World Expeditions Schools are proud to be part of the World Expeditions Travel Group. Every school that travels with us benefits from the decades of logistical experience of our parent company, World Expeditions, who are unmatched in their ability to draw on their four decades of expertise both in the field and in the planning stages of all school trips we operate.

In recognition of World Expeditions' sustained “Big Adventures, Small Footprint” travel philosophy we are absolutely thrilled to announce that they won the top gong in the Adventure Travel category at The Travel Awards in Sydney, receiving the Adventure Travel Wholesaler of the Year for 2019.

"We dedicate this award to all the porters, trip leaders, sirdars, cooks, office staff, consultants and every single member of our global team who work tirelessly to ensure that our travellers receive the high-quality adventure travel holiday’s that we promise to them."

The timing of this award is serendipitous as the company celebrates their 45th year of pioneering adventure next year and the recent announcement that all trips across the group, including our school adventures, are now 100% carbon offset.

World Expeditions' Operations Manager, Sarah Higgins, who accepted the Award, said the culture of pioneering new adventures remained a focus at the group:

Since 1975, when we became the first Australian company to offer commercial trekking holidays in Nepal, we have continued pioneering adventure holidays all over the world.

"World Expeditions was the first company to offer walking holidays in Japan and Tibet and cycling in China, India and then Vietnam,” she said.

“In Australia, we pioneered rafting the Franklin River and trekking the Larapinta Trail, and our pioneering philosophy continues today with our constantly evolving range of remote treks in places like Pakistan and India and with our most challenging trip – the 150-day, 1600km Great Himalaya Trail across Nepal, departing next year for the 10th consecutive year.”

They were also one of the first to operate student adventures to Nepal back in the 1980's, long before experiential travel became a buzz word in the overseas school travel market.

The Adventure Travel Wholesaler category recognises travel companies that package together unique adventure travel holidays to remote or exotic locations and/or taking part in physically challenging outdoor activities while on holiday and was judged by more than 50 of Australia’s most experienced travel industry alumni. 

Among the companies many achievements and awards in the past 44 years, we are all particularly proud of their:

   • Responsible Travel policies, including pioneering porter welfare policies which help to raise the working standards of porters in Nepal; the development of a child safe travel policy; and their industry-leading Animal Welfare Code of Conduct, all of which are also followed by World Expeditions Schools.

   • 100% carbon offset adventures, all of which support renewable energy and reforestation projects across the world.

   • Progression to eliminate single use plastic from trips across the group

   • Community Project Travel programs giving travellers the opportunity to give back, the genesis of Service Learning school trips in Australia.

   • Charity brand, Huma Charity Challenge, raising over $6 million for Australian charities.

   • Youth brand, World Expeditions Schools, giving thousands of students the opportunity to help underprivileged communities all over the world, following UN Sustainable Development Goals as guiding principles.

   • World Expeditions Foundation fundraising $70,000 towards delivered project works in Nepal.

Awards such as this provide a wonderful reminder to our whole team, and to those who choose to travel with us, that the path less travelled is, for us, the right path.