Frequently Asked Questions

Glad you asked! There are a few great perks to working with us, if we do say so ourselves.

1. We are absolute experts in Australia, New Zealand, and South Pacific travel. We’ve been in the business for nearly 20 years, and our luxury travel designers regularly visit this part of the world. When you work with Down Under Endeavours, the firsthand knowledge of our entire team is at your fingertips. Instead of spending hours sifting through conflicting information online, you can simply receive personalized recommendations from your own travel expert.
2. We find that travel to the South Pacific is a bit more complicated to book online than many people realize, especially when visiting multiple destinations. You might not account for crossing the international dateline, or realize that a “great deal” for a resort advertised online doesn’t include necessary boat transfers or other hidden costs. With Down Under Endeavours, there are no such complications, and you won’t have to visit 50+ websites to book everything individually. Consider us your one-stop shop for seamless air travel, land transfers, accommodations, and touring.
3. Having been in the business so long, we have excellent relationships with our travel partners in the South Pacific. Our preferred partners go above and beyond to take care of our clients.
4. We eliminate the hassle of travel and leave you with the fun parts! You’ll receive a detailed itinerary for your trip, and all you have to do is show up at the place and time listed.
5. While you travel, you’ll have 24/7 local support. If any unexpected issues come up, like a cancelled flight or rerouting due to weather, our in-country staff will make sure your trip continues as smoothly as possible.

Certainly! We’ll get to know your personal travel style and help you find the right destination based on your interests, timeframe, and budget.

As a matter of fact, that’s all we do! The sample itineraries on our website are designed to give you a taste of what’s possible. If you’re interested in a package, we can use this as a starting point to begin handcrafting your South Pacific vacation, but your trip will be completely customized to you.

This varies by country and experience. See more detailed info about the best time to visit specific destinations:

Australia • New Zealand • Fiji • Tahiti • Cook Islands

We recommend a minimum of 2 weeks for Australia or New Zealand to see the highlights. If you would like to visit both countries in a single trip, we recommend at least 3 weeks.

It’s quite easy to combine Australia or New Zealand with an island destination such as Fiji, Tahiti, or the Cook Islands. For this type of combo, we recommend spending 2-4 nights on the islands.

For Australia or New Zealand, you should get in touch with us at least 8 to 12 months before you plan to travel. This may seem like a long time, but trust us, the boutique hotels here fill up fast! For island destinations, we recommend planning at least 4 to 6 months in advance.

At Down Under Endeavours, we stick to 3.5- to 5-star properties that we’ve personally vetted, so you know you’ll love your South Pacific experience. The more exclusive you want your hotels or resorts to be, the more time you should allow to make sure you can book the ones you want.

Australia has stricter regulations for scuba diving than you may have encountered in other areas. In some cases you may be required to get a medical exam by an Australian doctor. If you do want to scuba dive in Australia, speak to one of our luxury travel designers for more specific information.

This varies depending on the accommodations you use, when you travel, and many other factors. At Down Under Endeavours, we stick to 3.5- to 5-star properties that we’ve personally vetted, as well as small-group or private touring options. Here are some estimates of what you can expect to spend (minimum) on a South Pacific vacation at a 3.5-star level or above. These estimates include international airfare (economy class), accommodations, all pre-booked touring, and any road or air transfers in country.

• 2 weeks in Australia or New Zealand: $8,000-10,000
• 7-10 days in Fiji: $8,000-10,000
• 7-10 days in Tahiti with an overwater bungalow: $10,000-12,000

We always have a variety of special offers available. Many properties offer discounted rates or free nights with a minimum stay. Please reach out to us to see what offers are available for the dates you’re traveling.

You can expect to spend at least $1,200 per person on round-trip international airfare in economy class. This doesn’t include connecting flights to other countries or in-country transfers. Prices will be higher for peak season travel.

The sample itineraries on our website are designed to give you a taste of what’s possible. If you’re interested in a package, we can use this as a starting point to begin handcrafting your South Pacific vacation, but your trip will be completely customized to you. Keep in mind that our sample packages are priced at low season and without airfare. The price can vary depending on when you travel, if you choose different hotels, if you want a room upgrade, etc.

