About us
Passionate about family travel
We strongly believe that travel brings families together, creating memories and bonds which are quite different to those of normal day to day life. Experiencing new places and cultures together is a wonderful way to spend quality time. We all grew up exploring and discovering other places with our families, seeking adventures in nature.
We then went on to create and hold senior roles within some of the world's leading nature and adventure travel companies. We are now bringing this deep experience to Journeys en Famille.
Journeys en Famille is a small bespoke travel company specialising in family adventures to exciting, off the beaten track destinations, usually focused on nature.
From the snowy wilds of Lapland to the dunes of Namibia... our journeys and adventures span a multitude of cultures, food and far-off places. It's a wonder and joy to share these moments with your family, your children, your relatives and friends, but sometimes the planning or desire to meet everyone's expectations can be overwhelming. We understand this and we are here to help you make your next family journey a magical one.
Claire Newton
Growing up near the shores of Loch Lomond fostered an early passion for nature. Â Travels with her family to beautiful parts of Europe, and later beyond, fostered Claire's passion for other places, languages and cultures. Â During her degree in modern languages at the University of St Andrews, Claire spent her summers working with children in a nature reserve on the Pacific ocean coast of Oregon. Â She returned to study for a law degree and later to work for the UK government and within the European Union. An opportunity to move to Kenya led to her taking on senior roles within two of East Africa's leading wildlife conservancies. Â She has travelled extensively with her husband, Neil and their 6-year old son Harris and understands the ambitions and indeed concerns of parents planning adventurous travel for family and friends.
Neil Birnie
Neil grew up in the Highlands of Scotland and all his family holidays were spent camping and exploring nature. He trained as an environmental lawyer and worked in European Union environmental policy before an opportunity arose to work in wildlife conservation in East Africa. This experience inspired a deep passion for how travel can contribute to nature conservation and he went on to co-found a company which has twice been recognised as the World's Best Green Tour Operator and as the No 1 Adventure Travel company in Europe by National Geographic. He now advises national parks and governments around the world on how to develop nature tourism and sustainable businesses.  Neil has organised countless unusual trips to all corners of the world over the past 20 years and together with his wife Claire and their young son, loves to travel as a family to find new experiences.
Simon Collier
Simon was born and raised in South Africa, and from a young age developed a love and passion for the African bush. After an extensive career as a nature guide in some of Southern Africa's premier safari regions, Simon continued his career in tourism development and community engagement across Southern Africa and into Rwanda. With a passion for ecotourism Simon spent many years traveling the world and took the opportunity to reach some unique nature destinations. His business and operational experience allowed Simon to delve further into new tourism models, community development and the startup of an experienced based tour operator. Now married and living in Europe, Simon has spent the last five years traveling through Lapland, Italy, Scotland and Romania - a highlight being the northern lights and husky sledding in Lapland. Simon and his wife Evelien have a passion for travel and have been sharing this with their two year old daughter from day one - they really understand the planning that's required for young families.
