Down Under Endeavours Avis 

I cannot say enough good things about the planning of our trip by Laura and the Team from Down Under Endeavours. We enjoyed the beautiful, crystal clear waters of the Tahitian Islands with a fantastic Overwater bungalow in Bora Bora. They arranged for the most amazing seats to the Women's Final of the Australian Open in Melbourne which was a bucket lister for us. Tours were arranged in Melbourne and Sydney with amazing guides to educate us on the cities and their history. Being able to experience the Great Barrier Reef was a highlight and an experience not to be missed. Everything from flights to accommodations and experiences were expertly arranged. There was so much to see we are ready to go back!

After lots of research to find the right travel agency to help plan our honeymoon to Australia, we chose Down Under Endeavors based on the positive reviews and the fact that they are US-based but employ Australian natives. We are so glad we did!

This was our first time using a travel agency and as someone who is detail oriented and tries to get maximum value from what we spend on our trips, I was a bit nervous that we would end up paying more and not get additional value from a recommendations perspective above what we could research on google. But I was really happy with the value we got from our experience working with DUE.

Vanessa was so great to work with. She was super communicative, patient, and willing to iterate on the itinerary with us until we got everything we wanted. I’m sure we were not her easiest clients to work with and she did such a great job! Everything she recommended was a hit, and I appreciated that she shared why she thought we would enjoy something based on her own experience and what we told her our interests were.

I recommend DUE and Vanessa to anyone who doesn’t have a lot of time to plan their own trip to Australia or just wants help from people who know Australia really well. Thanks DUE!

Laura and her team created a dream vacation for my wife and me! Europe has always been my favorite destination...until we went to New Zealand this past September. The most stunning views I've ever experienced, as well as so many activities to do! We're both in our mid-sixties and we did luging, ziplining, Red Woods Nightlights Tree Walk, speed boats in a river gorge, LOTR Tour and so much more. We felt like kids again! The New Zealand people are the most friendly we've ever seen. Down Under Endeavours created such an intimate and luxurious trip for us. Every detail was meticulously thought out and executed so well! They even recommended restaurants and other smaller activities, which proved so valuable as well! There was so much that we didn't see or get to experience, so another trip is definitely in our future! We wouldn't think of using any other agency except Down Under Endeavours!

We just returned from a dream trip to Australia and New Zealand planned by Vanessa. We snorkeled in the Great Barrier Reef, cuddled a koala in Port Douglas, saw kangaroos and tons of wildlife on Kangaroo Island, toured the Opera House in Sydney, enjoyed the spectacular views in Queenstown, the rainforest of Doubtful Sound and the beach life on Waiheke Island. Vanessa did an incredible job with planning the perfect trip for us and we highly recommend her. Thank you Vanessa!

We worked with Shannon on a bucket list 3 week trip to Australia. Shannon listened to what we wanted and put together a great itinerary including exploring cities Melbourne, Hobart and Sydney, nature and animal sanctuaries and a resort and wineries. We enjoyed a combination of free time for us and some private tours. All the accommodations were excellent, the private tours were fun with knowledgeable guides. No complaints at all. We hope to travel like this again!

We would have been hard pressed to put together our 32-day adventure through New Zealand, Australia, and Indonesia without the excellent guidance of Vanessa Bowden, Sue Lassen, and all the others at DUE who worked together seamlessly to make the entire experience enjoyable and trouble free. We gave Vanessa our budget and the time frame we had for travel, threw in a couple of suggestions for things we knew for certain we knew we didn’t want to miss, and she took care of nearly everything else, giving us the opportunity to enjoy wonderful experiences nearly every day with none of the stress involved in researching destinations, making travel arrangements, or finding excellent accommodations. We enjoyed off-road excursions, treks through multiple tropical rain forests, an overnight cruise on the Doubtful Sound, stunning scenery along the New Zealand’s rails, movie set and studio tours, a true snorkeling adventure, immersion into indigenous cultures, local food tours, an intimate harbor cruise, and many other experiences and adventures, most of which we likely would not have discovered on our own. We traveled often in a private tour and nearly all of the group activities we joined were more intimately scaled with guides who could give us a more personalized experience. So, Thank You!
And, I would be remiss if I didn’t mention the fact that everywhere we went on that trip, the food was excellent, prices were reasonable, and the locals, without exception, were pleasant, helpful, and thoroughly enjoyable. (And while I searched every day for a bad bottle of beer or wine, I failed miserably.)

