What is Harriet Adventures?
We bring together active women who are curious about the world and confident enough to step into it.
Harriet Adventures is for women who want to understand a place by being part of it. We stay in homes, share tables, learn from local women, and support grassroots organisations doing real work in the places we visit.
You’ll see the landmarks, yes. But you’ll also find yourself in kitchens, workshops, markets, and living rooms – the places where culture is actually lived.
At the end of each day, there’s comfort. But the stories you’ll take home are anything but ordinary.
Meet the Team
Mat & Rebeca Newton
Leatherback Co-Founders · Australia
Travel is in Rebeca’s blood – her first job was with an airline, and she’s been finding reasons to get on a plane ever since. She and Mat founded Patch Adventures in Australia around the belief that a small group of curious women, a few connections in the right places, and a bit of local knowledge beat any big-bus itinerary. When travelers across North America started falling for those same trips, Harriet Adventures was born to bring the experience to the US and Canada. Together they lead Leatherback Travel, the company behind Harriet, Patch, and the rest of the family.
Nicola Noviello
General Manager · Australia
Nic runs Harriet day to day from Melbourne, and has done since before there was a Harriet to run. She joined Leatherback in 2023 and now leads the team that launches its newest brands, so she’s the one who hires the crew, wrote the playbook they work from, and still reads the guest emails. If a trip needs a decision made, it usually lands with her, and it usually gets made quickly.
Janie Welsh
Trip Coordinator · United States
Janie has spent more than a decade in adventure travel, designing and leading small-group trips for several operators before joining Harriet from Colorado for the launch. She works with our local teams on the ground to build the trips themselves, and she’s also the person you’ll most likely hear from first: matching you to the right trip, answering the “is this really for me?” questions, and walking you through the details until you’re booked and counting down the days.
Kat Stokes
Operations · Mexico
Kat is the reason the pieces fit. She’s been with Leatherback since 2023, looking after bookings and operations across the whole family of brands, and she’s the resident systems geek: the confirmations, payment reminders and behind-the-scenes automations that keep a trip running like clockwork are mostly her handiwork. Based in Mexico, she’s also the team’s authority on where to find a good taco.