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Custom Tours, Self-Guided Tours, Family Travel

We have a wealth of experience designing custom trips for family groups, friends and special interest groups, in addition to our custom high school and university educational travel tours.

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› custom tours › self guided tours › family travel › the process

Custom Tours

In addition to our scheduled small group tour and student program departures, we also offer customized tours. We can offer you one of our existing itineraries at a departure date of your choice, or we can work with you to develop an itinerary tailored to your specific requirements.

For an existing itinerary, we can run a private guided trip for your and your friends or family at a departure date of your choice. With a group of 6 people or more, the per person price will be the same as advertised . For a group of less than 6 people, contact us and we will give you a quote for your group (with less than 6 people the per person cost increases).

Alternatively, let us know what your group interest or focus is, and we can develop an itinerary that incorporates activities and excursions at a level to suit your interest and your time-frame.

Advantages of a Pacific Discovery custom tour

Local knowledge: Up-to-date, on the ground information. We know what is new, what is possible and what is overrated.
Unique adventures: We are able to safely provide you with unique off-the-beaten track experiences.
Cost effective and hassle-free holiday: We handle all tour arrangements and are able to access better rates than you could. Which means you don’t need to spend half your vacation and a considerable amount of time before you depart, figuring out what to do, where to stay, how to get from A to B, and then trying to make bookings and payments for all of this.
24-7 support and interpretation from an experienced Pacific Discovery tour leader who accompanies your group.

If you are interested in a customized privately guided tour, please contact us.

Self Guided Tours

We offer many of our existing itineraries as a self-guided tour. We handle all tour arrangements and provide you with a detailed handbook for your trip with itinerary details, maps and vouchers for your accommodation, activities and transport.

Advantages

Travel at a time that suits you.
Freedom and independence.
The opportunity to discover things for yourself and follow your own interests.

Disadvantages

Less interpretation - our tour leaders are a great source of information.
No one else to share your experiences with - our groups are a lot of fun.
You are on your own - we are of course no more than a phone call away but you will not have the hands-on reassurance our tour leaders provide.
A self guided tour is no cheaper - although you are not paying for the services and expenses of a Pacific Discovery tour leader, it requires the same amount of work for us to make arrangements for you as for one of our larger groups. However, as we are able to access better rates than you could, it will be no more expensive than doing everything yourself.

If you are interested in a self-guided tour, please contact us.

We have nothing but positive things to say about our trip to NZ through Pacific Discovery, and Rachel and Scott. We avoided many of the pitfalls of being tourists due to the unique lodging choices and activity recommendations. An example would be the Karori Sanctuary in Wellington. As we got there, completely full tours were just finishing up. Because we had the last tour of the day, we were the only ones in the park and got to speak with the wildlife experts that were observing the birds and reptiles. The animals, in turn, were very active due to the onset of evening. The very commercial activities that we did do were extremely well organized and the operators were friendly and accommodating. Although we did quite a bit of driving, it was broken up with many sightseeing stops and proved to be quite relaxing. New Zealand is a beautiful country and three weeks hardly does it justice. But we did get a good enough taste of it to want to come back for more.
Rob and Martha Glusman - custom self-guided tour of New Zealand

Family Travel and Tours

We have children and intimately understand how valuable fun, safe and stimulating low-stress family holidays are.

If you are looking for a fantastic hassle-free adventure holiday that introduces your children to different countries, cultures and experiences, then consider bringing your family on one of our trips. All of our existing itineraries are suitable for older children - we’ve had 2-80 year olds on our tours. We have also travelled extensively with our own son from the age of 2 years old, and are happy to design a tour for your family group that caters for everyone's interests and needs.

If you are interested in a family tour, please contact us.

The Process

Before you contact us, please give some thought to:

We will liaise with you to develop an itinerary based on your requirements and tailored to your interests and style.
We will present you with an itinerary and quotation. Once you have paid the per person deposit ($400) we will proceed with arrangements for your trip.
Balance of tour cost will be due 90-days before departure.
On receipt of final payment we will provide you with a tour dossier, to assist you with preparations for your tour, that covers health and vaccinations, travel insurance, spending money and a recommended reading list. We will make all logistical arrangements including air tickets, transportation, accommodation, activities, local guides and project planning. Plus payments for all/most of the above (as agreed upon).
Prior to departure we will supply you with a personalised and detailed tour handbook which includes your daily itinerary, background information, vouchers for all accommodation and activities, and any relevant transportation tickets.
If on a privately guided tour you will have a Pacific Discovery tour leader on hand at all times to facilitate your experience. If on a self-guided tour you will be able to phone us at any time with questions.