About Us

We're a small tour company.

And we like it that way. We think you'll like it too. Our smallness means you're not a "passenger number" on one of our trips, but rather our honoured guest. We are not a bus tour company - we prefer to spend our time with you outdoors.

But our network is big.

Travel with us, and you've got local friends immediately. We personally know hoteliers, shopkeepers and restaurant owners and we can give you the personalised attention you deserve. Outback pioneer homestead owners Kate and Peter will show you how to milk their cow. Dan the biking guru will lead you on a mountain bike ride on his private acreage. Phil the aboriginal elder will open his home and his brother Pat will play the didgeridoo for you.

If you are our guest, you can expect:

• Unique and authentic experiences that connect you with local people

• To leave Australia with a deeper understanding of its flora, fauna, history and indigenous culture

• That your trip fees will contribute to the welfare of the community and the conservation of the natural environment

To learn about our responsible tourism practices, please see
10 Reasons Why We're Eco

Small World Journeys' Owners

Peter & Laurie Pritchard
Growing up in Australia, Peter spent his young life riding waves, walking barefoot, and playing guitar.  A professional music career then blossomed, and he played gigs up and down the coast of Australia.  With higher education calling, Peter left music to get a degree at Griffith University, and soon found his passion in design work .  He began developing websites and marketing materials as a creative outlet.

Laurie was raised in the United States but her heart belongs to Australia.  Educated at the Cranbrook-Kingswood school and the University of South Florida and L’Institut de Touraine in France, Laurie also had a brief teaching stint in China. A love of the outdoors led to 12 years working for and developing adventure trips for organisations like Outward Bound, The World Outdoors, Adventures Cross-Country and People to People Student Ambassador Programs in the USA, and RnR Adventures in Australia. Her articles about travel have appeared in magazines such as Transitions Abroad, Real Travel and on The Travel Channel's World Hum.

A massive typhoon left Peter and Laurie stranded at the Tokyo airport in 2002, they met by chance, and the seeds for Small World Journeys were planted.  Through their travels in Europe, Asia, North America and the islands of Oceania together, Peter and Laurie have seen how travels can be transformational, and how the human connection transcends race and borders. It is their dream to inspire this sense of connection – to Australia’s people and places—in every guest. 

Indeed, it is a small world.  

Our Guides

We hand-pick a spectrum of guides who best fit the needs of our guests.  An expert birder? We’ve got your man. A marine biologist who loves to teach students? We’ll match her with your group.  An aboriginal elder?  He will meet you in the rainforest.  A guide who can match the energy and enthusiasm of your kids? We’ll track him down.

We feel it’s important for your guide to be not just knowledgeable, but the kind of person you’d want as your travelling companion.  While we have naturalists, storytellers, PhDs, entertainers, biologists, field-guide authors and indigenous people in our diverse collection of guides, we are also proud of the kind of people they are – those who are passionate about the natural world, and who want to share their enthusiasm with you.

Read more about our guides

Small World Journeys has the following:

• Commercial Activity Permits from the Queensland Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)

• Public Liability Insurance to $10 million

• Expert guides with First Aid, CPR, Queensland Blue Cards (for working with children) and Queensland Department of Transport’s Driver’s Authorisation certificates

• Membership in The Adventure Travel Trade Association, Tourism Tropical North Queensland, Eco Tourism Australia, The International Ecotourism Society, Sustainable Travel International and the Cairns & Far North Environment Centre

Our Logo

Small World Journeys is grateful for its logo design created by local talented aboriginal musician and painter Colin Higgins. This is just a sample of his work.