Academy Travel is an Australian-owned travel company, dedicated to providing tailored small group journeys for individuals and associations. We currently operate in a number of areas:

• Our general program offers 15-20 journeys each year to Europe, the Mediterranean, Asia and the Americas, each focusing on a distinctive historical, artistic or cultural theme. There is a maximum of 20 participants on any trip.
• Our schools program consists of around 20 tours per year for Australian schools. School tours focus on history and the arts, and make use of our specialist travel skills and knowledge of school syllabus requirements. Further information on our schools program can be found at www.academytravel.com.au/schools.
• Teacher professional development is another area of activity. We regularly operate tours to Rome, Pompeii and Herculaneum, Greece, Paris, Vietnam and Cambodia for history teachers in New South Wales and Victoria. These tours are carefully planned to cover key syllabus areas and are tax deductible for most teachers.
• The Association of Australian Decorative and Fine Arts Societies (ADFAS) also offers four or five tours per year through Academy Travel. ADFAS tours are similar to our general program but have a special focus on the decorative and fine arts. ADFAS tours are open to everyone. Further information on the ADFAS travel program can be found at www.academytravel.com.au/adfas.

Academy Travel maintains close associations with the university sector. We currently operate Summer Schools on behalf of the University of Sydney and the University of New England, and most of our tour leaders also teach regularly in major Australian and overseas institutions.

Academy Travel is a fully licensed travel agent. As well as managing your tour booking, our experienced consultants are happy to assist with all aspects of your travel, including international flights, pre and post-tour accommodation, car rental and travel insurances.

The aim of every Academy Travel journey is to combine the pleasures of independent travel with the benefits and shared enjoyment of a group. Expert group leaders, carefully selected accommodation and carefully paced itineraries are the key ingredients of our planning. Rather than rushing from place to place there is time to explore and experience destinations as an individual traveller, at the same time gaining from the experience and expertise of the group leader and the carefully planned itinerary.

No special qualifications are required to participate in our program - just a love of travel and desire to see and understand more than the average tourist.

Who participates in Academy Travel's program?

Academy Travel's journeys appeal to those who want to move beyond mass tourism, either because they have particular destinations they wish to experience in-depth or have a strong interest in a particular field of study, place or period. Very often participants are regular independent travellers, but have chosen to join the group because of the special features of the itinerary or the expertise group leader. The opportunity to travel with like-minded people is one of the main appeals of our program.

Key features of Academy Travel's journeys

• Outstanding group leaders. All our leaders possess extensive knowledge of the places visited on a journey, skills in communicating this knowledge to an interested audience and practical skills in managing a journey. But most of all our leaders have love and enthusiasm of the places you visit!
• Extended stays in most destinations, rather than one- or two-night hops. This allows you the chance to get to know the places you visit, time to pursue individual sightseeing and the opportunity to simply relax and watch the world go by. Extended stays also mean you can attend to practical matters, such as laundry and emails, with ease. Each year we offer a number of 'residential' style tours, spending one or two weeks in a major city such as Paris, Venice, Rome, New York or Berlin.
• Itineraries based on carefully developed historical and cultural themes, rather than superficial 'panoramic' tours. Because we avoid overnight hops, you have time to build up an in-depth understanding and appreciation of what you see, not just a check-list of famous sites.
• Informal background talks before you visit sites, museums and galleries. This leaves you free to spend your time actually looking at the things you've travelled to see, rather than straining to listen to a local tour guide. Through the background talks you'll also build up a coherent understanding of the country you're visiting, not just a fragmented set of facts.
• The option of staying with the group leader or individually exploring most sites. You can also opt out of entire days if you wish to relax or do something different.
• Q&A sessions after site visits - often held over a drink at the bar!
• Online learning resources. Once you have registered for a journey, we provide you with access to a set of online resources (maps, historical summaries etc) and links to websites of interest. These resources are expanded as the trip gets closer and remain after you return.

Academy Travel staff

	Stuart Barrie has 25 years' experience in the travel industry and is a director of Academy Travel. Stuart’s passion is for 20th century history and he regularly leads tours to Germany and the United States for Academy Travel.
	Jackie Colonelli looks after clients booked on our school tours, arranging flights, insurance and additional travel, as well as supervising payments and receipts. After studying commerce and career in banking, she returned to her first love – travel – and has several years’ experience in the travel industry.
	Doina Coombe looks after clients booked on our open age tours, arranging flights, insurance and additional travel. She recently travelled to Bulgaria and Romania on an Academy Travel tour, and has travelled extensively in Europe, Asia and the United States. Doina has 10 years’ experience in the travel industry.
	Damien Flint co-ordinates itinerary production, pre-departure documents and our website. He has travelled to Canada, Vietnam and the United States.
	Hannah Kleboe looks after clients booked on our open-age tours, arranging flights, insurance and additional travel. She is a graduate in languages from Cambridge University and speaks Spanish, German and French. Hannah has over a decade’s experience in the travel industry.
	Grace Mather manages Academy Travel’s school program, creating tour itineraries, liaising with school staff and managing tour escorts. Grace has travelled extensively in Europe, both independently and as a tour leader. She has also lived and worked in Greece, the United Kingdom and the United States for a year.
	Leanne Meoli Looks after clients booked on our school tours, arranging flights, insurance and additional travel. She has recently returned to the travel industry after completing a Diploma in Travel and Tourism. Leanne has travelled extensively throughout Europe, United States and Asia and has over 10 years experience in the travel industry.
	Dr Kathleen Olive creates and edits our tour notes. Kathleen’s doctorate is in Italian literature, and she has a strong interest in medieval history and contemporary fiction writing. When she is not working on tour notes, Kathleen leads tours to Italy and Turkey for Academy Travel.
	Claudia Pfeiffer is the manager of Academy Europe, our Rome-based company which is responsible for managing relations with hotels and other suppliers in western Europe. Claudia has over 25 years' experience organising incoming travel in Europe.
	Liselle Pullen manages Academy Travel’s open-age programs, co-ordinating tour leaders, pre-departure events and liaising with tour operators. She also manages tour evaluation and our lecture series. Liselle has lived in France and maintains a strong interest in all things French – history, art and style. She travels frequently to Europe and North Africa.
	Robert Veel has 20 years' experience designing and leading educational travel programs and is a director of Academy Travel. He has designed and led many tours to Italy, Turkey and the United States, as well as travelling to Asia, North Africa, the Middle East, Russia and Canada. Robert's special interest is in Italian medieval and Renaissance history.