@ratpack_travel
Hey, I'm Sammy

Owner and Operator

Age: 32

Where's home?

You can never EVER forget where your from – In my case Manchester, UK. BUTtttttttt for now and for the foreseeable future my Home is Byron Bay Babbbbbbbbby.

Languages spoken:

English & je parle petit pe francis (only after a few Bevies – DEL BOi Style ahahah)

Time spent in Australia and NZ:

Since Nov 2011!

A little about me:

The standard end of Uni – I don’t know what to DO with my life story resulted in me shopping around for flights and hitting the Open Road with Big Ryan (my college buddy & absolute Banter Man)… what was a few month adventures has become a lifestyle that I didn’t think even existed.

I get just as much a Buzz Creating Epic adventures for travellers than I do going on them myself. I’m still partial to a good old roadie and cruise in the van from Byron on surf trips – in search of waves, sunsets and open beaches!

Why is Aussie / NZ so special...

To start with Aussie Land is MASSIVE – not many peeps have been around the full circuit (and I myself wasn’t at all planning on) but the Roadie can become addictive and it certainly did for me!

I hit the road and travelled 25,913 Km’s the diversity between the tropical beach towns on the East Coast to the West Coast which feels like the end of the world got me hooked straight away. The people I met along the way – live by the chilled & relaxed lifestyle that takes you a while to get used to – but now have become totally accustomed too.

Rambling on so much I almost forgot about the little sibling AKA NZ – I planned to go there for 2 months well I ended up staying 2 years. Everything is accessible and not too far away – get ya self out of Auckland and there is literally not a person in site! There are too many moments to mention but Free Camping for a week with my Bruv-Ski {AKA Jakey Boi} next to a snow capped mountain, clear blue ocean and dolphins has to be up there. NZ has it ALL.

Favourite spot in Australia/NZ:

BYRON BAY Babbbbbbbbby (to live and stay for an extended time) however – if it’s just a visit then Uluru is MAJESTICAL {had to use the spell checker on that one}. Not gona lie after the 6 full days it took me to drive to the centre of Oz and see the red centre – I almost shed a tear.

NZ – Raglan is the ONE… perfect & laid back vibes it’s just UNREAL alsooooo – Big up Tim & Suz – they’ve made ‘Raglan BackPackers’ their own. In 6 and a bit years of travelling you can imagine how many hostels I’ve stayed at. This one is in a league of its own. The town itself is amazing but the hostel makes it.

Backpacker tips:

Put down the phone – chat to the person next to you – don’t take every moment for granted and be as open as possible – you just don’t know what the next person will bring into your life – Special Mention to Mollie Bylett – The Blog on how we met is COMING!

Funny travel story/or best moment in Australia:

Location NZ: A rainy night in a camp kitchen kick started a game of Rock Paper Scissors – the winner got the last Biscuit. The game after that we ran out of choccy biccies so we proceeded to bet on who would cut one anothers hair with a dodgy pair of clippers >>> safe to say I lost!

Type of traveller:

Chilled out & cruising along. Happy go Lucky. More Happy than Lucky ; )

Our Top Picks
  • Fraser Island

    K’Gari (Fraser Island)

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  • Whitsundays

    The Whitsundays, Airlie Beach

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  • Great Barrier Reef

    Great Barrier Reef

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Not the tour you're looking for?
OUR TEAM

Meet the Ratpackers

  • Sammy

    British

    Owner and Operator

    You can never EVER forget where your from – In my case Manchester, UK. But for now and for...

    Read more
  • Jules

    German

    Travel Guru

    Home is where my passport is… My roots lie in East Germany but I’ve spent most of my life on the...

    Read more
  • Tyla

    Aussie

    Travel Guru

    Originally born in Zimbabwe, I moved to The Land of Oz when I was super young...

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  • Mikey

    British

    Travel Guru

    I spent my time at home being king of the BBQ at Nandos flipping chicken before I decided that...

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  • Holly

    British

    Social Media & Marketing

    About 2 years ago now, I headed off to Australia on my gap yahhh (really not a fan of that term...

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  • Reuben

    British

    Travel Guru

    I first came to Oz on a 1-year working holiday and have settled here in Byron Bay... ...

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  • Mike

    British

    Travel Guru

    I'm Mike (not to be mistaken for Mikey), like Mikey though I'm also from Manchester in the UK......

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Meet the team
CUSTOMER REVIEWS

From our RatPackers

5.0

1,000+ Google & Facebook reviews

5.0

1,000+ Google & Facebook reviews

Emma
22 September 2023

Genuinely saved me a lot of dolla and stress, thank you so much!

Lindy Jurd
22 September 2023

Steve and I were incredibly impressed with Reuben's great professionalism and his ability to find us a wonderful deal for our upcoming N.Z holiday in 2024. Reuben was so helpful, informative and gained us a awesome JUCY Campervan package. Thank you so much for all your assistance.🤩 I would highly recommend Rat Pack Travel to all travellers. 😊Lindy Jurd.

Bobbie Hawkes
22 September 2023

Great service from Ben, can’t recommend RatPack enough. Got us a great price over a really busy period and got us the van we wanted. So easy and will definitely use them again in the future.

daisy curtis
22 September 2023

Gregg was very helpful in helping me plan my trip very last minute! Thanks so much

Nichole Hancock
22 September 2023

Jenna was a huge help getting me a camper for my trip up through the East Coast. Availability was tight and I can’t thank Jenna enough for sorting and at a great price. Definitely worth taking the stress out of searching and using these guys.

Emma Harris
21 September 2023

Seems to good to be true but Ratpack are everything they say and more. Helped me so much to choose a van and made the whole process so easy! Big shout out to Jenna and all her help above and beyond thanks so much!! Highly recommend

Paris Scott
21 September 2023

Ben from RatPack Travel was amazing!! Highly recommend getting in contact with this company if you’re unsure what kind of vehicle is best suited for your road-trip plans!

Jodie McWilliams
21 September 2023

Jenna was so helpful and informative. She made the whole process of booking a camper so easy and answered any questions that I had. I would 100% recommend Ratpack travel for booking a campervan trip! Thanks Jenna 😀

Donna Burke
21 September 2023

Jenna was amazing! She took all the worry and stress out of booking our holiday! She was so helpful and patient, offering so much advice and securing us a lovely discount as well! Congratulations RatPack Travel - you have a winner in Jenna!

Ryan Kelly
20 September 2023

Messaged on Instagram and within a few minutes Reuben had replied, he went through every bit of detail to help arrange our east coast trip, providing the specification of the van and the true costings without any pressure. Very excited to start our trip next month, credit to the team for sure

Ella Hickman
20 September 2023

Mikey was amazing and helped us out a great deal! Can’t recommend them enough!

Laura Brisdion
20 September 2023

Just booked a camper through Ratpack Travel with Gregg. He was super professional and talked me through the entire process with constant updates - absolute legend. One of the easiest experiences booking a camper I've had. Would definitely recommend!

kevin ryan
20 September 2023

Reuben was so helpful to deal with. Would highly recommend

Zelah Fines
19 September 2023

Thanks for sorting out a camper for us Ben! I look forward to the trip and travelling in the RV you found for us

Mark Camilleri
19 September 2023

Gregg was fantastic chasing a great price and was extremely responsive - he called when he said he would, chased options immediately and was quick with follow up communication. The process was quick and painless and ended with us getting a great deal.

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