Yes, we encourage you to use frequent flyer miles where you can. However, due to regulations, we cannot book a flight with your miles. Please contact us first so we can assist you in choosing which flights to secure. It is an important step to ensure you make the most out of your miles. We will let you know which flights it makes sense to use miles on.

The airlines dictate the pricing available. Generally speaking, we get similar pricing to what’s available online. However, one of the benefits of our airline contracts is that we can book multiple flights together on one ticket, which eliminates many potential headaches. For any flights booked on the same ticket, your connecting flights will be automatically reissued in case of delays or cancellations. You’ll have the same baggage allowance for all of your flights, so you won’t have to worry about hidden baggage fees. And finally, your checked baggage will go right through to your final destination, even if you have multiple layovers, so you don’t have to worry about picking it up and rechecking it at one of your stops.

We cannot guarantee any honeymoon upgrades. Most airlines do not offer honeymoon upgrades for international travel. Some properties will have free value adds for honeymooners, such as a bottle of champagne upon arrival or a special romantic meal. Our travel designers like to include special touches for honeymooners as well, but we don’t want to spoil the surprise!

In Australia, New Zealand, and the South Pacific, tipping is not customary or expected. If you feel that your server, tour guide, or resort staff has gone above and beyond, you can feel free to tip 10-20%, but you shouldn’t feel obligated to tip.

First, we’ll chat with you to find out what you’re looking for in your trip, as well as your timeframe, budget, and travel style. It is then time to officially start the process and the planning fee will be collected.

• Simple planning fee – $350
• Complex planning fee – $500+
• Last minute or peak season planning fee – $600
  • Availability for last minute trips or special events (such as Sydney on New Year’s Eve) is generally very difficult, so the higher fee is to allow for the extra time to find available accommodations and flights.

The planning fee includes…

• Development of a completely custom, handcrafted itinerary
• Time spent for thorough research and coordination of flow with accommodations, airfare, touring, and price comparison between itineraries
• Unlimited time with your travel designer via phone and email during this planning stage
• The firsthand travel experience and knowledge of our entire team

The planning fee is non-refundable and must be collected upfront.

Yes, we are a luxury travel company and we require a minimum booking of $8,000 total for your trip (based on 2 travelers). This includes international airfare, accommodations, transfers, and any touring for all travelers in your group.

Please keep in mind that the sample packages on our website are priced at low season and without airfare. The price can vary depending on when you travel, if you choose different hotels, if you want a room upgrade, etc.

We use wholesale rates that include non-disclosure clauses, as is typical in the travel industry. However, we take your budget into consideration throughout the planning process and hit that mark as closely as we can. Airfare prices vary widely depending on your travel time and may cause us to go over budget, in which case we will do as much as we can to adjust the rest of your itinerary accordingly.

We do separate your pricing into land and air costs. Wherever possible, we will send you links to the accommodation and tours we recommend so you can make informed decisions.

We highly recommend purchasing travel insurance to protect your investment. We will provide a travel insurance quote at the time of booking, and you are free to use our recommended insurance, find your own, or book without insurance.

We offer complimentary visa processing for US and Canadian citizens traveling to Australia. However, if you have any criminal convictions, we will not be able to process your visa and you will be required to undergo a background check.

For all other destinations, we do not process visas; the traveler is responsible for ensuring they have the correct entry documentation. Please note that visa requirements change frequently. Find the most up-to-date information about your destination here.

Yes; for any destination you travel to outside the USA or Canada, you need a minimum of 6 months validity past your date of return from your trip. If your flights have been purchased already, be sure the name on your passport exactly matches the name on your ticket to avoid problems at the airport.

Before we purchase your airline tickets. Your passport and airline tickets must match 100%, which for US passports usually includes a middle name. Some airlines will charge you for a whole new ticket if the names are wrong. It can be quite a costly error.