Over 35 years, Contours Travel has developed an unrivalled program in Latin America. Our experience, our expertise and our outstanding local guides and representatives mean you can relax, safe in the knowledge that you are in the best of hands.
We offer trips to South and Central America, Mexico and the Caribbean, including Cuba, Bermuda and the Bahamas, covering a variety of regions and experiences that no other Australian operator can match, and we can also create special itineraries for our clients throughout Latin America. Director Ted Dziadkiewicz first explored the area as an overland bus driver in the mid-1970s, and he maintains a strong, hands-on focus on the business, travelling frequently to Latin America to explore new opportunities. All of our friendly, experienced consultants are specialists in the region.
Contours Travel is absolutely committed to the ethos of responsible travel and also to making a real difference to the lives of the people whose communities we touch. Responsible travel is about treading lightly on the earth and engaging in a meaningful way with local people and the environment. While making a minimal physical impact, responsible travellers seek to maximise sensitive cultural interaction.
At Contours Travel we support a range of community-based initiatives in the countries we visit from non-profit cafes and jungle eco-lodges to weaving co-operatives which gives our groups the rare chance to meet participants and share something of their lives. We come to appreciate their deep, spiritual connection with their unique environment and understand also that income from tourism can be a powerful incentive for conservation.
Because we operate small groups’s usually about 16 members, and frequently fewer we travel in a less intrusive and more sensitive way that allows us to connect with people and places on an intimate scale. Rather than just looking at the environment, we seek to immerse ourselves in it, allowing us to learn and to grow so that when we return from Latin America we have a genuine understanding of the region and its people. Superficial travel is not for us. For the same reasons, we use hotels with real character and a strong sense of history where possible, without sacrificing comfort.
Our overriding concern is for our clients’ comfort and safety, which is why we use only the best local operators, first-class transport and outstanding English-speaking guides. They are there to help explain and interpret the sights for you, but also are available to provide suggestions on what to do and what to see on the free days we weave into our itineraries. These days give you the chance to explore independently if you wish, which is when you will make some of your most memorable discoveries.
Contours Travel can book your flights and organise your land arrangements, co-ordinating all your air, bus, rail and boat travel in one seamless package. You can leave everything up to us, enjoying one of our carefully crafted small-group itineraries, or we can help you create a unique individual experience in an extraordinary part of the world. We love Latin America and would love to share it with you.
Find out how we are involved and how you can help. with our Community Project Partners in South America
- The paragraph below was written and published in our first brochure in 1975 when Contours Travel was Bustrek:
“Bustrek is a unique travel experience for the adventurous and young-at-heart. It’s for people who love to travel and see the real world that lies off the beaten track. People who enjoy the company of others and share a common pioneering spirit. People with a give-and-take attitude who are prepared to pitch in and help out. But above all, Bustrek is for people with a willingness to join in the fun and make the most of the holiday of a lifetime”.
