Days 1-3

Throughout our arrival day in Los Angeles, our staff will be meeting each group member at LAX and checking them into our connecting group flight to Fiji. Once we have everyone checked in, our group will have dinner before boarding the evening flight. Believe it or not, it will take us the better part of two days (not many people can say they have crossed the International Date Line!) to reach our destination. After our arrival into Fiji, we'll be off on a four wheel drive trek to a small village in the interior of the Fijian Highlands.

Days 4-7

Here our group will perform a variety of service projects over the next five days. Houses need repair, schools need refurbishing and trees need to be planted. Our efforts will be rewarded with a Fijian feast and we'll partake in some traditional ceremonies of their culture. We will have an opportunity to interact with the youth of the village as we play soccer in a nearby field. We will be invited into the school and help teach a lesson or two. Friendships will be formed, a true exchange of cultures will take place and generosity will be shared - this type of learning which transcends all borders - may be the most valuable type of learning that we can ever experience.

Days 8-9

After our meaningful service project, we venture back toward the coast, arriving at Natadola Beach before sunset - just in time to set up our tents, cook dinner and enjoy a bonfire on the beach. Natadola has been voted by various travel organizations as one of the most beautiful beaches in the world. We will learn to surf here for a day. In the morning, we will meet our guides and drive a short distance to the area where the waves are breaking. We will be fitted with a surf board and receive personalized instruction before we head out to this forgiving break - an excellent place to learn proper surfing techniques. Following a full day of surfing we'll return to our campsite, enjoy a hearty dinner and listen to some local Fijian music as we sample sugar cane and relax under the starlit Southern Sky.

Days 10-12

We will embark on an incredible sailing journey to the Yasawa and Mamanuca Groups in the Northwest portion of the Fijian Islands. We will board our privately chartered sailboat and begin learning the basics about sailing in a dramatic environment. We will sail in these crystal blue waters all day. Our destination is a small and remote island on the far end of the Mamanuca Islands. We will have a chance to explore this tiny island and enjoy another amazing Fijian feast before we pitch our tents near the quiet white sandy beaches of this tropical paradise. In the morning we will enjoy a delicious breakfast and board our vessel as we head back towards Nadi, our excitement mounting for our impending travel to our next island nation.

Days 13-18

It is time to say goodbye to Fiji and fly to Queensland, Australia – located in the northeast corner of this vast country. Cairns and northern Queensland contain some of largest tracks of rainforest anywhere in the world. Many of us have been looking forward to diving in this exotic locale since the day we enrolled in the program. For five fabulous days, we will work with a dive outfit recognized as a worldwide leader in SCUBA education. For the majority of us who are not currently certified, we will embark on the five day learn to dive program. The first two days of the program will consist of pool and classroom training with our instructors. By the end of the second day, we will be ready to use our new skills out in the open water. Days three, four, and five will be spent on board a Pro Dive vessel on the Great Barrier Reef. While we are on the reef, we will complete our four training / qualifying dives which will complete the PADI open water certification. Following our training dives, we will be able to enjoy five more dives as a recreation diver including a night dive. For those of us who are already certified to dive prior to arriving in Australia, you will have the option to do several more open water dives during the first two days of the program while the rest of the group is in the pool. After arriving back on land in Cairns, we will celebrate at dinner and share all of our diving stories.

Day 19

Trading our flippers for paddles, we'll embark on an exciting whitewater rafting adventure on the Tully river. Our river experience offers something no other river trips in the world do: a voyage through one of the most ancient rainforests in the world. The rainforest flanking this river have evolved unmolested for more than 130 million years, escaping the ravages of ice ages and volcanism that plagued other parts of the world. Some individual trees you'll pass on these rivers are more than 3,000 years old. Our day on the Tully River will be action packed! On our full day trip, we will tackle over 45 extraordinary rapids (class III & IV). The magnificent waterfalls that cascade down the gorge walls through World Heritage Jurassic era rainforest provide an unforgettable backdrop.

Days 21-22

Barnard Island Group National Park provides the perfect venue for our sea kayaking expedition. These beautiful islands off the coast of Cairns feature fantastically dramatic rock formations and dense rainforests that play host to rare island birds. Gliding over the water, we'll see shallow reefs teeming with tropical fish below our boats, and in the afternoons and evenings, we'll play and relax on the islands' many sandy beaches.

Days 23-25

One of the more memorable experiences of our time in Australia will be our visit with a remote aboriginal community. Located about 140 kilometers southeast of Katherine, "Never Never Country" is the home of the Mangarrayi community. It is a land of waterfalls, clear pools, jungles and an abundance of bush foods. Time will be spent here listening to stories from the traditional Aboriginal owners, learning some of their language and mixing with the children. In addition our group will learn traditional methods of cooking, basket weaving, painting, fire lighting and spear throwing from the world's oldest continuing culture.

Days 26-28

After a day of rest along with packing and cleaning, we will board a flight south to the city of Sydney. Packing away our summer clothes, it will be time to put on our warm clothes. Much to people´s surprise late July in Sydney is still winter with considerably colder temperatures. The home to the 2000 Summer Olympic Games, Sydney is not to be missed on any Australian itinerary. Throughout our day exploring the city, we will have a chance to see sites such as the Sydney Harbor Bridge, Opera House, Rocks District, and perhaps famous Bondi Beach. Our Australian summer will conclude with a final farewell banquet aboard a Sydney Harbor cruise boat seeing the city at night from the water. The final evening will be spent in a local hotel downtown where we will have convenient access to the airport for our following morning flight. Our return trip home will see us depart and arrive on the same day in Los Angeles (we will cross the international date line in the reverse direction). Upon arrival in the United States, we will pass through customs together and help group members to their connecting flights.