
University Student Trips
Custom-Designed Trips For Your Educational Goals
Our trips for university students embrace a "learn by doing" approach. While ticking the academic goals, students also learn the value of international travel as a tool to better understand the world and their place in it.
Through involvement with aboriginal culture, local professors and biologists, and community-based service projects, college students gain an appreciation for the connection between human activities and the environment.
Zoologist, Marine Biologist and Wildlife Expert Guides
You could say our guides are nerdy. But only if nerdy means intellectual, passionate and
fiendishly concerned about details. Our guides are also fun and flexible, and we've chose them because they're exactly the type of people you'd want as a travelling companion.
Our guides will cover the cerebral topics as well as the trivial with equal aplomb, discussing the mating habits of montoremes to beer-ordering tips in an outback pub. They will also be joined by specialists such as wildlife photographers, marine biologists, aboriginal elders, and ecotourism professors to give an added demension to your trip.
Sample University Student Trip Itineraries:
Tropical Rainforest Ecology & Marine Biology
Overview: Some of the planet’s greatest biodiversity lies within two celebrated UNESCO World Heritage areas: Australia’s Wet Tropics and The Great Barrier Reef. On this trip students develop their skills in marine biology, ecology and zoology while expanding
their understanding ofecological patterns and processes.
By tracing a wide radius among both lowland and upland rainforests, mangroves, coral reef systems and outback savannah land, students observe ecosystems at risk as well as human impacts on biodiversity. The trip is designed to combine field observations, lectures, group discussions and hands-on experience to complement classroom-based teachings.
Highlights: Wildlife experts and marine biologist lectures, aboriginal-guided rainforest interpretation, discovering the Great Barrier Reef from a remote tropical island and live aboard boat, optional intro SCUBA diving instruction, and nocturnal wildlife observation.
Length: 12 days
Begins/Ends: Cairns, Australia
Land Cost: $2875 AUD per person; 1 teacher/leader FREE with every 8 students
Wildlife Vet Science & Animal Husbandry
Overview: A hands-on trip devoted to understanding habitat, health and reproductive issues facing wildlife, farm, and zoo animals in Australia. While in Australia, studentsinteract with some of the planet’s most unique creatures,
and simultaneously discover methods of care that are universal.
Vet or pre-vet, animal science or zoology students will acquire experience and problem-solving skills that will supplement their studies of animal health in an intriguing environment Down Under.
Highlights: Hands-on volunteer work at a wildlife refuge under the tutelage of a local veterinarian, studying marine life at the Great Barrier Reef, visiting a celebrated Sydney equine hospital and working with cattle graziers (ranchers) on an outback “station”.
Length: 12 days
Begins/Ends: Sydney/Cairns, Australia
Land Cost: $2965 AUD per person; 1 teacher FREE with every 8 students
Sustainability & Culture
Overview: Australia is on the cutting edge of sustainability efforts, with many operators gaining praise for innovative green practices. On this academic and cultural adventure, students meet with key leaders in the fields of sustainability
and ecotourism in an effort to better understand the “green” movement, and learn what operators are doing to break new ground.
Superb talks from researchers, lodge owners, aboriginal elders, and James Cook University professors complement visits to both accommodation and attractions that are paving the way for responsible tourism.
Highlights: Great Barrier Reef snorkeling with a marine biologist; participating in two grassroots tourism ventures by Australia’s indigenous peoples; planting native trees; discovering permaculture principles; rafting the jungle-draped Barron River Gorge and spotting Aussie wildlife in its natural habitat.
Length: 13 days
Begins/Ends: Cairns, Australia
Land Cost: $2725 AUD per person; 1 teacher FREE with every 8 students
Agriculture Studies
Overview: Agriculture systems around the world are facing significant challenges under pressure from climate change, land and water limitations, and the demand for more food.
On this journey, students explore solutions to these challenges by exploring both traditional methods by Australian farmers—with crops ranging from tropical fruits to coffee to sugar—but also innovative new techniques.
Through in-depth talks with farmers, observation of operations, and hands-on work in the field, students leave with a greater ability to make informed decisions on the use of agricultural technologies and natural resources while planning for a more sustainable future.
Highlights: Understanding permaculture principles and natural sequence farming through mini-workshops, experiencing Aussie culture with farmstays, a day at the Great Barrier Reef and tour of Sydney
Length: 10 days
Begins/Ends: Sydney/Cairns, Australia
Cost: $2195 AUD per person; 1 teacher/leader FREE with every 8 students
Custom Educational Modules:
We can design an itinerary around the following themes:
Marine Biology at The Great Barrier Reef
Spend several days at an island marine research station, meet researchers, use the wet & dry labs and lecture room, "touch tank" and other facilities. - Join one of our marine biologist guides for lectures on a liveaboard boat at The Great Barrier Reef.
- Learn more about The Great Barrier Reef’s main plant and animal groups, how to identify its fish, cleverly evolved fish cleaning stations and evolution and phylogeny in reefs.
- Visit a turtle rehabilitation centre and learn about challenges and successes of this project.

