Bonaventure Travel

Bonaventure Travel, travel agency in West Perth

Bonaventure Travel is a travel agency based in West Perth, Western Australia, that has been advising clients since 1988. The company presents itself as a deliberately small, senior business, aimed at a specific type of client: people who hire its services not because they cannot book travel on their own, but because they value proper management of their plans when those plans change.

A model based on managing disruptions

The agency maintains that most plans work as expected until they stop working. A cancellation, a missed connection or a schedule change at an inconvenient moment completely alters the situation. In that context, the itinerary takes a back seat and what matters is who manages it, how quickly alternatives are identified and what access exists to make them happen. Bonaventure Travel structures its offering around that idea: every journey is designed and managed with that eventuality in mind.

Advisory team and personal attention

The agency's team of advisors has more than one hundred years of combined experience in complex, high-value corporate and leisure travel. The company states that there are no handovers between the planning and execution phases: the same person who designs the trip is the one who manages it, with knowledge of its structure and of what is at stake if something changes.

Accreditations and access to airlines and hotels

Bonaventure Travel has been accredited by the International Air Transport Association (IATA) since 1993. It is a member of the Australian Travel Industry Association (ATIA), the Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA) and is recognised by Qantas as a Platinum Club agency. It is also part of Travellers Choice.

Its IATA accreditation allows it to book and manage travel on more than 120 airlines worldwide. It also maintains active agreements with loyalty and hotel booking programmes such as Accor HERA, Hilton for Luxury, Hyatt Privé, IHG Destined, Marriott STARS and Luminous, and Shangri-La Luxury Circle. The agency notes that these relationships provide access that is not available through direct booking or online platforms, and that this access is decisive when plans change and decisions must be made quickly.

Travel and destination catalogue

The agency's offering covers destinations in Africa and the Middle East (Botswana, Kenya, Kingdom of eSwatini, Morocco, South Africa, Tanzania and Zimbabwe), Antarctica, Asia (Vietnam), Australia and New Zealand, the Pacific (Cook Islands, French Polynesia, New Caledonia, Samoa and Vanuatu), Europe (Croatia, Denmark, Finland, Germany, Greece, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Slovenia, Spain, Switzerland, Turkey and United Kingdom), North America (Canada, Cayman Islands and United States, including Hawaii) and South America (Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Ecuador, Falkland Islands (Malvinas), Peru and Uruguay).

Among the types of travel it sells are tours, couples' trips, events, short breaks, flights, ocean and river cruises, self-drive trips, rail and solo travel. The website allows online booking of accommodation, car hire and transfers.

At the time of analysis, the catalogue showed several featured packages, including a 25-day tour of the national parks of the northwest United States and the Canadian Rockies with an Alaska cruise from $10,838 per person; a 16-day Signature Highlights programme from $8,649; an 11-day Grand Tour of Switzerland from $9,829; an 8-day Iceland adventure from $6,476; an 8-day tour of Ontario and French Canada from $2,809; a 15-day trip through Great Britain and Ireland from $6,692; a 10-day tour of New Zealand's South Island from $6,269; a 4-day Fleurieu Explorer programme from $1,035; and a 13-day migration safari in East Africa from $12,995.

Collaboration with TripADeal and cruises

The agency has established a collaboration with TripADeal to offer affordable holiday packages. It also sells a selection of cruise deals for different traveller profiles.

Working process with the client

Every new relationship begins with a conversation, which may be by phone, by email or as a result of a referral from an existing client. The aim is to understand how the person travels, where they have been, what standards they expect and what their goals are. These conversations also help determine whether there is a good fit between both parties. Budget is part of that dialogue, not always as a specific figure, but as an understanding of expectations and level of service.

From there, the agency makes the necessary enquiries and presents a proposal or a set of options for review before proceeding. Communication during the booking process is usually by email, and clients can call during office hours. There is also an after-hours emergency number published on the website for those who need to make contact outside standard hours.

The agency describes part of its work as invisible to the client: tickets are constructed seeking flexibility, accommodation providers are briefed before arrival and contingencies are considered before departure. When something requires attention, it is managed without the client having to chase it.

Community commitment

Bonaventure Travel maintains long-standing support for Wheelchairs for Kids, a Perth-based organisation that provides mobility to children who would otherwise go without. Isabelle Chu, linked to the agency, is a long-serving member of the Rotary Club of Scarborough, and it was through that connection that the relationship with Wheelchairs for Kids began. The organisation has recently formalised a partnership with Cathay Pacific.

Location and contact

Suite 8, 1329 Hay Street West Perth, WA, 6005 · Phone: 08 9321 6555