About Us
The Small Guide Travel team is a “small” team – a team dedicated to and passionate about their Pacific destinations.
The team can assist with arranging all your travel needs including flights, transfers, accommodation, tropical weddings, insurance, tours, cruises and more.
Small Guide Travel is a licensed travel agency and member of the Travel Compensation Fund and specialises in arranging travel to Fiji, Vanuatu, Cook Islands, Samoa, New Caledonia, Tahiti, Hawaii and Queensland in Australia.
Ian Heydon
Small Guide Travel took its name from a travel book Ian wrote on Australia called The Small Guide to a Big Country. The philosophy of Small Guide Travel is to only promote destinations we have personally experienced and offer local knowledge, personal service and competitive prices.
Ian has travelled extensively through Europe, the UK, Asia and the US. He first visited Vanuatu in 1999 for a holiday. That two-week break turned into three fantastic years.
On returning to Australia in 2003 he attained a travel agent’s licence to specialise in romantic breaks to Vanuatu and the other Pacific destinations of Fiji, Samoa, the Cook Islands and New Caledonia. ian@smallguide.com.au
Annie Heydon
Annie is Ian’s other, prettier half. Annie is also the other Director of Small Guide Travel and as well as living in Vanuatu for three years has holidayed in Fiji a few times and New Caledonia. Annie has also led two school study tours to Vanuatu which included excursions to Tanna Islan the Mt Yasur, the active volcano. Her most recent OS adventure (with Ian, in Sept/Oct 2012) was to the UK via Dubai, returning via Paris. annie@smallguide.com.au
Sonya Pullin
Sonya looks after the administration side of Small Guide Travel but ids no stranger to the South Pacific. Sonya lived in Vanuatu’s capital, Port Vila for ten years before moving to Queensland. Sonya has visited Fiji and originally comes from New Zealand so she visits NZ regularly to catch up with family. sonya@smallguide.com.au
Mandi Forrester-Jones
While Mandi knows Vanuatu, the Cook Islands and Samoa well, Fiji is her passion and you won’t find someone who knows more about the resorts, the attractions and the people. Mandi is also licensed marriage celebrant and she chose to be married in Fiji. Every May Mandi attends the Bula Fiji Tourism Expo to catch up with the resort owners/managers to negotiate the best possible rates. Rumour has it she also researches the latest offerings in colourful cocktails. mandi@smallguide.com.au
Kylee Richardson
Kylee has visited Tahiti, Fiji, Samoa, the Cook Islands and Vanuatu and she loves revisiting favourite spots and discovering new destinations. Kylee is also Small Guide Travel’s cruise specialist – she loves the cruising lifestyle where she can sit back and relax while someone else moves the scenery, combined with the fun and excitement of exploring ports-of-call. Kylee’s next cruise is scheduled for August 2013. kylee@smallguide.com.au
Nola Atkins
Vanuatu is Nola’s ‘baby’. In 2009, Nola and her hubby moved to Vanuatu to manage a resort. After two and a half years living and loving the lifestyle of the tropics, they moved back to Queensland and Nola joined the Small Guide Travel team. While in Vanuatu Nola organised dozens of tropical weddings and knows exactly what to suggest to couples wanting romance in the tropics. nola@smallguide.com.au
Ainsley Hardie
Ainslie has an affiliate relationship with Small Guide Travel. Ainsley has her own travel company called My Personal Travel Planner and she specialises in personalised itineraries to her favourite destinations – Europe (especially France and Italy) and the USA (especially Disney). ainsley@smallguide.com.au
Jill Jelley
Jill is Small Guide Travel’s representative in the US. Jill is an Aussie, is married to an American and they reside is West Hollywood, Los Angeles. Jill has travelled extensively throughout Australia, has had holidays in Fiji and was married in Hawaii. Jill is on hand for any American couples who would like to chat about a honeymoon to Australia or the Pacific. Jill has lived in London and Boston and had holidays in Rome, Paris, Amsterdam, Berlin, Madrid, Israel (Jerusalem & Eilat) – scuba dived in the Red Sea & floated on the dead one. She has been to Penzance & Cornwall, Wales, Belfast, Dublin and Hawaii many times, mainly Oahu & Kaui. info@smallguide.com.au
Why book with us
- Ease: You can contact us by email any time, any day and we’re also just a phone call away. Credit card payment is accepted (by fax or phone) as well as payment by direct deposit.
- Price: We believe we offer the best prices as well as the best service. By all means, shop around and, if you find a better price, please allow us to try and match it.
- Local Knowledge: We know our stuff – the people, the places and the properties. Unlike some travel agents, we only promote destinations and accommodation properties we have personally experienced!
- Attention to detail: Part of our service is to assist with everything you may need/want from your holiday and more, from providing a ‘what to pack’ check list, special interest info and tips on how to save after you have arrived.
- We care! Yes, we really do. We love the Australia and the South Pacific and want to help create the best possible holiday we can.
For info, advice, recommendations and prices, simply email info@smallguide.com.au or phone (07) 3715 7348.