About

About Us

Janet’s Journeys is a travel community that aims to push people out of their comfort zone, travel off the beaten path, and make lifelong friendships along the way. Community and friendship are at the core of our mission, as well as helping people to visit new, lesser-known destinations in a fun and safe way.

While we try to be as inclusive as possible, most trips attract solo, female travellers aged 25 to 40, all of whom share a real thirst for adventure and are happy to take constant detours off the itinerary! 

We like to think we’re different due to our unique method of selecting the right people to join our tours rather than allowing anyone to sign up and pay. This way we ensure the right people join the right adventures, and the perfect mix of personalities is chosen, helping to form lifelong friendships and endless laughs on every trip.

Janet Newenham, Founder

Janet is a self-confessed travel addict and has been travelling the world for almost 20 years. Born in Ireland, Janet has lived and worked on 5 continents and now calls Bali, Indonesia her home. With over 100 countries under her belt, Janet founded “Janet’s Journeys” in 2021 as a way to bring like-minded solo travellers together and to encourage adventures in places most people would never dream of travelling to.

Meet Our Team

Sarah Lacey

Head of Marketing

Meet Sarah, our fellow Irish admin assistant and head of marketing. Sarah infuses her passion for travel into her behind-the-scenes admin role for all our trips.  Sarah works her magic by sending guests essential trip information, responding to all emails, trip research, blog writing and more! If you book onto any “Janet’s Journeys” trip, Sarah will most likely be the first person you make contact with.

Allison Streetman

Trip Leader

Allison Streetman is a flight attendant from Austin, Texas and was one of the first people to sign up for a Janet Journeys trip. Soon she will have joined 3 separate “Janet’s Journeys” adventures and is excited to be leading the Namibia group trip this August. Extremely outgoing and well travelled, she’s looking forward to meeting more people from around the world and possibly leading more trips in the future.

Jennifer Greene

Trip Leader

Hailing from Co Clare in Ireland, Jennifer joined the very first Janet’s Journeys Sri Lanka trip at the start of 2022. Jenny, who currently works in HR, loves adventure & travelling and is excited to start leading tours and help create amazing memories & friendships while exploring beautiful destinations. Jenny will be leading the epic 3 country tour across Southern Africa!

Sarah Dunne

Trip Leader

Sarah is an ambitious communications professional who is passionate about travelling and exploring new destinations. Sarah has attended two of Janet’s previous trips (Jordan in 2022 & South Africa in 2023) both of which provided some unforgettable memories, friendships and  shared experiences. Outside of her corporate 9-5 job, Sarah is super active and loves trying new things. She is looking forward to many more trips and adventures to come and is excited to be leading the December trip to Sri Lanka!

Group Trip Reviews

What some of our recent adventurers have said about Janets Journeys

If you’re like me maybe you aren’t exactly a fan of group tours after some less then ideal experiences. As a staunch solo traveller my experience with Janet certainly changed my outlook on how good a well organised and curated group tour truly can be.

 

Jean, Iraq 2023

We travelled to Namibia with Janet. We had the trip of a life time. The trip was very well organised, the accommodation was fantastic and we met a fantastic bunch of people. We could highly recommend and are looking forward to going on another trip with her in the future.

Eileen, Namibia 2022

Don’t think about it… book it! Best thing I ever did! Met an amazing group of people and we have kept in touch ever since – we’ve had reunions in Ireland and Italy, next one is in Marakesh!

 

 

Zoe, Turkey 2021

JUST DO IT! Life is too bloody short. Janet is amazing and you’ll make new great friends!

 

Sarah, Iraq 2022

If you feel a little nervous, take the leap! You will meet the most amazing people and make memories!

Jes, Jordan 2022

Do it! Everyone is so nice and similar despite any differences in age and life experience.

 

L Pikr, Iraq 2021

How Did It Start?

Janet’s Journeys started, by accident, in September 2021, when Janet’s Instagram followers became enthralled by her trip to Iraq, just after the borders had re-opened to tourism after almost 20 years. With so many people requesting a group trip to Iraq, the idea to host small, group adventures to off-the-beaten-path destinations was born!

In the first year since its accidental founding, we brought over 140 adventures, of whom about 90% were Irish, on group trips to Iraq, Jordan, Sri Lanka, Turkey, Mexico, Namibia, South Africa and Indonesia!

This year we’re set to run group adventures on 6 out of 7 continents! 

FAQ’s

Please get in touch if you have any specific questions about our trips or itineraries 

How do I book my spot on a Janet's Journeys trip?

Just send an email to janetsgrouptrips@gmail.com letting us know what trip you are interested in and briefly WHY you want to come, and then we will let you know if the spot is yours. Once we email you back to confirm your place, you can pay the deposit to secure your spot.

Who can book a Janet's Journeys trip?

While we welcome people of all ages , we let people know the average age is about 35 and we usually get people aged 20 – 40 on the trips. Most of the trips are female only, but we welcome men on some of the trips including Iraq and Antarctica. It will be clearly listed on whether men can come, or you can email to enquire.

How can I know what trips are happening next year?

Sign up to our newsletter and follow our Instagram page for updates!

How does the payment schedule work?

Once we confirm your place, you have 7 days to pay the deposit to 100% secure your spot. The next payment will happen 12 weeks before the trip starts, and the last and final payment is due 6 weeks before the trip.

After I pay my deposit, and secure my spot, what happens next?

Once you pay your deposit, you will be sent a follow up information email. This will have more details on the trip, the payment schedule and a request for you to send your passport and Whatsapp number. Once sent, you will be added to a private WhatsApp group where all participants can chat about packing, flight routes etc.

What is included / excluded on every Janet’s Journeys trip?

Included:
Meals as stated
Activities as stated
All accommodation
All transport
Any domestic flights
A licenced tour guide
A trip leader

Excluded:
Additional snacks and any extra activities
Personal expenses
International Flights
Alcohol
Travel insurance
Tips for guides etc

If I cancel my trip, can I get the rest of my payment back (besides the deposit)?

Yes we offer a full refund (minus your deposit) up to 8 weeks before your trip start date

Do we need to buy travel insurance?

Yes travel insurance is 100% compulsory to buy for all our trips and we give you a few suggestions of excellent Irish and international companies to use

EXPLORE OUR TRIPS

Take a look at an upcoming group tour