My wife and myself were planning a trip to Hawaii, New Zealand, and Australia. The local travel agents asked what do you want to do? My response was that's why I called you. Rick (Mr. Australia) asked how long we had for travel. dates, what we liked, and more useful questions. Once he had the information he put together a proposed itinerary. We tweaked it together and put together our dream trip of a lifetime. Together with Beach Travel he planned everything soup to nuts. IT WAS PERFECT!! Every part and detail from hotels, ground transportation, daily tours, flights, and recommendations. The attention to details was great. We saw as much as we could in the time we had. Everything Rick put together was flawless. I can't say enough about the thought Rick & Beach Travel put into this itinerary. I am in NY and they are in California but it was easier and more efficient than any local travel agents I approached. They are professional and can be trusted with person, financial, and such information which was a great comfort being 3000 miles away. Rich work's with Beach Travel who has been in business for decades. I researched both before booking and my trust was well founded. This was a month long trip through several time zones as well as the international dateline. Every flight had enough time to catch the connecting flights. We had delayed flights but none effected connections. We started in Hawaii with a beach front room on Waikiki Beach for 4 days. We slept with the sliding glass door opened from our balcony so we could fall asleep hearing the ocean waves. The location was great and Beach Travel planned some wonderful tours to see Honolulu as well as a lia upon arrival We flew to Auckland, New Zealand and explored both the North & South Island of New Zealand. It was planes, trains, and automobiles. Rick gave us the opportunity to see the best of both islands. Driving on the wrong side was an experience in New Zealand & Australia but I easily adapted. The train through part of the South Island was wonderful as well. Then we flew to Australia and went to Port Douglas to dive the Great Barrier Reef. This was my main purpose for the trip a life long dream. It was amazing and took underwater video of the adventure. We flew between there, Melbourne, Sydney, and Tasmania. I can't say enough how easy, wonderful, and effortless the whole process was. Rick is simply wonderful and knows his stuff. He found wonderful places to stay from boutique hotels, Inns, and larger properties. The tours were great and operators picked us up as promised on time. We were treated like royalty in most places because Rick & his travel partner are business these companies obviously appreciate. Perks like window seats, pampered treatment, and quick response to every request along the way. DON'T HESITATE RICK IS AWESOME "JUST DO IT!" read more

Jim F Dayton, OH Rick worked with us to create a month-long trip to Australia and New Zealand that included 8 airline flights, 1 overland train ride, a bus ride, 7 transfers, 1 overnight cruise, 11 pre-arranged activities and 4 car rentals; NOT ONE HICUP...need I say more. The trip exceeded even our expectations. Rick provided a detailed itinerary filled with information and guidance for each destination that we found to be right "on target"! Mr. Australia, aka Rick Stone, was the 3rd travel agent I worked with to plane this trip. The first two said "where to you want to go?" They wanted us to plan when we really had no idea of what was available. Rick took the time to ask about our likes, dislikes, what we would like to do and began an interactive process that ended in the trip of our dreams. He is a professional who actually knows his market and provided us with options, suggestions and an occasional recommendation. For example, my wife wanted to take a two day horse back trek in the Snow River Mt area north of Melbourne where the movie "The Man From Snowy River" was filmed. Rick was wise enough to recommend that be placed at the end of our trip just in case we were saddle sore from the ride....a very wise man. The entire planning process was non-stressful and enjoyable. The results were outstanding. I highly recommend Rick Stone to anyone who wants to plan a trip to Australia, New Zealand or both. Hi Ric, please let me echo Jim's comments. Our trip was so much better than we ever hoped and was simply fantastic. I can't say enough good things about the work you and your staff did to coordinate everything. It was truly the trip of a lifetime and my 2-day horse trek was my dream come true (although my muscles were not in the dream:_) read more

