Our Expedition program sends teams of high school students with two teachers and Antipodeans Abroad Leader on 2-4 week leadership-focused journeys that combine community service, trekking and back-packer style travel.
Our aim is to broaden the horizons of young people, take them away from the main tourist path and open their eyes to the world, its cultures, its people and their place in it. Since day one, our motto has been ‘Developing Young Australians’.
See the list of schools currently working with Antipodeans Abroad.
EXPEDITION VIDEO
QUICK LINKS
What's involved and how does it work?
Antipodeans Abroad Leaders
Risk Management
Planning and Preparation
Fundraising
WHAT'S INVOLVED?
Our Expeditions combine three parts:
The Project
Students will be involved in a worthwhile, sustainable community project at grassroots level. We link your school to a village school overseas. Our focus is education. Our projects are in schools, not orphanages or private houses.
Students spend 4 - 8 days renovating, decorating, building school facilities such as classrooms, libraries, toilet blocks, water tanks and kitchens while being immersed in the community. They will engage with the community, play games, teach English, visit family homes to ensure a deep cultural immersion experience and interaction with local children.
The Trek
Your group will choose the length and degree of the trekking challenge. You can choose 2 to 14 day treks through high mountains, pristine jungle or simple treks through remote villages staying in homestays or local accommodation. You may even decide to do a bicycle leg instead of a walking trek, your choice.
We employ local trekking teams to carry all the heavy gear like stoves, fuel, food and overnight equipment. This puts money into the local economy and allows students and teachers, to choose how much personal gear they carry each day.
The Journey
Encompasses the entire learning experience, as students work together to make decisions for the forward movement of the expedition. Students will research the country and areas they plan to visit. Once in-country they will visit sights of cultural, historical or geographical significance. There’s plenty of time to relax, soak up the atmosphere and have fun.
Students are encouraged to take on leadership roles and decision-making, In time, they become responsible for certain aspects of the expedition - team budget, accommodation, food, water, transport and sight seeing, all under the careful supervision of the Antipodeans Abroad Leader and the teachers.
HOW IT WORKS
We have the flexibility to let teachers choose the style, nature and focus of their expedition. We don’t use ‘off-the-shelf’ itineraries. We will work with each school to design a tailor made experience. Importantly, we never combine schools. If yours is a small group, we’ll still get you overseas as your own team.
Teachers choose destination, length of trip, dates of travel, style of project, type of trek, sight seeing focus and the various inclusions that can alter the price. We will then draft a Proposal, including cost, for you. All can be done face-to-face or on the phone, which ever you prefer. To read find out more please read our sample destination guides.
ANTIPODEANS ABROAD LEADERS
Each expedition team is accompanied by a qualified and professional, Australian based, Antipodeans Abroad Leader. Our leaders meet students, teachers and parents on several occasions before departure. We don’t use ‘drop-in overseas leaders’ who meet you in-country.
Our Leader and two teachers form a three-person management group. Our Leaders are appointed in consultation with the teachers who can view their resume before we appoint. Each Leader will work closely with students and teachers during the preparation period to form professional relationships with the teachers and an understanding of the school ethos. They also get to know each student in the team.
Leaders are responsible for travel logistics, risk management, supervision, learning outcomes and student-leadership skill development. Our Leaders are equipped with Wilderness First Aid qualifications, are police-screened and have prior experience in leading Australian students in the outdoors. The presence of the Antipodeans Abroad Leader allows teachers to focus on school issues and pastoral care, comfortable in the knowledge that they have a professional and experienced Leader to manage any emergency scenario.
RISK MANAGEMENT
The risks associated with our expeditions are managed through appropriate safety systems, clear emergency procedures and lines of communication developed over 30 years operating in the field with students. These include:
- A professional, trained and qualified Antipodeans Abroad Leaders
- A 2-day training course for all expedition teams
- Extensive pre-departure preparation involving team training weekend, travel simulation training day, teachers medical and emergency procedures training day, equipment evenings and advice for students and teachers
- Constant monitoring of day-to-day risk pre-departure and during the expedition from our Sydney office
- Staff on-call in our Australian head office 24-hours a day
- All Leaders carry extensive medical kits for each team
- Our medical consultant over 16 years is Dr Paula Fogarty from the TMVC (Travellers Medical and Vaccination Clinic) in Sydney
- The Antipodeans Abroad comprehensive travel and medical insurance policy includes cover for Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) travel advice. Personal negligence liability for all team members and casualty evacuation is also covered

- Contact with Australian embassies in all countries visited ensures every expedition is well supported in any emergency
- Antipodeans Abroad is independently owned and operated in Australia. All operations and emergency procedures are overseen from our Sydney office. Teachers and parents will know, and will have met, the Expedition Operations Manager. Importantly, we are not part of a large international tour company based overseas should any emergency event occur.
PLANNING & PREPARATION
Most teams ideally have 10 to 18 months to prepare their expedition although a shorter lead-time is possible. This allows students adequate time to personally fund their travel expenses. It also allows time for students and teachers to develop a sense of team in preparation for their expedition experience.
WHAT IS THE ROLE OF ANTIPODEANS ABROAD?
We will launch your expedition at school with an assembly presentation for students, followed by a Parents’ Information Evening and 1st team meeting. An Expedition Manager, appointed to the team, will then meet with the students at least once a term to plan the itinerary, community project and fundraising. Additionally we will hold a weekend training course and travel simulation day, a teacher’s emergency procedure and medical briefing day, a meet-the-leader evening for parents and a risk management meeting with school staff.
FUNDRAISING
Fundraising is a key part of the experience. A fundraising booklet is given to every student when they sign up to an expedition team. Students work and fundraise away from school to help offset the cost to parents. They also fundraise as a team to donate extra funds to their project.
MORE INFO
If you’re a teacher and interested in working with Antipodeans Abroad, please email or call us on +61 2 9413 1522. You can also download the Expedition & Tours Brochure