Airguides

Fantastic experience: A truly magnificent and sensational week on soo many levels. The guides, storytelling, Tongan feast, accomodation complex, location, spacious boat and of course the whales. A very well organised week from airguides, after a lot of research and seeing how other company’s ran there trips while we were in Tonga I was so happy to have made the decision to experience the whales through air guides. A real show stopping week!

Fantastic experience: Thanking the stars I found AirGuides and Jono Allen’s Tonga whale swimming online. We jumped at the chance for a last minute booking and were totally taken care of! Paul, from AirGuides, found the best flights for us, had a WhatApp call to answer all our questions and took care of the details so all we had to do was get there. Jono Allen is an amazing, talented photographer who also created a special group experience and education of what to expect. Jono’s incredible team including Al and Ali on the boat further added to a fantastic experience with the whales. The WHALES were mind blowing. What a gift to be in Tonga staring into the eye of a baby whale, hearing the whales songs, the excitement of breaching babies, or the drama of a heat run. This trip was about the special connection with our whale family and it was a lifelong dream come true. I highly recommend this trip so much we’ve already signed up again for next year!

Fantastic experience: The Airguides trip to Tonga to swim with humpback whales was the experience of a lifetime. I have traveled all over the world, and nothing compares to being in the wild, rustic, deep blue waters of the South Pacific while interacting with whales and their calves. A wonderful and caring team made our adventures stress free. Absolutely amazing, so much so, that I am doing it again this year! Thanks a million Paul, Jono, Al, Alistair, Christian and Polly!

Fantastic experience: I had an amazing experience traveling with Airguides to Heron Island (on the Great Barrier Reef). We had a small group (7 people + 2 guides) which made the whole experience feel very personalised. We spent the days snorkelling and learning about photography (over and underwater) and the nights under the stars. Mark and Paul always went above and beyond to make sure we were comfortable and having the best time - I was nervous about swimming with sharks at the start of the trip, but having the guys by my side every time we went swimming meant that by the end of the trip I was duck diving down to get the best shots of the sharks. I highly recommend traveling with Airguides if you have the opportunity to. I will be booking again!

Fantastic experience: We had such an incredible time in NZ and have made so many amazing memories! A big shoutout to Paul who pretty much came on this journey with us: from putting the itinerary together to updating our app throughout the trip and giving us suggestions or making changes as needed! We hope it’s not the last time we visit NZ but until then we will look back on this trip with so much happiness and would fully recommend it (or something similar) to others!

Fantastic experience: The trip I booked with Airguides was quite last minute. I saw it advertised on Concrete Playground and happened to have the time off so I booked about two weeks out. I had a ton of questions before booking and Paul was my point of contact for the trip. He was always available and quick to respond all throughout the pre-booking, and lead up to the trip. As for the trip with Airguides, it was magic. Paul was our kind and patient guide, Mark Fitz was our talented and positive photographer/storyteller, plus two other couples and myself. I’ve always been a bit nervous travelling on my own so part of the beauty of an Airguides trip for me was I always had people to take photos with, or go snorkelling with, or have breakfast, lunch, and dinner with. I really felt like the trip was catered entirely for me but still had others around. It was a perfect mix of activity and relaxation, and the photography skills and tips I came away with have certainly improved my abilities. I’m already planning my next Airguides trip in August. (And then 4 more after that)

Fantastic experience: I recently visited Lady Musgrave Island with Airguides and can definitely recommend them. Paul went above and beyond to help me organise flights and logistics and they are a fantastic local business that I'd gladly travel with again. They have a unique and meaningful approach to travel and travelling with and learning from a world-class photographer, who was on the trip, was incredible.

Fantastic experience: We had THE BEST trip away thanks to Airguides. They organised everything so well and made the experience exceptional and unforgettable. Our amazing trip to Heron Island will go down as legendary thanks to the guys at Airguides. I would also love to add that Paul and Bibi helped me overcome some snorkelling nerves. Paul was so patient with me and by the end I just couldn't wait to get out there - I was first one to arrive to the snorkelling a couple times I was that keen! And now it's awakened a passion and I can't WAIT to go snorkelling again!

