The Academy Travel difference
Behind the diversity of our tours lies a consistency of philosophy and a consistency of approach.
TAILORED SMALL GROUP JOURNEYS
Academy Travel is a leading specialist in small-group cultural tours. We strive to provide a well-planned, fulfilling, and enjoyable itinerary, allowing you to travel with like-minded companions and learn from internationally renowned experts. Our tours are designed to appeal to travellers with a strong interest in history, archaeology, architecture, the visual arts and the performing arts.
Each tour is designed around three basic principles:
Expert tour leaders
Maximum 16 in a group
Carefully planned itineraries
You will find we are not like regular group tours. Working closely with our expert tour leaders, we create itineraries which explore destinations in a meaningful way and include not just the obvious, well-known sites, but also the equally rewarding gems and places that are a little off the beaten path. With an aim to provide a rewarding, in-depth travel experience, each tour provides a balanced program to showcase the best of a destination, including walking tours, museum and site visits, live performances, culinary delights and outstanding natural scenery.
Each tour is led by a passionate, prepared and professional tour leader. They have solid postgraduate qualifications, university level teaching and research experience, and a thorough knowledge of the destination they are visiting. Our tour leaders are joined by a trained tour manager to ensure your safety and comfort on tour, while also overseeing the behind-the-scenes logistics.
Get to know what makes our tour program unique…
Years of Experience & REFINED Service
Academy Travel started in Sydney in 2004, and since then we have developed a wonderful network of colleagues around the world, who keep us up to date on what’s new and what’s trending in cultural travel. We are also more than just a tour operator. We are a full-service travel agency who can assist you with all aspects of your travel. Our team can assist you with flights, transfers, insurance, pre-tour arrival and additional travel.
Well-researched, Carefully Crafted Itineraries
A well-thought-through itinerary can make all the difference to your travel. Working closely with our expert tour leaders, we create itineraries which explore destinations in a meaningful way and include not just the obvious, well-known sites, but also less-touristed but equally rewarding gems that are a little off the beaten path. We also offer a distinctive range of tours which break the mould of the multi-destination ‘road trip’, including performance-based ‘Music Tours’ and long-stay ‘Residential Tours’.
Experts lead the way
Passionate, prepared and professional, our tour leaders bring a world of experience and a wealth of knowledge to your travels. They have solid postgraduate qualifications, university level teaching and research experience, and a thorough knowledge of destinations. This ensures that they are fresh, enthusiastic and can provide genuine insight rather than just facts and anecdotes. If you are thinking about travelling with us, we encourage you to find out as much as possible about your tour leader. Meet our tour leaders here >
In addition to your expert tour leader, you will be accompanied by a trained tour manager for the duration of the tour.
The right sized group of like-minded travellers
Our tours have a maximum group size of 16. We find this is a perfect size for travellers to find like-minded companions within the group but still small enough for us to provide personalised service, learn about your interests and incorporate them into the experience. Most travellers are 50 or older, with the average age in the mid-60s. No special qualifications are required to join our tours, just a desire to incorporate genuine intellectual insight into your travels.
Special Experiences & Private Access
Private viewings, exclusive events, behind-the-scenes visits, sold-out performances... many of our tours feature events which are not regularly available on group tours and allow you to truly experience a museum or monument without the crowds. To name only a few… a private evening viewing of the spectacular mosaics in Venice’s St Mark’s Basilica; an exclusive, before-hours visit to New York’s Museum of Modern Art; or a Mediterranean cruise aboard the luxurious 3-masted barque Sea Cloud II.
Time for Individual Discovery
Some room for spontaneity is also important! A satisfying journey will always comprise things you were planning to see and do, and things that are new or just ‘pop-up’: an excellent new museum, a great performance or the simple local restaurant that serves exceptional food. That’s why we prefer long stays and leave time in the program for individual exploration and relaxation. We include all breakfasts, but there are plenty of free evenings to discover local restaurants, or just relax.
The Right Time of Year
In these days of increasing tourism, choosing the right time of year and even the right time of day is essential. If you look through our program you will notice that many of our tours take place in the ‘shoulder’ and even low seasons, especially for popular destinations. We also take care to avoid big cities on the weekend, where possible, and major public holidays, when sites can be overcrowded.
The Right Hotel
We take great care in selecting your accommodation. In order to avoid unnecessary transfers and allow for individual exploration, we select comfortable, centrally-located hotels wherever possible. Most of the hotels we use are 4-star, with the occasional splurge on 5-star. We prefer smaller hotels if available, and we are constantly researching and reviewing our choices. Wherever possible, we plan our tours around a limited number of stops, making your stay more relaxed and more enjoyable.
