Begin your journey to Australia. While flying over the Pacific Ocean, you’ll cross the International Date Line and “lose” a day, jumping ahead one date on the calendar. (Don’t worry: You’ll more than make it up while on tour!)

Day 2: Travel day

Keep flying toward Australia. Soon enough, you’ll be landing in...

Melbourne2 nights

Day 3: Arrival in Melbourne

Included meal: Welcome dinner

You’ve made it Down Under! Say hello to your Tour Director at the airport, then transfer to your hotel. You’ll have some time to freshen up before meeting the rest of your group at this evening’s welcome dinner. Enjoy your meal, served with beer or wine, and get excited for the beginning of your adventure.

Day 4: Sightseeing tour of Melbourne

Included meal: Breakfast

Your tour starts in earnest with a guided tour of Melbourne, Australia’s second-largest city and capital of the state of Victoria. Let your Tour Director steer you through town, pointing out and popping into major sites as you go. 

Explore the Carlton Gardens, a beautiful splotch of green on the fringes of the Central Business District. Prized for its Victorian landscape design, the park features lush lawns, flower beds, and plenty of trees, both domestic and European. The Gardens’ biodiversity landed them on the list of UNESCO World Heritage Sites, and their shaded walkways make them a symbol of Melbourne. 

Visit St. Patrick’s Cathedral—recognizable by its soaring central spire, elegant Gothic architecture, and dark walls crafted from local bluestone—before moving on to the Shrine of Remembrance. Based on a pair of ancient Greek monuments, this classical memorial honors Australians who have served their country in war. 

Pass the ever-flowing Yarra River and the Sports and Entertainment Precinct. The latter befits Melbourne’s status as Australia’s cultural capital: It fits six world-class stadiums onto close to 100 acres of riverfront real estate and hosts the annual Australian Open tennis tournament. 

Stroll through Queen Victoria Market, the largest open-air market in the Southern Hemisphere, and peruse its stalls selling everything from vegetables to Australian specialties.

End your day on an adorable note by adding our optional excursion to the Phillip Island Penguin Parade. If you’d rather explore on your own, stick to the nature theme and head to the Royal Botanic Gardens Victoria. How many of its 50,000 plants can you spot in one visit?  

Day 5: Flight to Cairns

Included meals: Breakfast, Dinner

Leave Melbourne and board a flight bound for Cairns—the gateway to the Great Barrier Reef. Transfer to a hotel in the region and prepare to take a close-up look at one of the Natural Wonders of the World.

Day 6: The Great Barrier Reef

Included meals: Breakfast, Lunch

As the largest coral reef system on the planet, the Great Barrier Reef has long fascinated the world. Take a full day to explore it with your Tour Director and see it in all its majesty. 

Make the drive to Cairns Marina, where you’ll trade your bus for a catamaran. Once everyone has boarded, sail to Michaelmas Cay—a sandy islet surrounded by turquoise waters—with a marine biologist.  

Sip on some tea as they explain the reef’s unique ecosystem, then plunge beneath the surface and admire the technicolor coral up close as you snorkel. (If you’d prefer to stay dry, your boat has a glass bottom, letting you see everything from the comfort of your seat.) 

Return to your catamaran for an included buffet lunch, then finish your day in the sun with a glass of sparkling wine and settle in for the cruise back to Cairns.

 Please note: Snorkeling equipment will be provided. 

Day 7: Flight to Sydney

Included meals: Breakfast, Dinner

Today, board a flight back south. Your destination: Sydney! Touch down, transfer to your hotel, and dust off your travel day before reconvening for an included dinner.

Day 8: Sightseeing tour of Sydney

Included meal: Breakfast

With its mesmerizing interplay of hills, waterways, and skyscrapers, the “Harbour City” of Sydney always puts on a show—whether it’s your first or fifth time visiting. After breakfast, join your Tour Director for a guided tour of this bucket list mainstay and discover why it’s one of the most pleasant places in the world.

Pass the buzzing waterside district of Darling Harbour and the lush Royal Botanic Gardens in the city center. 

See The Rocks, Sydney’s oldest colonial neighborhood, and stop at Mrs. Macquarie’s Chair—a bench carved into sandstone in the early 1800s—to admire the view of Sydney Harbour Bridge. 

Soak in the sunny sights of world-famous Bondi Beach and its iconic Bondi Icebergs Club—with swimming pools perched over the ocean so that crashing waves splash up into them—and the Gap, a dramatic dip in the cliffs of Watsons Bay. 

Enter the National Opal Collection and peruse its extensive assortment of Australia’s national gemstone. Each iridescent stone demands attention, but our favorite exhibit showcases opalized fossils.  

Step inside the UNESCO-listed Sydney Opera House—the 14-masted building that has graced photos and films since 1973—with a local guide and admire the architecture of this global icon from within.

For a delightful dinner served with a helping of sweeping city views, book tonight’s optional harbor cruise. Alternatively, pop into a fish and chip shop, order your meal to-go, and eat as you bask in the sunset on one of Sydney’s beaches.

Day 9: Free day in Sydney

Included meal: Breakfast

Today’s at your leisure, which gives you a few options. For a more structured day, add our optional outing to the Royal Botanic Gardens—the oldest green space of its kind in Australia—and learn more about its history and importance to the Gadigal Aboriginal people. Or, strike out on your own and get to know Sydney’s cultural scene. The Australian Museum (the fifth-oldest natural history museum in the world) is a must, as is the Art Gallery of New South Wales.

