David Walker

Managing Director

David, a business owner since 1992, guiding the parent company, ITC Pacific, and its brands to a prominent position in the travel sector, has a career spanning 40 years in wholesale, retail, group touring, inbound and state tourism. 

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Elected to the Council of Australia Tour Operators (CATO) Executive Committee in 2016, a past CATO treasurer with a continued focus on governance, constitution and codes of conduct guidelines. A current member of CATO Road to Recovery Committee. 

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David has always been focused on ensuring ITC Pacific maintains best business practices, safe travel protocols, risk and crisis management, financial integrity and duty of care, which has provided security and confidence to all our schools and groups, many of which have supported the company for over 20 years. 

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David's journeys' have taken him through many countries, experiencing their culture, tour operations and travel networks.

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Through David's expertise in travel and tour management, the team at Educational Adventures brings to life the visions' of teachers' and students' on their journey to Inspire, Educate and Explore. 

Emily Porter

National Sales Manager

From an early age, Emily’s parents instilled the importance of travelling, starting with spending a month in New Zealand, then 3 months exploring Europe as a family. 

During High School, Emily participated in a sister school exchange program, which took her to Okayama in Japan, spending 6 months with 4 different host families, attending school and experiencing the local way of life.  This experience not only assisted with her Japanese language studies, but also her personal growth and independence at the age of 15. 

This connection to Japan, its people and culture has taken her back 6 times since!

From backpacking in Europe during university, to snowboarding across Canada, USA and Japan, and chasing adventure across Mauritius and Iceland, Emily lives and breathes travel, loves trying local food, is terrified of heights, and prefers business class. 

She now feels lucky to work in the travel industry, and loves travelling and planning adventures with her husband and son.

Jen Walker

Groups Sales and Operations Manager

Jenny has been extremely fortunate to land her feet on five of the world’s continents throughout her 17 years in the travel industry.

Experiencing the gift of travel from a very young age, Jenny is endlessly seeking her next adventure. With passion for travel running through her blood, Jenny has ticked many destinations off her bucket list. Waking to elephants outside her window in Kenya is one of her most fond memories.

Living in London for over a year, Jenny loved exploring the magic of Europe and the adventure of living abroad. Walking the streets of Rome, Jenny immersed herself in the cities wonders and ancient history. Jenny appreciates that travel offers an exciting and interactive way to learning.  

Japan opened her eyes to an endless array of culture, and Jenny was thrilled to discover the diversity that one country could deliver. She explored temples, World Heritage sites, theme parks, powder snow and more; experiences which she loves to draw on when advising clients on the best Japan has to offer.

Jenny is an avid snowboarder and itches to get back to the slopes at every opportunity. Lake Louise is one of her favourite ski resorts and she looks forward to returning to Canada again soon!

Whether it’s adventure, ski or relaxation, Jenny loves chatting about educational adventures.

Lauren Forde

Marketing Manager

Lauren was bitten by the travel bug at a young age. Moving from New Zealand to Tonga at the age of 10, she was fortunate enough to experience an entirely different culture and way of life for 5 years, before moving to Australia. The urge to explore was always present and took Lauren to Asia as an 19 year old, from there it became almost mandatory to go somewhere new at least once every year!

Her passion for travel and adventure led Lauren into the Travel Industry over 8 years’ ago and has taken her around the globe. From the temples of Myanmar to diving to new depths in Papua New Guinea and the peak of a Hawaiian volcano to snowboarding in Japan; the thrill of new experiences has taken her to some incredible places and allowed her to experience so many things.

Food and culture have always been a huge part of the travel experience and Lauren has been lucky enough to enjoy truly immersive experiences that makes a holiday so unique. 

Lauren believes that travel is the best education for schools, groups and independent travelers, and hopes to be able to continue exploring the world for as long as she can!

Haley Hooper

Accounts Assistant Team Leader

Haley is our resident Canadian, hailing from Vancouver. Her love for travel took her throughout the USA and Mexico and then to South East Asia where she met her Aussie husband on a tour of Vietnam. She now lives in Brisbane and loves exploring all that Australia has to offer.

Whether it is scuba diving the Great Barrier Reef, or skiing the Rockies in Canada, or sampling epicurean delights in Italy, she is always up for new adventure. She is always searching out the hottest new restaurant to try and counts herself lucky to have tried some of the world's top dishes. She believes the best way to experience a country is through their local food, be it street food, a great café, or catching it herself.

She has been working in travel for the past 10 years and has found her niche in the accounts department.

Ellis Mitchell

Groups Product and Operations
Team Leader

Ellis spent her childhood living in Asia, Europe and the Middle East. As a result, she loves to travel to unique destinations and immersing herself into off the beaten track cultural experiences.

She has ticked off multiple wonders of the world and strives to visit each continent before she hits 30. Her recent adventures include China, Egypt, Jordan and Vietnam- all of which offered completely different culture, food and people.

As a solo traveler, Ellis understands the importance of safe travelling as well as the impact of tourism on the local economy, environment and wildlife. 

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Through designing and building school group programs, Ellis loves creating unique experiences that show a glimpse into the true culture, cuisine and history of a destination. Creating educational packages that travelers will remember and gain perspective from for years to come is Ellis' passion.

Ellis loves making the impossible destinations achievable for school groups. Her favorite destination is India, which she has visited numerous times. The vast contrast between each city keeps her going back for more.  

Olivia Wheeler

Groups Travel Specialist

Olivia is a Groups Travel Specialist at Educational Adventures and enjoys the excitement and work that goes behind prepping a group for their snow and travel experience! Since a child Olivia has been fortunate to travel to several countries and this is where she developed her love for travel. Whether it is snowboarding in the Japanese Alps, surfing on the reefs of Hawaii, camel riding in the deserts in Oman and Morocco, or exploring the K-Pop culture in South Korea, Olivia won’t say no to an adventure or unique experience. 

Her passion for all things travel, and thrill for adventures, has taken her to world class destinations that offer world class activities and cultural experiences. Her love for the snow since a young age has saw her working in Ski Resorts in Japan, New Zealand, and the Snowy Mountains in Australia.

Growing up an avid surfer from the Gold Coast, Olivia has spent time surfing at world class surf destinations including spending long periods of time in Hawaii and trips exploring the Islands of Indonesia and coastline of Western Australia. Olivia has a passion for creating experiences that allow for a true experience of the culture, history, and cuisine of a destination whether domestically or internationally.