Australia
Australian Travel, Sailing & Scuba Adventure
On this summer travel program, you’ll discover Australia, one of the most environmentally and socially diverse places on earth. Beginning with a thrilling surf session in Sydney, you’ll be riding a wave of excitement until the very last minute of this Australian summer camp. Whether you’re living aboard a yacht sailing the magnificent Whitsunday Islands, visiting the iconic Sydney Opera House, or cuddling a koala at the Billabong Wildlife Sanctuary, you won’t have time to digest one amazing moment before another sneaks up on you. While you explore, pick up some community service hours aiding the Daintree Observatory in re-building the rainforest, one plant at a time.
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Appropriate Age
High school ages
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Student Group
Typically 10-14 students and 2 staff
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Program Detail
This adventure is run in conjunction with our sister program GoBeyond
| Dates | Days | Availability | Tuition | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Session 1 | 7/7/25 - 7/27/25 | 21 | Closed | $8,270 |
The Adventure
It all starts here
Fly Day! Welcome to the land down under!
Welcome to one of the most exciting international summer camps Australia has to offer! After all the anticipation, the group initially meets in LAX International airport and then flies together to Sydney, the largest city in Australia. Typically, one of the staff members will meet the group in LAX – this group leader then flies with the students to the journey destination. Due to time zone differences, our group flight typically lands in Australia the day after departure. After arrival in Sydney, students are met at the airport by AQ’s other staff and are transferred to our comfortable and clean accommodations. On the first day of our international summer program, activities include getting oriented to the new country and time zone, GoBeyond’s orientation, check-in, and a few icebreakers.
Reef to Rainforest Itinerary (Days 6-10)
via Sydney, Whitsunday Islands, and Townsville
- Day 6 – Travel Day! Flight from Sydney to Brisbane & flight from Brisbane to Prosperpine.
- Day 7 – Sail Day! After moving aboard your new floating home S/V Eureka, you spend your first day exploring the Whitsunday islands.
- Day 8 – Sail Day! Continue exploring the Whitsundays while you learn the basics of sailing.
- Day 9 – Sail Day! Arrive back at the marina and spend your last night on the Eureka to some fresh pizza.
- Day 10 – Spend the day touring Townsville and visiting the Reef HQ museum and Aquarium.
Reef to Rainforest Itinerary (Days 3-5)
via Sydney
After arriving in Australia, your summer camp begins…
- Day 3 – After checking into your accommodations and calling home to check in, we spend the day touring Sydney and finish with some amazing surfing lessons!
- Day 4 – Spend the morning touring the world famous Sydney Opera House. For the rest of the afternoon we check out the Maritime Museum, Botanical gardens and feast on some great Australian Pizza.
- Day 5 – Tour of the incredible Blue Mountains just outside Sydney and prepare for our travel day tomorrow.
Reef to Rainforest Activities
Scuba Diving
Recreational Scuba Diving
During the Reef to Rainforest Australian summer camp, students get the opportunity to scuba dive and snorkel on one of the world’s natural wonders, the Great Barrier Reef.
We recommend students earn an open water dive certification or higher before joining us on this international summer program so they can get the most out of the experience. The diving we do is not geared towards advancing certifications or specialties, and is more oriented toward fun recreational diving.
Prior experience is not required. If you do not come with any scuba experience, you will still have the opportunity to snorkel.
Reef to Rainforest Activities
Service Work (20 Hours)
Environmental Conservation
Amidst the nonstop fun and adventure, the students take a few days to give back to the incredible land they have been enjoying for the previous two weeks of our Australian summer camp. At the Kuranda Envirocare Rainforest corridor, they get to participate in hands-on fieldwork. Here they learn how to monitor re-vegetation plots by taking measurements and planting along one of several wildlife corridors. You and your group will also survey threatened wildlife through late-night frog surveys to monitor long-term changes in population.
Reef to Rainforest Itinerary (Days 17-21)
via Cairns
- Day 17 – Dive Day! Spend the day diving or snorkeling on the Great Barrier Reef.
- Day 18 – Wake up to another day full of diving and snorkeling.
- Day 19 – Finish your final dives in the morning, then back to Cairns to eat your way through the night market.
- Day 20 – For the last full day of our international summer program, the group gets to go whitewater rafting!
- Day 21 – Fly Day!
Reef to Rainforest Itinerary (Days 11-16)
via Townsville, Cairns, and Cape Tribulation
- Day 11 – Today we get to tour through the immensely fascinating Billabong Wildlife Sanctuary.
- Day 12 – Travel Day! Take the bus from Townsville to Cairns, followed by a little free time to eat and shop in town.