We spent 17 days traveling thru Australia in Jan 2019. My husband and I had never traveled to Australia before, and we wanted to speak with someone who had experience with this country so we could make the most of our time. We spoke with Rick several times, and he made lots of recommendations for places to go, and sights to see once he understood what our interests were so he could create a wonderful trip for us. The planning process for this trip included many conversations with Rick, he listened to what we wanted to experience on this vacation. His recommendations were wonderful, we never would have gotten to a few of the locations that he presented to us. Rick knows Australia very well and I felt we had very good personalized service. We traveled to Sydney, Cairns, Palm Cove, and Green Island Resort and loved it all! Rick really tries to find out what your 'ideal ' vacation includes and tries to craft different travel options to get the best itinerary. He took care of booking the tour operators, I never would have known who to call or trust in making these arrangements. He set up our transfers and took care of many details that made this trip wonderful. Our trip was amazing and would highly recommend contacting Rick for traveling to Australia, or NZ. read more

I can highly recommend Mr. Australia (Rick Stone) for your travel needs. Our trip to New Zealand was highly anticipated and I wanted it to be my dream trip. I "accidentally" found Mr. Australia on the internet and am so thankful I did. I gave him our dates of travel and a few things my husband, son and I wanted to see and then Rick went to work planing the rest. Rick went above and beyond my expectation. Every detail was thought of and covered. All tickets, reservations, maps, itineraries were provided with exceptional planning. He even gave approximate travel times between stops and alternative plans to do along the way. While there, heavy rain caused some road problems, but Rick and his contact there made sure we were apprised of the situation by calling and emailing. Great service! Thank you Mr. Australia for giving us a trip that truly was my dream trip! I will be contacting you for Sydney next! read more

We spent almost a month in Australia and New Zealand in January/February of this year. Rick organized our lodging, activities and transportation. We were extremely happy with his arrangements - the hotels were perfectly located and a good match for what we needed. The small group tours were exquisite, couldn't have asked for better guides and itineraries. Rick custom tailored this trip based on what we were interested in doing and what was realistic to accomplish in our time frame. There were no snafus or disappointments. Highlights were the wildlife tour in New South Wales, the small boat snorkeling trip at the Great Barrier Reef and the hikes and sunrise walk at Uluru. Just what we hoped for, I will definitely recommend Rick to our friends who want to take a trip down under. read more

Rick helped us plan, organize and book an extended trip through New Zealand and it was an over-the-top success; probably our best vacation ever. His enthusiasm and first hand knowledge made it fun and easy to plan and prepare. He not only saved us money but also the time and stress it would have taken to try and research and figure out what would be best for us. The hotels that he selected offered great value for the price and the sightseeing and activities he recommended were exactly what we were looking for! Our overnight cruise on the Milford Sound literally brought tears to our eyes when it was time to go. There is no way we could have created such a perfect itinerary on our own. Rick is worth his weight in gold. And if you've seen him, you know that's saying something. read more

My wife and I went to Australia and Tasmania for our 30th wedding anniversary. We gave Rick Stone the general parameters (travel dates and a few must sees) and then Rick put it all together. Rick (Mr. Australia) knew (and still knows) what he is doing. We got a first draft, made a few minor changes, Rick made the modifications with ease and we had a full itinerary. Then Rick handled all details - lots of details. It was a fantastic trip! Every day we had all the necessary paperwork, tickets, schedules, etc all because Rick put it all together. He even made sure we had days where we did not have a schedule!! Smart man. We highly recommend Mr. Australia for your travel needs to Australia, New Zealand and/or Fiji. read more

Mr. Australia (Rick Stone) provided excellent, efficient and knowledgable service for a recent trip to New Zealand. He was patient as we moved the target from New Zealand to Australia to a combined trip then back to New Zealand. He returned calls and responded to emails in a timely fashion and was patient with our many questions. Rick took the time to ask questions about our goals for the trip and offered suggestions to help us reach them. He wanted us to get the most bang for our money and time. He proved to be an engaging and helpful partner and if we can afford a tip to Australia in the future he will be the first one we call. read more

We really had an excellent experience overall. We planned our trip well in advance and were able to meet with Rick and work out all the details. We had our own thoughts on what we wanted to do but Rick was also very knowledgeable about helping us schedule things we had not even thought of or knew existed. Our trip to Australia was terrific and we can't wait to go back. read more

We spent a month traveling through New Zealand and Australia this fall. It was amazing. Mr. Australia helped design an independent trip with all the trimmings. Our accommodations were wonderful, tours great and recommendations for activities excellent. He was a pleasure to work with. I highly recommend working on a trip with Rick. He's a true professional. read more