Business Profile ~ Great Tour Experiences
We create memorable holiday experiences for Schools and Adults tours from the USA and Canada Music Students perform at and with local schools and gain performance experience and friendships. Also, Colleges, Universities, School Alumni, Teachers, Adults specialInterest, who want to travel within Australia and New Zealand. One point of contact is for all tour plans.
Making Arrangements for you is our business.
Call me to talk about your travel plans or email me with your requirements, and I will get back to you.
About The Founder
I'm Charmaine Edwards from Sydney, Australia. I grew up in New Zealand and moved to Australia when 17.
Great Tour Experiences is my business. I have been forging a career in the travel industry since 2004. I worked in the family business for ten years. In 2014 my Dad sold the family business to an American tour operator. In 2015 I started my own business, Great Tour Experiences Pty Ltd.
By starting my own business, I have the freedom to work from home. This allows me to dedicate extra time to work closely with my clients and ensure I can provide basically a 24/7 support framework. I am passionate about what I do and will provide you with a great experience and make lifetime memories. I love working with people and creating for them the most amazing experiences during their travel.
I am someone who thrives on helping with the planning of tours, particularly if you have never travelled before, I will provide that extra support through the whole process to get you there. To me, you need to make memories, have fun, and make new friends on your travels.
I continue to work closely with other professional Tour Operators and suppliers in New Zealand and the USA. This allows me to provide direct assistance for you should you need to handle any problem and need me to do so. I understand the many issues teachers and parents need to address when organizing a smooth and seamless tour. I have managed 100's of International Tours and know how to work through their needs and what makes a good time happen.
I offer all-inclusive travel packages and group tour experiences, with the benefit of one point of contact for all tour planners, via phone or online.
We would offer the convenience of personalized service and as a member of SYTA (Student Youth Travel Association) and NTA (National Tour Association). I am a Receptive Tour Operator for their Members handling their Group Tours' DOWN UNDER' in Australia and New Zealand.
“Charmaine, I want to sincerely thank you for the extra work you put into our trip. I can only imagine how much effort there was to rearrange our itinerary after such difficult weather conditions. I am fully aware that the time difference made your job even more difficult, so we all want to thank you for such a fantastic job. We didn’t miss out on anything, and it was a smooth change for us in NZ. You were so helpful and obliging when we needed it most. I look forward to working with you again next time. We all had a fantastic time – the kids loved it!”
Victorian Teacher
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- St Laurence's College
- Yarra Valley Grammar
- St Joseph's College Hunters Hill
- Cannon Hill Anglican College
- Craigslea State High School
- Central Coast Grammar School
- Penrith Anglican College
- Coomera Anglican College
- Braemar College
- Geelong College
- Rossmoyne Senior High School
- Somerville House School
- Duncraig Senior High School
- Anglican Church Grammar School
- Aquinas Perth- Bunbury Senior High School
- Cavendish Road State High School
- Cronulla High School
- Hamilton Senior High School
- John Septimus Roe Anglican Community School
- Kelmscott High School
- Kenmore State High School
- Ku-Ring-Gai Creative Arts High School
- La Salle Academy- Lake Joondalup Baptist College
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- Lumen Christi Catholic College- Macarthur Anglican School
- Mackay Christian College
- Mazenod College
- Mt Carmel Catholic High School
- Narara Valley High School
- Queensland Show Choir
- Richard Johnson Anglican School
- Rossmoyne Senior High School
- Rockhampton Girls Grammar School
- Thomas Hassall Anglican College
- St Augustine's Cairns
- St Augustine's Manly
- Shalom Catholic College
- Sheldon College
- St Helena Secondary College
- St Mary's Star Of The Sea
- St Stephens Duncraig
- St Joseph's College Gregory Terrace
- St Edmunds College
- Sherbrooke Community School
- The Knox School
- Villanova College
- Yarra Valley Grammar
LIST OF SCHOOLS WORKED WITH OVER THE YEARS
OTHER GROUPS
- Rein Tours Teen Summer Camp X 3
- Wales Rugby Supporters x 2
- Strachan Travel
- Lions Rugby Supporters
- Strachan Travel
- American Classic Tours & Music Festivals
- Fort Collins High School
- Temple City High School
- Ireland Rugby Supporters
- Killester Travel Group
- Penrith Christian School Duke of Ed
- BBC Press
- Strachan Travel X 2
- Australia Country Hockey X 3
- Marsh Group- Blackheath Probus Group
- Sievewright Family
- Howle Family
- McGrane Family
- James Family
- Wells Gray Tours 2021
- Music Celebrations International 2022
- Carnarvon Garden Group WA
WHO IS CHARMAINE EDWARDS?
