Our Story

A Passion For Travel Turned Into Something More

Something that makes Welcome to Travel different to a lot of tour companies is, the founders are the same as you. Friends from school that came to Australia as backpackers on a working holiday visa. From there, things have taken a few exciting twists and turns along the way, check out the story of Welcome to Travel below.

Highlights

A quick look at some of our favourite moments

The Beginning

Adam and Darryl set off on their first trip in 2010, travelling to South Africa for the FIFA World Cup

Our First Award

Winning Best Tour in Victoria at the Adventure Tourism Awards, our first big milestone

Best Youth Tour Operator in the World

In 2023, Welcome to Travel is crowned Best Youth Tour Operator in the World

Golden V Award Win

Welcome to Travel wins Best Tour, Experience or Hire at the 2026 Golden V Awards

Our Story

Look back in time with us to see how Welcome to Travel came to be what it is today

September 1999

The Co-Founders First Met

Adam and Darryl first meet playing for the same football team together in Scarborough, UK

September 1999

June 2010

Started Their Travels

Adam and Darryl start their adventure at the FIFA World Cup in South Africa

June 2010

August 2010

Landed In Australia

Adam and Darryl land in Australia and complete 4 months of farmwork

August 2010

January 2012

Both Got A Job In Travel

Adam and Darryl start working in travel for the first time, and fell in love with it

January 2012

April 2017

Left Their Job In Travel

Adam and Darryl leave their jobs in travel to focus on giving travellers a new experience when arriving in Australia

April 2017

July 2017

The Website Goes Live

The Welcome to Travel website goes live for the first time

July 2017

January 2018

Run Our First Ever Tour

Operate the first ever Welcome to Travel Tour, Welcome to Melbourne

January 2018

March 2018

Launch Melbourne Mini Pack

Launch and operate the first ever Melbourne Mini Pack

March 2018

April 2018

We Went Viral

Things Never Said By Backpackers video is released, and goes viral, with 7M views in 7 days

April 2018

September 2018

Launched Great Ocean Road Trip

Launched the Great Ocean Road Add On Tour

September 2018

November 2018

We Won The Best Tour In Victoria

Welcome to Melbourne wins Best Tour in Victoria at the Adventure Tourism Awards

November 2018

October 2019

Hit Number 1 On TripAdvisor

Welcome to Melbourne reaches #1 on TripAdvisor for tours in Melbourne, 500+ 5 star reviews

October 2019

November 2019

We Won…Again

Welcome to Melbourne wins Best Tour in Victoria at Adventure Tourism Awards for the 2nd time

November 2019

March 2020

Oh No COVID!

COVID19 meant we weren’t able to run tours, but instead we focused on how we could improve travellers experiences in Australia

March 2020

April 2021

Launch Welcome to Sydney!

Launched Welcome to Sydney, Sydney Mini Pack and Blue Mountains and More Add On

April 2021

June 2023

Launched Our Semi-Guided East Coast Tour

We launched our semi-guided East Coast tour which gives travellers the Welcome to Travel support all the way up the East Coast of Australia

June 2023

September 2023

Became the Best Youth Tour Operator in the World

Welcome to Travel won the Best Youth Tour Operator in the World at the Global Youth Travel awards

September 2023

October 2023

1000+ 5 Star Reviews on Google

The Welcome to Melbourne tour hit 1000+ 5 star reviews on Google

October 2023

July 2024

1000+ 5 Star Reviews on Google

The Welcome to Sydney tour hit 1000+ 5 star reviews on Google

July 2024

May 2025

4000+ 5 Star Reviews on Google

The Welcome to Melbourne & Welcome to Sydney tour hit 4000+ 5 star reviews combined on Google

May 2025

January 2026

A new chapter for Welcome to Travel

After nine successful years, Adam and Darryl are moving on, selling the business to Matt McCourt – a full-circle moment, as Matt is the owner of Peter Pans, the company where their journey in the travel industry began.

January 2026

June 2026

Tripadvisor Travellers Choice Winner

Welcome to Travel received Tripadvisor’s Travellers’ Choice award for 2026. This is earnt by receiving consistent great reviews from travellers and are being ranked within the top 10% of businesses

June 2026

August 2026

Won YTA’s Best Tour, Experience or Hire

Welcome to Travel won Youth Tourism Victoria’s Best Tour, Experience or Hire at the 2026 Golden V Awards for the first time

August 2026

The Future

Continue To Create Epic Experiences

The plan for the future? To give as many travellers like you the best possible experience in Australia

The Future

Want To Be Part Of The Story?

We’re always on the lookout for good people who love travel as much as we do – check out our current openings and see where you could fit in.

See Open Roles

Not Your Average Tour Company

We've been where you're going.

Every tour, every recommendation, and every bit of advice comes from people who’ve actually backpacked Australia, made the mistakes, found the hidden gems, and figured out what’s actually worth your time and money.

Premium without the price

The full experience, without the full price tag. Handpicked activities, hostels we’d stay in ourselves. And all at the right price.

4,000+ 5 star reviews

Real independent reviews from real travellers – we’re the highest rated Australia group tour operator on Google.

Trust and support

We’re an ATIA accredited agency, so you can be confident your booking with the right people with support from start to finish.

Genuine service

Our team are all backpackers who know what it’s like to travel to the other side of the world. We’ll ensure this is your dream trip.

Contact Us

We're Here To Help

We know what it is like trying to arrange your travels, so we want to make it as easy as possible for you.

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