- Day 13 – Service Day! Spend the day working with the Kuranda Envirocare organization helping with ecological and environmental work on their property.
- Day 14 – Service Day. More environmental service work with Kuranda.
- Day 15 – Laid back day in Cairns followed by attending an evening Rugby Match!
- Day 16 – Spend the morning at the Tjapukai Aboriginal Park,
then off to Reef Teach to get oriented with the creatures of the Barrier Reef and Coral Sea.
Reef to Rainforest Activities
Life Aboard AQ
Lifeworks Forum
It’s amazing how much you can learn about yourself when you are living in close quarters with a bunch of strangers…
Beyond all the exciting activities throughout our international summer program, it is this personal growth that we find equally important, and at AQ we highlight this growth through an element of all AQ programs called the Lifeworks Forum. Held at intervals throughout this Australian summer camp, the forum is designed to complement the learning that takes place through the everyday interaction aboard. Students have the opportunity to participate in – and lead – discussions on topics like personal responsibility, values, integrity, communication and goals. Of all the skills that students take from their voyages, it is the life skills that can carry them the farthest. At AQ, we feel that while building one’s life, it is important to be sure it is based on a foundation of compassion and personal integrity.
Time to Say Goodbye
There’s always a mix of emotions on departure day. The excitement to go home is always overwhelmed by the realization that the Adventure is over and that it’s time to say goodbye to the people you’ve grown so close to over the last few weeks. Day 1 will simultaneously seem like the day before and a lifetime ago as you and your crew take a private ferry for the last leg of your journey together.
“The trip was perfectly put together. The people who run GoBeyond are the best. The student forums are outstanding, helpful, fun, and helped me grow as a person! I had an incredible experience. Loved it all!”
Need More Information?
Partner Organizations
Reef to Rainforest is a focused travel and service international summer program run through our sister program GoBeyond Student Travel. During this adventure you’ll have the chance to work alongside the following:
Kuranda Envirocare
- Kuranda Envirocare is a volunteer community organization based in the bioregion of the wet tropics world heritage area in far north Queensland. The group organizes and executes a number of environmental and conservation initiatives involving wildlife corridors, endemic species conservation and field research.
Need to know
Is this adventure right for me?
On Reef to Rainforest travel summer program for high school students, you will tour the majority of the east coast of Australia, learn the basics of sailing, explore the Great Barrier Reef and earn up to 20 hours of community service.
While no experience is necessary in either diving or sailing, we do highly recommend you come to us with an Open Water Dive certification or higher. If you do not have any experience then you will have the opportunity to snorkel instead of scuba dive.
What's the group like?
There’s really no rigid mold that our participants are cut from. Since our students come from different backgrounds all over the world, the groups end up being naturally diverse. Everyone arrives with different goals, expectations, hopes, and fears but they quickly find common ground and begin to bond. The GoBeyond environment allows team members to connect quickly and become closer friends than anyone would expect. Many students report leaving our Australian summer camp feeling as though they had known their fellow students much longer than they actually had. Our philosophy revolves around small group sizes that are still large enough to foster a sense of community. For this international summer program, we’ve found that a group size of 10 – 15 students works best. This journey does not require any previous experience, skills, or language fluency – only a willingness to get involved and appreciate each incredible adventure.
Who are the staff?
Depending on group size there will be two or three staff members that travel with you throughout our Australian summer camp. Follow the link below for more information on the ActionQuest summer field staff.
What do I need to bring?
Students are responsible for carrying their luggage from place to place throughout our international summer program. As such, we recommend that you keep things simple and avoid over packing. Students are given the opportunity to do laundry throughout the trip, so there’s no need to pack several weeks’ worth of clothing.
Our hope is that families will have minimal purchases prior to our Australian summer camp, so we’ve compiled our packing lists in a way that you’ll find most of what you need in your closet at home. Around mid to late March, we make available our Pre-Trip Packet to enrolled students, which contains a detailed packing list for this year’s journey. If you’d like to see last year’s packing list as an example, you can download it here.
During the Australia trip, students will need approximately $700 USD in cash. This cash is used for two purposes…
“Travel and Reserve Cash” ($400) is held in safekeeping by our staff during the journey. Its intended use is for anticipated travel needs to and from the journey destination and for any unanticipated emergency costs that might arise such as doctor’s visits. Any leftover cash at the end of the journey is returned to the student.