Our family just returned from a fabulous 15-day adventure in Australia, where we visited Melbourne, Port Douglas and Sydney. It was truly a trip of a lifetime, including attending the Australian Open, experiencing the Great Barrier Reef and touring the iconic Sydney Opera House & Sydney Harbor.

Working with Vanessa (Bowden) was a delight. While she was traveling, she handed off to Shannon seamlessly who was able to finalize our flight reservations and book our selected tours. Vanessa wrapped the itinerary up with a bow upon her return. Both of their efforts made for an absolute fantastic trip!!!! The travel gods were also with us because the weather cooperated for the entire adventure. A few days of drizzle but nothing to impact the experience or the enthusiasm.

We appreciated that Vanessa listened thoughtfully to what we were interested in doing, then provided great advice, especially as first-time tourists to Australia. The suggested itinerary had a great balance of activities and leisure days to make the entire trip so enjoyable and memorable. We could easily find a number of things to do during our unplanned days by asking locals and doing Google searches. Using DUE to arrange our international and inter-country flights and transfers to our condo/hotel was a major bonus. We booked a few of our own accommodations and to the Open which worked out nicely. Even with doing our own research and reading tour books, we would not have been able to plan such a comprehensive & wonderful experience.

Thank you DUE! Special kudos to Vanessa and Shannon for being such great representatives!!

Very unhappy with this service. Do not pay for this it it not worth the fee. I paid my $350 fee a month ago and I still don’t have an itinerary. All the travel manager has done was meet with me once 1/2 hour phone call and sent me links. Sorry I paid for this.

Working with Corinne and her associates for planning our upcoming honeymoon has been a phenomenal experience. The trip itinerary was fully customized to our wishes, down to the smallest detail. They are flexible, knowledgeable, and very responsive. When our destination closed its borders for the pandemic, Corinne personally reached out to video call with us and walk us through options which she pre-prepared for our individual trip. After deciding to reschedule, Corinne handled rescheduling with each and every lodging, excursion, and vehicle rental we had planned, with no stress or financial cost to us. In times like these, it is amazing to have something to look forward to, as well as the peace of mind that someone is diligently watching to ensure it will be the best it can, so we don't have to worry about it.

I have NEVER used a travel company in my life, but I am SO happy that I did for our honeymoon. Working with DUE was honestly a seamless dream. I'm a planner by nature and they did everything so well and provided so much detail it made me feel ready and prepared for our two week trip. Laura was absolutely incredible. She took the time to learn what we were looking for and gave us a customized itinerary - we enjoyed every moment of our time in Fiji and New Zealand! If you're looking for a company that will help you with a trip you have coming up then DOWN UNDER ENDEAVOURS IS IT! They created such a wonderful relationship with us that I recommend them to friends and family every chance I get. Thank you for an unforgettable experience and for the 5 star service!

We had the most amazing vacation in New Zealand, Katie set up a great itinerary of activities for our family with teens. There was never a dull moment. The accommodations and all reservations went smoothly. When we were near.y stranded due to the Covid19 crisis, Katie and Avalon helped revise our itinerary and got us home without any problems. Even under the most extreme circumstances, this team was there to make sure everything was taken care of. I cannot say enough good about Down Under Endeavors, they planned a wonderful trip and got us home safely.

Ellen planned my husband and I's 2 week honeymoon in New Zealand in Oct/Nov 2019. Ellen couldn't have planned a more perfect honeymoon for us! She took into account all the things we would be interested in doing/seeing and literally everything we did we enjoyed. During our actual honeymoon Ellen was out on maternity leave so Avalon took over for her. Any questions we had during our vacation, Avalon responded back to our email and was extremely helpful when our helicopter tour got canceled due to foggy weather. We can not wait to book with Down Under Endeavors again! Thanks 😊

Debbie Rasowsky at Down Under Endeavours worked with us to plan a wonderful adventure in Australia and New Zealand. The suggestions she made and the tours she arranged were great. It was comforting to arrive at our destinations and find the driver there to take us to the hotel, airport, etc. The Hotels she selected were located near the heart of activities in the area. We tried several of the restaurants she recommended and were happy with the choices. The Wine tours were great and we found each winery to be unique.
Unfortunately, due to Covid-19, we had to cut our trip short and were not able to complete everything on our agenda. New Zealand will be there when the pandemic is over and we hope to be able to return and complete the adventure!
I would highly recommend Debbie to assist with planning a trip "Down Under".