Founder of Great Tour Experiences
I was born in Auckland and grew up in New Zealand until my family moved to Australia when I was 17 and year ten. We moved in April 1980. I got my first job three weeks later doing accounts receivable and was secretary to the Financial Controller. On my first day, I went to do the company banking. That day I met a friendly head teller at the bank. At 19, we were married. I worked for 11 years.
I was a mum at home from 1989 – 2004. We had three sons. When my oldest was nine years, he had open-heart surgery. In 2004, I started work in the Family Group Travel business. Anthony had an open-heart surgery again at 19.
We have three sons, now 26, 28 and 31, who now enjoys travelling the world. (I am proud of them and my husband. They are all members of the Rural Fire Service and involved in some sports and community associations).
Our family went from two and then five, now we have two married and two granddaughters 2021.
About Great Tour Experiences
DESTINATIONS:
Australia and New Zealand
TRAVEL CATEGORIES:
RAZZLE DAZZLE 'EM CHRISTCHURCH Music Festival. We own the event.
Students
- Secondary School Music Educators
– University and Adult orchestras, choirs, and ensembles. Earth & Science Educators
- Geography Educators
- Adventure USA
- Summer Camp tours to New Zealand and Australia
- Adult Special Interest Tours
INCLUDED:
An Itinerary, Cost, Quality Airlines, First Class Coachlines, Travel wallet, and Assistance. - Tour Guide if needed.
Adults Group Tours - Sydney - Sydney, Gold Coast and Cairns - Cairns - Australia and New Zealand - New Zealand and Australia - Classic New Zealand Wine Trail - New Zealand Colour of Lupins Tour. Small and Large groups are welcome. We Handle inbound All Black Rugby supporters Groups, Irish Rugby, British Lions and Irish, and Wales Rugby Union Supporters Groups. Sports Groups for schools and clubs.
OUR VISION: To provide students with an opportunity to perform their music Down Under while Adults can tick off their bucket list and enjoy new experiences while making lifetime memories.
TOURISM NEW ZEALAND GOLD EXPERT
I am an endorsed Tourism New Zealand Gold Expert and have excellent industry associates. I work within the USA, Europe, and the UK. Group touring is my business. However, generally, if there is only one, two or small numbers, I will get another very experienced Travel Agent to contact you to assist.
IT’S NOT A PROBLEM; IT’S HOW YOU FIX IT!
I fix that rare, unexpected problem’s when they arise, such as the need to change an itinerary on a Sunday when the road to Milford Sound in New Zealand was closed because of heavy snow. Then I had another school going on the Monday, that couldn’t either.
I needed to find a way to get two different groups accommodation in Queenstown when the entire town was packed. Changing bookings like that is no mean feat, but it is possible due to the respect and closeness with all my suppliers and operators in New Zealand. One group went from the Holiday Park to a resort, and the other went from 3* to a 5*. The schools were Braemar College and Geelong College.
Amazing Experiences Create Unforgettable Memories
MAKING ARRANGEMENTS FOR YOU IS OUR BUSINESS.
© 2021 Great Tour Experiences PTY LTD. All Rights Reserved.