ActionQuest/GoBeyond will pay all major journey costs while traveling and working, but there will also be opportunities for students to spend money on personal items. For a student’s personal “Spending Cash” ($300), the most common expenses include phone/internet time, souvenirs, and snacks. Based on our past experience, some students will spend less and some will spend more than our recommendation above. Judge this amount by the spending habits of your student. Please set up boundaries for its use, as ActionQuest/GoBeyond cannot be responsible for monitoring student spending. If you are concerned about loss or theft, students can give staff up to $150 of their spending cash to be put into safekeeping/drawn later.
Where do we stay?
Reef to Rainforest is one of the most diverse summer programs in Australia for high school students in terms of accommodations. When ashore in Sydney, Townsville and Cairns, we’ll be staying mainly in hostels and hotels. In the Whitsunday Islands, we’ll be living aboard our sailing yacht full-time and, during the snorkeling/diving expedition to the Great Barrier Reef, we’ll be aboard a large motor vessel designed for live-aboard diving.
Do I have to be SCUBA certified to participate?
While no prerequisites are required to participate in this international summer program, we highly recommend students come with some level of experience with Diving. Those students joining us with an Open Water Dive certification will have all of the skills necessary to take advantage of this once in a lifetime experience. For those who are new to diving that won’t be able to earn a certification before summer – we recommend earning at least what is called a referral by completing book work and pool dives before joining us on the journey. If you have any questions about the scuba diving aspect of this journey, don’t hesitate to give our office a call.
What do we eat?
ActionQuest/GoBeyond tuition covers all meals after arrival in the host country. We strive for healthy, nutritious, and delicious meals, and serve a mixture of local and international fare (including Western). For our Australia journey, we primarily eat at the hotels/lodges and local restaurants.
Note, as ActionQuest/GoBeyond is a health-conscious program, our staff do not provide large quantities of “junk” food (i.e. sodas, chips, candy bars, large desserts, etc.). Students can always supplement our meals and snacks by shopping locally for their own items.
During the application process, families can inform us of any dietary allergies or restrictions. We are usually able to accommodate vegetarians, vegans, pescatarians, etc., as well as various food allergies. However, if your student has a severe allergy to peanuts or other common substances, please call our office to discuss the options.
Nitty Gritty
Are flights included in the tuition?
Since students join us from all over the world, the cost of transportation to and from the destination country is not included in the program tuition.
Who should we contact to book travel?
Helping to coordinate our students’ travel is of vital importance – and a mammoth task! For this reason, we strongly suggest that all families start by contacting our travel coordinator, Leah Hernandez of TRC Travel Center (T: +1.281.528.7727 or 800.329.9000 • E: leahctn68@hotmail.com). Even if you are not originating in the U.S., Leah will be able to provide options and guidance.
When should I book flights?
We suggest you wait until March 20th, and here’s why. The quality of the experience is in large part defined by the makeup of the student team, and unfortunately we can’t determine the status of a specific journey or session until we receive the appropriate number of enrollments to guarantee a great experience (which is typically no fewer than six). Therefore, unless you select a ticket fare type or flight insurance policy that allows flexibility for date modifications, refunds, or credits, we suggest that families wait until after March 20th to book their international flights.
What is the preferred itinerary for U.S.-based students?
Each year, ActionQuest/GoBeyond works with TRC Travel Center to select a preferred itinerary to/from Los Angeles (LAX) to Sydney (SYD), returning Brisbane (BNE) to Los Angeles (LAX). ActionQuest strongly encourages U.S.-based families to book on our recommended route, so that as many students as possible can fly together as a team. Please bear in mind, however, that ActionQuest/GoBeyond has no control over the number of participants that choose to fly via LAX. Depending on the desires of other participants, the number of students traveling on the recommended route can vary greatly.
What about an alternate itinerary that suits us better?
Since students come from all over the U.S. and world, it is not required that students book on our preferred itinerary. For non-U.S. based students, those looking to use frequent flier miles, or others who are not booking with TRC Travel Center or on our preferred flight itinerary, please contact our office prior to booking to ensure you are arriving and departing Australia at appropriate times. Note that the journey start date (as shown above) is the date upon which the ActionQuest/GoBeyond group flight departs Los Angeles. Due to time zone differences, the group flight may actually land in SYD the day after. The journey end date is the date upon which the ActionQuest/GoBeyond group flight departs BNE.
Does ActionQuest provide support on travel days?
Yes. We understand that travel days can be stressful for both parents and students, so no matter what time of the day or night, our office team actively monitors and supports our participants during travel. We require students to travel with a mobile phone with domestic data capability so we can monitor their progress and communicate directly if necessary. For certain flight connections, ActionQuest/GoBeyond also offers on-site airport assistance, yet our experience has shown that being active and available to everyone electronically is often more effective in quickly troubleshooting snags than being physically present in just one location. For this specific journey…
- Preferred Itinerary (Outbound flight, LAX to SYD) – In some instances, particularly for the first session of the summer, ActionQuest has a group leader who flies with the students on the preferred itinerary at the start of the trip. When a group leader is not able to travel with the students on this outbound flight, ActionQuest will typically hire a representative for the LAX airport who is responsible for helping troubleshoot any flight/connection issues that may arise.