We contacted Candice H on the high recommendation of neighbors who had just returned from a 6-week trip to New Zealand that she had planned for them. We too were thrilled with Candice: she not only thoroughly knows the territory, she got to know all our quirks and preferences and made plans accordingly--she took so much time with us, and was always responsive to any questions and available during the planning phase of the trip. Always pleasant, always helpful. All arrangements (airfares, private tours, pick ups/drop offs of us and cars, hotels, activities, etc) were perfect, and seamless. Her attention to detail was fantastic. And our intended 30-day trip in March 2020 trip was fabulous---until 20 days in, Candice tracked us down to let us know the US State Department had issued a level 4 travel advisory relating to Covid-19. She had already made tentative arrangements for us to return home (flights/hotel en route home)--again, she had thought of everything. We arrived home safe and sound on the day New Zealand announced a total lock-down. And Then! Candice worked to get us refunds for our cancellations and sent us perfectly organized accountings, including draft letters to send to our trip insurance carrier for some non-refundable expenses. Pretty amazing! We can't wait to go back, and look forward to working with Candice again!

We were in the middle of planning a trip to visit our daughter who was studying in Australia when the COVID-19 outbreak occurred. Although we had not finalized details for our trip, or paid a dime more than the original small deposit for her time, Debbie at Down Under Endeavors worked tirelessly to find my daughter a flight out of Australia when the Embassy recommended we get her home asap to avoid her being stranded indefinitely. There were several flight cancellations and changes and Debbie and the team navigated the entire process with a calm demeanor and ease. Our original proposal for our trip to visit my daughter was done with all of our personal needs and my daughters schedule in mind. I can not wait to work with Debbie and the entire team at Down Under when my daughter returns to Australia and we finally take our dream vacation to visit her.

Recently returned from a fantastic trip to Australia. The trip that Vanessa with Down Under Endeavors was perfect. Diving the Great Barrier Reef from Port Douglas, both sunset and sunrise trips at Uluru, and a million things to do in Sydney made for the perfect trip. And when the coronavirus threatened to disrupt our plans while already in Australia, their in country support contact, Sue, was great and handling changes on the fly. I would absolutely recommend Down Under Endeavors and will definitely be using them again.

My husband and I recently returned from a fabulous trip to Australia and New Zealand arranged by Vanessa Massey from Down Under Endeavours. She provided us with suggestions and information on where to go and what activities were available. She then put together a detailed itinerary for 26 days. We were able to dive the Great Barrier Reef, hold a Koala, feed kangaroos, tour Melbourne, Kangaroo Island and Sydney. We then flew to Queenstown New Zealand and drove North on the west coast of the South Island. We took a boat to the Doubtful Sound, a helicopter to a glacier and ended the trip in beautiful cabins in the woods near Able Tasman National Park. Vanessa arranged all the flights. Drivers arrived to transfer us to and from the airport. All hotels, tours and excursions were expecting us. We followed the itinerary and smoothly moved from one place or activity to another. It was set up perfectly! We can’t thank Vanessa enough for her assistance. It was a worry free trip of a lifetime.

DUE's employees from Katie Marta our travel planner to Shannon Bradley who spearheaded our changed travel plans were great.

It was confirmed in December that the trip I hoped to take with my husband and three adult children was a go! Just three months later the five of us, from four different points of origin, left for a two week trip of a lifetime to Australia and New Zealand! Thank you, thank you Audra! I started planning this trip myself because that's what I love to do but it quickly got too big! Audra arranged for all of our flights, our transfers from each airport to hotel and back, our excursions and as importantly to me, the three bedroom accommodations so we could all stay together. She did all this including airfare (and we did many exceptional things) within my budget! I was so pleased with that; she was so familiar with the areas we planned to see!

Then New Zealand closed its borders because of the coronavirus! Audra and her contact in Australia notified us first, rescheduled our flights and got all five of us back home, this time to Chicago since my children were all "working from home". My family and I were free to enjoy our last two days in Sydney as planned while Audra and her team took care of our details. Honestly, I can't imagine what I would have done on my own without her/their help!

We had the time of our lives and plan to complete the New Zealand itinerary next year! Thank you for everything Down Under Endeavours! And especially Audra for such personal care!

Down Under Endeavours was excellent every step of the way. Our trip to Australia and New Zealand was superb with every excursion, hotel accommodation, and travel arrangement not only of great quality but well organized and reliable. They even arranged for front row seats at the Australian Open tennis which made the experience even more memorable. Our D.U.E representative was Audra who was just great and so insightful and a pleasure to work with. We recommend them highly for anyone planning a trip to this region- they helped make this a truly special experience.