Australian Escapes Tours

Australian Escapes Tours started in 2020 in response to growing demand for affordable and interesting Australian charter group trips for seniors. We expanded on that to provide a broad selection of self-guide tours for singles, couples and families as well. Jump on board for a truly Australian experience.

Australian's are travelling close to home at present so we've geared up accordingly. Also the New Zealand border will hopefully open up in 2021 and many Australians will want to head over there for a holiday. We'll be operating tours in New Zealand under the Kiwi Escapes brand.

We've introduced tour packages as well to suit people who would like to share the trip experience with other people rather than travelling on their own. Fully-guided tours are being added now.

Organising for a group? Consider a "group-guided" tour.

If you are a trip organiser for Probus, Rotary, Apex or even a corporate group then your needs and requirements are different from those of a small group of say three couples. You might be considering a trip for 10, 20, 30 or more travelers. In that case, some of the factors to consider will be:

• Great value and overall affordability
• Marketing considerations (getting the word out)
• Exclusive or shared charter
• Quality bus to suit numbers
• Flight and/or train arrangements if part of the package
• Quality, central accommodation with breakfast
• All other meals included
• Full tour management (tour director on the bus or "group-guided")
• Flexible itinerary to meet preferences
• Fully-guided activities
• Walking tour audio-guide technology

A group-guided tour is a chartered bus tour usually involving a group of 10 or more people. One member of the group manages the tour from commencement to completion acting as the "Tour Director" and we work with that person to ensure a smooth travel experience. A tour coach and professional driver is supplied. We organise everything from accommodation and activity bookings to meals and logistics. The organiser is provided with our "Tour Manager Notes & Guide".

"Tour Manager Notes & Guide" is part of all "group-guided" packages. Included is a comprehensive daily itinerary, driver instructions and information about each part of your tour to enable you to provide entertaining commentary. Also included are checklists and reminders about daily tasks.

A professional tour director is optional and ideally suits a larger group. It means you can relax knowing that every detail is being handled. As group size increases so do the organisational aspects.

Research, planning and marketing

If not already done, a survey of potential group participants will help identify places of interest and trip duration. From there we will recommend one or more suitable itineraries via a brochure that you can hand out or email to group members for input and to determine numbers.

Shared group charters

A shared charter with another group from a branch of the same organisation, or even external couples and groups, distributes fixed expenses across a broader base and reduces prices for all. Apart from price benefits, there's the extra fun and camaraderie involved.

As an organiser of a group-guided tour, you benefit from the following:

• The planning is done with you to achieve your aims, then we organise everything so you don't have to worry about logistics at all.
• Your group gets to see and do the most important sights and experiences very affordably.
• Your group benefits from the overall savings we achieve on group bookings.
• Participants can blend independent time with group time for the best of both worlds.

Self-guided tours

Our self-guided tour packages suit singles, couples and small groups. Small groups are typically groups of friends, perhaps two to four couples.

In general, each self-guided package is a template that can be customised to your needs and requirements. Factors of importance to you will be:

• Great value and overall affordability
• Vehicle type to suit numbers
• Flight and/or train arrangements if part of the package
• Quality, central accommodation with breakfast
• Other meals optional
• Flexible itinerary to meet preferences
• Fully-guided and self-guided activities

The key is having everything planned in advance as much as possible otherwise you find yourself continually trying to make decisions on-the-fly which quickly unnerves fellow travellers.

Our role

If you are a 100% DIY (do-it-yourself), experienced trip organiser, then you might not need us. However there are plenty of traps and pitfalls for the unwary. There is also the burden of responsibility to consider. For simple trips, this can be fine.

For medium to larger groups or more complex trips, our job is to make sure everything is set up correctly, exactly as planned, from the outset, so you and the rest of your group can simply enjoy your holiday. At the same time, we can generally deliver better overall value than you can on your own.