Only The Best Travel
When Chris Lundy was younger, he saw Christmas presents from his mother as a reflection of his self-worth. So things went badly when he was 17 and received a cheap-looking T-shirt that he thought looked like it came from the corner pharmacy. “I hated it,” the …
Mask up and socially distance when you are traveling. (Photo licensed to The Zebra Press by istock.com) By Lenore Marema A Smithsonian seminar in the fall featured representatives of the U.S. State Department, travel agents, and tour providers, that generated advice on travel going forward. Where …
Nine
With their good-natured bickering and silly antics, the Frens have found the perfect balance to make their family work.
Mark keeps things upbeat and is a forthright dad, and is the other half to his wife Cathy, who has a quirky sense of humour and distinctive laugh that’s very contagious.
The couple have been married for more than 30 years and share two kids together, Victoria and Jonathon.
While Victoria is always ready to voice an opinion, Jonathon is a little more on the reserved side out of the bunch – offering a good mix within the family.
Although, while it seems like the show is the perfect fit for the family, Mark and Cathy were originally approached by Channel 9 to audition for something completely different – a cooking series called The Hotplate.
The show was never renewed for a second season, and the Frens family found themselves with spots on the Travel Guides cast, where they say what you see is what you get.
“Something that we said straight off was that we’re portrayed exactly how we are. And all the people in the show, how they act, and how Channel 9 portrays them is exactly how they act,” Cathy told In Touch magazine.
“And that’s what we like. We’re ourselves. Halfway through the first series, I said to a producer, ‘How are we going? Are we alright?’ And he went, ‘Oh, you’re hilarious.’ And I said, ‘Well, I didn’t even know it was supposed to be a humorous show.’ We were just ourselves, so that’s just the way it went.”
Nine
While we’re used to seeing the Frens as just a family of four, the tight-knit clan expanded when Jono wed his partner of two years, Danielle Clark, on June 5 this year.
“They’re a great match,” his mum Cathy told Woman’s Day. “They really complement each other. They’re madly in love and they’re really caring towards each other.”
His dad Mark also said that they were “so proud” of both the bride and groom, and Victoria added that Danielle has brought her older brother out of his shell.
“Individually they’re both quiet people, but when they’re out and about together they’re the total opposite – they’re really outgoing and keen to party,” she said.
The Fren family could also see another exciting addition now that the pair are married, with Danielle, who’s since changed her last name to Fren, and Jono having confirmed their readiness to be parents.
“Definitely!” he told the magazine. “A whole new Fren family!”
His family are certainly already keen, with Victoria having said: “I think a baby will be within the next few months. A few months… plus nine!”
Mark also added: “We’ve already worked out our grandparent names!”
Travel Guides airs Tuesday, 9pm, Nine Network.
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BLOOMINGTON, Ind. (WISH) — President Joe Biden’s new COVID-19 safety protocols for international travel officially went into effect Monday.
That means anyone entering the United States must provide proof of a negative test within one day of their flight, regardless of vaccination status. The changes were announced last week after the omicron variant was detected in the United States.
Indiana University said the updated regulations impact international students ahead of the holidays. The university’s International Services Office said fewer international students plan to go home because there are too many travel uncertainties.
John Wilkerson, the office’s interim vice president, said, at this point in the coronavirus pandemic, some students haven’t seen their families in close to two years. “We’ve seen and experienced students being stranded either in the United States or abroad.”
Wilkerson said many decided to not leave the country for winter break partially because of the uncertainties surrounding the omicron variant, and it’s also just what international students have become accustomed to.
“That’s really the very specific challenge that international students face is it’s not so simple for student who returns home for the holiday break to Singapore and right now they can enter Singapore, but what if two weeks from now, they can’t? So, it’s not quite the same as the student who is trying to make that same trip to San Diego to go home for the holidays,” Wilkerson said.
Wilkerson said throughout the pandemic, in some ways, international students have had to pay closer attention to changing protocols than other students.
“They have come to rely on the information that we’re putting out, that the university is sharing with them, in terms of how best protect themselves and to make sure that they’re aware of what challenges they may face and if in fact they do face those challenges, how to best utilize IU as a resource to best help them overcome them,” Wilkerson said.
According to Indiana University’s website, more than 7,200 international students from 164 countries are enrolled at the university. Wilkerson said how many will stick around through winter break is unknown but added IU’s COVID response team continues to ramp up resources to prepare.
“The literal social distancing that has happened has exacerbated a lot of feelings of anxiety and loneliness and, you know, everything that all of us have felt at some degree. But, imagine having those experiences, feeling those feelings, those stresses, those anxieties and being displaced from your loved ones for years at a time,” Wilkerson said.
A spokesperson from IU tells News 8 the school is encouraging booster shots and will host a clinic for students in the next few days. However, so far, there are no plans to require boosters at the university.