as the winter resting place for the cranes who fly in every autumn from Tibet. The festival pays homage to these sacred birds as well as offering us a chance to see the traditional dance and music of this region of the Himalaya. Add to this the opportunity to see the great sights of eastern Bhutan - the stunning Paro Valley, the capital Thimphu and the picturesque dzong of Punakha and you have a unique and memorable experience in this hidden gem of the Himalaya.

Join Judy as a guest of Academy Travel for this special tour. Explore Rajasthan, the land of the Rajput kings! This new 18-day tour offers the quintessence of India – majestic landscapes, palace forts and mausolea, historic cities and towns, and the great “festival of lights”, Diwali. Starting from Delhi, we proceed to Agra, home of the Taj Mahal, Jaipur, “the Pink City”, the desert town of Jodhpur, and Udaipur, a fairytale town on the great Pichola Lake. We complete our tour in Mumbai, the gateway to British India and the nation’s economic capital.

This tour will take you to the golden land of Burma. It takes in Yangon, Inle Lake, the old hill town of Maymyo, Mandalay and the spectacular stupa-studded plains of Bagan. Add to this an overnight cruise on the Irrawaddy River and you have one of life’s great travel journeys.

Our course in 2017 will be the third in Greece, and the first in Nafplio – though Sue Woolfe has run nine previous retreats, for Sydney University, all over the world. Many of her students return again and again. We spend mornings working as a group on our writing, and most afternoons are yours to explore the village, the beaches, the countryside, to get to know the locals, and to draw inspiration from it all.