- Preferred Itinerary (Inbound flight, BNE to LAX) – On occasion, particularly for the last session of the summer, a group leader will return to the U.S. on the preferred flight with the students. If a staff member is not able to return with the students, ActionQuest will not typically hire an in-airport representative for LAX. This is due to the lack of an on-site representative’s ability to attend to customs/immigration issues and ongoing connection coordination when they do not arrive with the students.
For more information on airport assistance, please contact our office. We will be glad to let you know what type of support we typically offer for your journey (specific plans will only be available nearer the travel date).
ActionQuest tuition fees cover the following:
- All in-country journey accommodation, meals, and ground transportation
- Full-time service adventure staff, local guides, and tips
- All group activities including service projects and materials, sight-seeing trips, and educational excursions
- Physical and monetary donations to our partner organizations
Not included in the AQ tuition:
- Travel expenses from home to the program start location as well as internal flights in Australia (flights, ferry, taxi, baggage, taxes, visas etc.)
- Required emergency evacuation insurance & International SOS and MedAire Membership (est. $100). LEARN MORE >
- Medical insurance, and optional trip cancellation insurance
- Personal spending money
- Spending money for souvenirs, drinks/meals ashore – We recommend $300 – $350.
- Emergency money for unanticipated events such as doctors visits etc. – We ask that all students bring $300, which is held by staff and returned at the end of the program.
Discounts and Savings
- A one-time total tuition fee deduction of 5% is granted for any two adventures or for two or more students from the same family.
- Any two consecutive programs may be joined to form one extended course. In the interim between programs, students stay with staff. The total cost is determined by combining the cost of each program and subtracting the 5% extended course discount. (This discount also applies toward any trips adjoining our sister program GoBeyond.) ActionQuest and/or GoBeyond enrollment for any two programs in the same summer will be considered as a single extended program in the event of withdrawal or dismissal from the trip at any time.
Travel Docs & Visas
ActionQuest cannot apply for passports or visas on a student’s behalf, but we can provide the information you need to do so yourself. At the time of writing, students traveling on U.S. passports need a visa (provided with the airline ticket when booking with TRC Travel) and must have 6+ months of validity after the arrival date in Australia. For the most up-to-date and thorough information, please visit travel.state.gov and navigate to your destination via the “Learn about your destination” search bar. Students traveling on non-U.S. passports should verify passport and visa requirements for your nationality by contacting your local Australian embassy or consulate.
COVID-19 Vaccination Requirement
We do not currently require proof of vaccination in order to enroll.
Other Immunizations
ActionQuest understands that families have varying opinions on vaccinations. Some greatly desire the precaution; others prefer to avoid possible side effects of certain medications such as anti-malarials. Coupled with the fact that each student has unique medical considerations known best by his or her doctor, ActionQuest does not supply medical advice. We recommend that all families refer to the expertise of the CDC (wwwnc.cdc.gov/travel), their health care providers, and/or a travel clinic.
LIVING IN THE MOMENT
Though the fundamentals of our adventures do not change, specific journey logistics evolve over time. It is typical for our community service partners to not choose our project areas until late spring/early summer, thus the final touches of our itineraries are not always set until then. The itinerary portions of this page should give families a basic understanding of the kinds of activities we do on the journey. For the most up-to-date information on our expected itineraries, feel free to Contact our office.
With that in mind, we encourage all participants to “live in the moment” while on the journey. Travel, even on organized trips, requires flexibility and a willingness to accept adversity and change. Your journey country may not be as efficient, orderly, and/or timely as you are used to. We hope you’ll take the bumps in stride, and enjoy the adventure!
Service Hours, Letters & Awards
After the completion of summer, all students (U.S. and non-U.S. alike) receive a GoBeyond service letter reflecting their participation on the journey.* The ActiomQuest/GoBeyond service letter describes the type of service work performed, the number of hours awarded, and is printed and signed on our letterhead. Typically, our letter is accepted by most high schools/colleges as proof of community service participation. If your school needs a specific form signed or evaluation filled out, please make sure to bring this on the trip so a staff member can assist you.
* Note: Presence alone does not necessarily earn students the community service hours. ActionQuest reserves the right to deduct hours due to non-participation and/or early dismissal. Only participants who work hard and participate in all journey activities will receive the full number of service hours available for their journey.
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