Day 10: Flight to Queenstown & Bob’s Peak visit

Included meal: Breakfast

This morning, say “goodbye” to Australia and “g’day” to New Zealand as you fly to the resort town of Queensland. After landing, take the afternoon to get your bearings. Look all around you: Soaring mountain ranges surround this town of 29,000 people. Wherever you go, there’s a photo waiting to be snapped. 

Before the sun sets, meet up with your fellow travelers once again and take the Skyline Queenstown Gondola 1,500 feet up to Bob’s Peak. From this vantage point, you’ll have unfettered views of The Remarkables and Walter Peak, as well as Lake Wakatipu in the distance. Soak it all in as the sun dips below the horizon.

Day 11: Sightseeing tour of Queenstown

Included meal: Breakfast

Today, head east with your group to the historic settlement of Arrowtown. Founded in 1862 at the height of the Otago Gold Rush, the township still has its old-timey charm, courtesy of the well-preserved period buildings lining its main avenue. Beyond its principal street, you’ll find the Chinese Settlement, a collection of restored, rough-and-tumble huts that once sheltered the town’s immigrant population. 

Afterward, return to Queenstown for a free afternoon. Continue your trek through time by booking the afternoon’s optional excursion and cruise to the base of Walter Peak aboard the steamship TSS Earnslaw. Or, to slow things down and return to the present, enjoy some solo relaxation at the Onsen Hot Pools. (Cedar-lined soaking tubs with epic mountain views? Yes, please.)

Day 12: Milford Sound

Included meals: Breakfast, Lunch

Get an early start today and make your way through Fiordland National Park. At roughly 4,900 square miles, it’s New Zealand’s largest national park, and every inch of it is packed with breathtaking scenery. (And yes, there are plenty of fjords—or “fiords” as the locals spell it—throughout, interspersed with rivers, rainforests, and more.) 

Roll along the farmland of Five Rivers and past Lake Te Anau. Opening onto three inland fjords, the lake is the largest on New Zealand’s South Island and marks the beginning of the Fiordlands. 

Pass through beautiful beech forests and more glimmering lakes before arriving at the Homer Saddle mountain pass. There, you’ll drive through Homer Tunnel, a three-quarter mile cut through the snow-capped peaks of the Darran Mountains.

From there, it’s just a short drive to Milford Sound. Leave your bus behind and transfer to a boat for an included lunch, paired with a relaxing cruise along calm waters. You’ll get a good look at Mitre Peak, too, looming more than 5,500 feet above the sound.  

Finally, head for land, drive back to your hotel, and pack for tomorrow morning’s flight to the North Island city of Auckland.

Day 13: Flight to Auckland

Included meal: Breakfast

After breakfast, go to the airport and fly to Auckland. Squeezed between two natural harbors, the “City of Sails” stuns with its coastal scenery and cosmopolitan culture. Let your Tour Director show you around and get a taste of Kiwi life through the city’s highlights: Mount Eden, the emerald-enveloped cone of a dormant volcano; the Sky Tower, the second-tallest freestanding structure in the Southern Hemisphere; and the Auckland Domain, a vast public park tucked into a crater left by an age-old eruption. 

Afterward, join your group on an optional excursion to the Sky Tower and see what Auckland looks like from 52 stories up. You could also spend the evening at your leisure, either relaxing in your hotel room or walking along a seaside promenade.

Day 14: Free day in Auckland

Included meals: Breakfast, Farewell dinner

Make the most of your last full day in New Zealand by hopping on a boat and taking our optional outing to vineyard-dotted Waiheke Island. (And yes, you’ll get to sample more than just the scenery!) Alternatively, stay on the North Island and check out some more must-see spots in the city proper. If you’re looking for recommendations, you can’t go wrong with the Auckland War Memorial Museum or One Tree Hill. 

Later, celebrate your trip at a farewell dinner served with beer or wine.

Day 15: Departure - Flight Home

Included meal: Breakfast (excluding early morning departures)

Transfer to the airport for your flight home—or extend your stay with some well-earned rest and relaxation on the island paradise of Fiji. Ample free time punctuated by snorkeling and cultural excursions? Sounds like a good time to us.

Fiji extension

Palm trees swaying in the wind, beach towels beckoning to be used—a trip Down Under’s the trip of a lifetime, so add Fiji to the mix. After a whirlwind 15 days, wind down in a nation known for its relaxing vibes. An optional snorkeling trip to tiny Tivua Island? An immersive look into Fijian culture? A heaping helping of free time to spend on pristine Pacific beaches? You’ll have two full days to yourself, and how you fill them is entirely your call.

Day 15: Flight to Fiji

Included meal: Breakfast

Transfer to the airport—but instead of flying home, you’ll soar through the skies en route to Nadi, a town on the main Fijian island of Viti Levu. Once you arrive, transfer to your seaside hotel and find the best place to savor the ocean breeze.

Day 16: Free day in Fiji

Included meal: Breakfast

Fill up with breakfast, then plan your next moves. For a more active schedule, take up our excursion to Tivua Island and fill your day with snorkeling, sailing, and sunshine. For something more restful, hang back at your hotel and make full use of its amenities (like the immaculate beaches that front the waters of the Pacific).

Day 17: Free day in Fiji

Included meals: Breakfast, Dinner

Your final day on tour looks similar: Either laze away the hours in beachside bliss or opt into an excursion and let us plan an outing for you. If you choose the latter, you’re in for a treat. You’ll strike out for Viseisei, one of the oldest settlements in the country, and dive into Fijian culture, complete with a welcome ceremony and a kava tasting. 

This evening, enjoy a farewell dinner with your fellow travelers and celebrate a trip well-spent.

Day 18: Departure - Flight Home

Included meal: Breakfast (excluding early morning departures)

Reserve your seat now!  Call 703-590-1295.