- Particpate in pool and theory classes over 2 days and then practice open water dives to become PADI SCUBA certified.
- Participate in Bleach Watch or beach clean-up service projects.
- Spend time sailing to the The Great Barrier Reef for snorkeling and interacting with its abundance of life.
Aboriginal Culture
- Spend a day or two with an aboriginal family learning how to hand-craft a didgeridoo to take home.
- Learn to throw spears to catch sea food in the tradtional way and then cook up what you've caught.
- Visit with aboriginal elders who will give you insight into modern indigenous-white relations in Australia.
- Learn the significance of and how properly throw a boomerang.

- Watch a dance performance by members of the Tjapukai tribe.
- Walk the rainforest with an aboriginal elder to discover the secrets of the Kuku Yalanji.
- Understand the creation myths and Dreamtime stories of local tribes and how their incorporate their beliefs into modern life. Read more our Aboriginal Culture programs
Rainforest Ecology and Conservation
- Explore different types of rainforest communities in the lowlands, uplands and tablelands.

- Learn more about the area's different ecosystems in the company of a noted zoologist and field guide author.
- Go "spotlighting" to view noctural animal species.
- Contribute to Rainforest Rescue's seed propagation efforts in the Daintree Rainforest.
- Learn the traditional aboriginal uses of rainforest plants.
- See the rainforest canopy from a jungle zip line.
- Search for the elusive duck-billed platypus - one of the world's only two egg-laying mammals.

- Study mangrove ecology in one of the area's best mangrove communities.
- Visit a rare type of rainforest, known as "mabi", found only in small patches in north Queensland.
- Discover giant fig trees and learn how they eerily strangle their hosts.
- Visit a seed nursery to understand how rainforest species are helping in the field of medicine.
Adventure
Cairns is the adventure capital of Australia, and college students are known for their thrill-seeking! You can combine these activities into a largely curriculum-based trip for added excitement.
- Work and paddle as a team to navigate Class IV rapids on the Tully river.
- Mountain Bike the lush Little Mulgrave Valley and fun singletrack routes.
- Hike to the highest peak in the Lamb Range, where views over Cairns are endless, and then descend to a gorgeous swimming hole and creekside campsite.
- Ride a thrilling rainforest zip line and look for wildlife in the jungle canopy.
- Skydive, bungy jump, or hanglide for a pure adrenaline experience.
Show Your Students You're Environmentally & Socially Conscious.
We are proud to say that we are a carbon-neutral company--rare in the travel industry, but most certainly appreciated by your students. Small World Journeys pays to offset the carbon emissions that result from all of our office activities and our trips.
Through Sustainable Travel International (STI), our emissions are calculated and offset by our financial support of sustainability projects around the world, all of which are in the ClimateCare™ portfolio. We also make financial and in-kind donations to local conservation and indigenous community groups. For more information, see Why We're Eco
Ask the Hard Questions.
With leading a group of college students overseas comes a host of responsibilities, as well as barrage of questions. We encourage you to ask us the hard questions, and to demand the highest standards when it comes to your trip. We're up to the task. We'll ensure no detail is overlooked, and you can be confident your university group will have the best journey possible.
