Down Under Endeavours

Down Under Endeavours exists because Corinne Goodman saw a gap. A native Australian who arrived in the United States in 1996 as a representative of Tourism Australia, she quickly realized that American travelers with interest and budget wanted something different from what the standard travel industry offered. They did not want to fly to Australia and follow a preset tour itinerary from a coach company. They did not want to piece together their own trip using hotel booking sites and travel blogs, risking missed connections and mismatched accommodations. They wanted someone who understood Australia from the inside, who knew which seasons made sense for which regions, who had relationships with guides and properties, and who could translate their interests into a coherent journey. In 1998, Goodman founded Down Under Endeavours to be exactly that. Nearly 30 years later, the company remains independent, Chicago-based, and entirely focused on building customized luxury trips to Australia, New Zealand, Fiji, Tahiti, and the broader South Pacific.

What makes Down Under Endeavours distinct is the word handcrafted. The company does not sell packages. It does not have a catalog of itineraries to choose from, or a travel-agent website where you book a pre-assembled trip. Instead, you describe what matters to you, the regions that draw you, the types of activities that energize you, how much comfort matters versus how much adventure, the pace you prefer, and the team builds a trip specifically for that person or group. The philosophy is built into the company's origin story: Goodman's vision was to help travelers experience Australia and the South Pacific the way an Australian local would, not the way a tourism board packages it. That means the trip might include a private dinner with an outback station owner, a multi-day hike with a guide who knows the ecosystems in detail, time in Fiji's more remote islands that tourists rarely visit, or a slow coastal drive along the east coast of New Zealand stopping at places chosen for light and landscape, not because they appear in guidebooks.

The geographic scope reflects Goodman's own roots and the company's evolution. Australia receives deep coverage: the iconic regions like the Great Barrier Reef, Sydney and Melbourne, Uluru, but also the lesser-known areas that Australians themselves consider precious. Tasmania's wilderness, the Grampians National Park in Victoria, lesser-visited parts of Queensland, the Snowy Mountains hiking in New South Wales. New Zealand is similarly unpacked, region by region: North Island culture and geothermal experiences, South Island adventure and scenery. Where Down Under Endeavours diverges from other Australia-New Zealand specialists is in the South Pacific expansion. Fiji is straightforward, island resorts and private island experiences. But Tahiti and French Polynesia represent a deliberate choice to go beyond the typical Australia-NZ itinerary. Some clients visit all three: Australia for dynamic cities and red outback, New Zealand for hiking and adventure, and Tahiti for the slower, island-rhythm luxe that feels like a different planet. The company's networks across these regions mean a client can move between them efficiently, with a single point person handling all logistics and relationships.

The work process at Down Under Endeavours mirrors other bespoke designers, but with a specific US-client orientation. A client consultation typically begins with a detailed form or phone conversation exploring what brings them to this region. Are they coming for a honeymoon or a multi-generational family reunion? Are they seeking adventure or pure relaxation, or a blend? What is their timeline, budget range, and any non-negotiables? The team then designs one or more options, often with multiple accommodation styles or activity levels to choose from. A single week in New Zealand might have one version for an active couple wanting daily hiking and adventure sports, and another version for the same clients with more downtime, spa time, and scenic driving. Once approved, the design becomes a detailed itinerary with all logistics pre-handled: flights booked, guides arranged, meals reserved, transport from airport to first accommodation confirmed. The traveler's job is simply to show up.

The team behind this work reflects the company's growth and stability. Corinne Goodman remains the founder and owner, and her recognition as a Travel+Leisure A-List travel specialist speaks to her credentials and relationships. Douglas Herbert joined the company full-time in 2010 as Vice President and Director of International Operations, bringing more than two decades of IT background and hands-on travel expertise. The larger team, described as experienced travel experts passionate about good service and exploring the world, draws on a mix of people with deep Australia and South Pacific experience and team members who have built expertise through years of designing and refining trips. This is a boutique operation: the company is not employing hundreds of agents. That matters because it means consistency. If you work with Down Under Endeavours, your trip is being built by people who have personal relationships with their suppliers, not by a call-center agent following a script.

The South Pacific angle deserves emphasis because it is harder to do well than Australia or New Zealand. Fiji is accessible and has infrastructure, but Down Under Endeavours goes beyond the resort circuit. It arranges private island stays, community-based tourism where your money goes to local villages, diving and snorkeling in less-crowded areas, and interweaving with New Zealand or Australian portions of a trip rather than treating Fiji as a separate holiday. Tahiti and French Polynesia are where the company's deeper expertise shows. American travel agents often treat these as a generic "tropical island" backup to failed plans elsewhere. Down Under Endeavours treats them as distinct: Tahiti is a cultural and culinary destination, not just a beach. The outlying islands (Moorea, Bora Bora, the Marquesas) all have different characters and energy. Arranging multi-island journeys in French Polynesia requires handling currency (French Pacific Francs), language, and very limited transport options. The company builds these itineraries for clients confident enough to move beyond the obvious, but who want someone else to solve the logistics.

Pricing operates on a custom-quote model. Down Under Endeavours does not publish rates because the cost depends entirely on the trip being designed. A week in Australia might range from 30,000 USD to more than 100,000 USD depending on the region, accommodation style, and activities. Add New Zealand or Fiji and the span widens further. Tahiti is particularly expensive because the islands are remote, flights are limited and costly, and accommodation is pricey even at mid-range levels. Honeymoon packages exist as a category, suggesting the company has some pricing structures for common scenarios, but the core offer remains built-to-order. Unlike a standard travel agent who charges a commission, Down Under Endeavours' economics are not made explicit on the website, but the assumption is that you are paying for design time, the careful selection of accommodations and guides, and relationship access rather than buying a pre-made itinerary at a markup.

Compared to other luxury travel designers for this region, Down Under Endeavours occupies a specific position. It is younger and smaller than the largest international luxury travel agencies, which gives it agility and personal service that massive firms cannot match. It is more focused than general travel agents that handle everywhere, and more specialized than concierge services that outsource the actual trip design. Competing bespoke Australia-New Zealand firms operate from Australia itself or internationally, but Down Under Endeavours is unique as a serious South Pacific specialist run from the United States by an Australian founder. That structure works well for American clients: the company speaks English without regional accent issues, understands US cultural context and timezones, and can take calls during US business hours. It also understands the Australian and South Pacific markets intimately in a way that designers sitting in New York or Los Angeles would require years to build.

Down Under Endeavours suits travelers who can answer clearly what they want but need someone else to execute the logistics. This is not an operator for people seeking a tour guide leading a group. It is not for travelers who want to save money by booking online. It is for travelers who want to go to Australia, New Zealand, or the South Pacific and have the experience shaped by someone who knows the territory as home, not as a destination they have studied. It works best for people with time to plan (weeks of lead time is expected), sufficient budget to execute at a luxury level, and enough travel experience to appreciate the difference between a generic trip and something built specifically for them. For American travelers particularly, those who want Australian expertise and South Pacific depth without leaving the planning to chance, the company delivers exactly what its founder set out to create nearly 30 years ago.