Fantastic experience: We recently organised our trip to Heron Island with Bibi and Paul as a last minute getaway. Seamlessly dealt with and an added bonus of having a world-class photographer/ free-diver as our story teller. The trip has only whet our appetite for more positive and relaxing experiences with the Airguides team- Awesome

Fantastic experience: My husband, 3 girls (aged 5, 3 and 1 year) and I just returned back from an incredible tour and experience on Heron Island organised by the team at Air Guides. It was such a fun, adventurous and memorable holiday, getting taken to a remote island with no phone reception, and getting to experience all the island has to offer with the incredible photographer Jono Allen who joined us on all our snorkels. He shared his wisdom and passion for the ocean with us, we also got to chat to him during meal times and when relaxing by the pool. It really added a whole other level to our holiday. Everything was completely organised for us, from the ferry ride, to snorkel tours, accomodation, even booking in breakfast and dinner times. This is SO helpful when travelling with kids - one less thing to think about! Everything ran so smoothly and we were well informed about everything before we left. This trip made a lasting impression on our girls, our eldest two going snorkelling and seeing turtles and sharks, not a holiday we could have or would have done on our own, so we are very grateful. Thanks to air guides for this experience, we are eagerly waiting for the next trip they are planning!!!

Fantastic experience: One of the best trips I have been on, Airguides were such a pleasure to deal with and made the experience unforgettable. Nothing was too hard, I would highly recommend booking through this company.

Fantastic experience: Having Jono our storyteller guide made all the difference. Instead of being herded like sheep with 100s of other people from place to place we got a unique and personalised experience. It felt like we were the only ones on the island.

Fantastic experience: Just had an amazing trip to Heron Island organised by the Airguides team. Perfect balance of activity and relaxation, they made it so easy. Can't wait until I can do another trip!

Fantastic experience: I cannot say enough amazing things about Airguides and the amazing honeymoon they planned for us. We began our trip planning by being overwhelmed with travel blogs, not knowing what was actually the best plan for us. We just needed some one on one expertise to help us see our vision through and organize for us. Paul and the Airguides team did a phenomenal job of working with us to get everything we wanted out of this trip all while being so careful of our budget. We were given numerous options of less expensive to more expensive things to compare and to choose. For instance, we really wanted a night of "glamping". Paul showed us 3 options that were all amazing, but we were able to select from a few options that ranged in budget. Same thing for excursions that got our blood pumping a little...my favorite was paragliding in Wanaka! We never felt pressured to plan anything, and even felt more compelled to make plans just because we grew to really trust Paul and the team. We knew we were in great hands. Paul was in communication with us very often before the trip to make sure we had our ducks in a row before traveling. He was in touch with us as we landed in New Zealand, and always available to us while there. We rerouted our trip a little bit to stay longer where we felt we needed more time and to jump ahead where we seemed to move quickly. Paul helped without hesitation to make new recommendations and plans along the way. About 2 weeks into our trip, the Covid pandemic became impactful on our plans to travel home. Paul was in touch right away and worked late nights to help us with airlines canceling and rebooking us. When we had some nail biting moments, Paul was there to reassure us he was there to help and would do everything he could to make sure we got home safely. I need to mention, the airfare was the one thing that my husband and I planned on our own before the trip and before finding Airguides. So Paul had ZERO gain in helping us with Airfare. He did this purely from his heart and his care for his clients. We were delayed in leaving and Paul was in touch with our hotel to extend our stay and car hire and made things much less stressful. In the end we have a big story to tell of how the Covid pandemic effected our honeymoon. But what stands out most, is the amazing adventure we had for 3 weeks in New Zealand, and it was all in the hands of the Airguides team. We do not have a single disappointment to mention. Now, I am already dreaming of the day we can get back to the North Island and have Paul to this all over again for us! We have already talked making this our 10 year anniversary trip!

Fantastic experience: Couldn’t recommend air guides higher - we were so impressed by their knowledge and efficiency.

Fantastic experience: I having travelled overseas frequently over the past ten years to 30 odd countries I have had a fair bit of experience with a well known travel agency franchise. Somebody recommended Airguides for my recent 3 week trip to Japan. I can not recommend them highly enough and will use them whenever I travel from now on. So much more than a travel agent. The curated and tailored all of my trip to what I was looking for. They knew all of the hidden spots around Tokyo, Osaka and Kyoto, but also sent me to some amazing cultural destinations for an authentic experience. Highly proactive and I was able to my itinerary on my phone through their app the whole time. This is the evolution of the old travel agent. 5 stars!