Original Travel has been part of the Voyageurs du Monde family since 2017, when they acquired a majority stake in the business. Widely regarded as France’s leading tailor-made travel company, Voyageurs du Monde are travel industry pioneers with expert consultants who specialise in just one or two destinations; in-house writers, designers and photographers shaping a strong brand and distinctive aesthetic; and a big focus on sustainability, but at a scale to do things properly – including absorbing all the carbon emissions from every client flight through our own reforestation projects. Voyageurs also own a collection of iconic properties, from the Steam Ship Sudan and Flaneuse du Nil on the Nile to Gandhi’s former home in Johannesburg. In short, being part of Voyageurs du Monde means more clout, more expertise and more insider access for our clients. Together we share not just expertise but values: creativity, a belief that travel should be a force for good, and a desire to do things differently. If travel is about connections, then the one between Original Travel and Voyageurs du Monde is especially powerful – an entente cordiale where French flair and savoir faire meet Brit wit and originality.
Truly tailor-made holidays are much like a tailored suit. A tailor would ensure the suit matches your exact measurements and requirements, and we do the same for your holiday, by planning a trip around your wants, needs and expectations. In comparison, an off-the-rack suit might do the job but not quite fit as it should, which could be the same for a package holiday – almost perfect, but not quite right for you.
So how does this work? In our initial conversations with you, you provide us with the building blocks (interests, likes, dislikes, aims for this specific trip), and our destination specialists use these to create a totally personalised itinerary, based on your preferences. The conversation doesn’t end when the holiday is booked either, as your trip can be continuously tweaked, even while you’re away. That’s the magic of truly tailor-made travel.
As you'd expect from a company that came about because of its founders' love of exploring the world and experiencing different cultures, Original Travel feels strongly that tourism should be a force for good and have a positive impact on the places we visit.
Our Foundation, created in 2009, supports several humanitarian projects in developing countries around the world, focusing on five key areas: child protection, vocational training, economic development assistance, preservation of cultural and natural heritage, and safeguarding the lifestyles of indigenous peoples.
For over a decade now, Original Travel has helped lead the travel industry towards the ecological transition. We do this by implementing all possible methods to reduce the carbon footprint of our activities, and by participating in reforestation projects whose sustainable characteristics are certified, meaning we can contribute to the absorption of all the CO2 emissions linked to our travel. For more on how we do this, please visit our 100% carbon absorption page.
Furthermore, in the destinations we feature, we prefer small, locally-run operators and properties where possible, and our destination Dossiers are full of recommendations based on our favourite local restaurants, shops and activities.
Original Travel work closely with several like-minded brands. We helped develop the best-selling dive hotel book Dive in Style and were instrumental in curating the destinations listed. Our Original Diving division spun off from this relationship and continues to go from strength to strength. In addition, we are one of the few British Airways Preferred Partner tour operators, and as such we have access to all the best flight deals, which we then pass on to clients going on our bespoke trips.
Short answer, yes! Our co-founder Tom Barber has been recognised for several years running as a Conde Nast Traveler Top Travel Specialist for family travel, and as a father of four himself he’s been on his fair share of family holidays. He knows what works and, more importantly, what doesn’t, and we constantly adapt our family offering accordingly.
We regularly speak to parents in the team for their top tips, to ensure the experience of travelling as a family is made as easy as possible. From our ongoing research, and our own experience as parents, we have created a portfolio of trips we believe are the best for families, from R&R beach holidays to more experience-led and educational adventures. Above all, we are advocates of what we call ‘stealth learning’, creating experiences for children where they have great fun and are learning about things without even knowing it.
Even better, we have teamed up with much loved children's party organisers Sharky & George to bring you the finest family holiday experiences. As part of this partnership, each child receives a family fun pack for them to enjoy during the journey and while away, which includes an interactive map, a journal and a destination booklet.
The vast majority of Original Travel holidays are entirely private and don’t involve you joining groups on set departure dates. This leaves you with the freedom to do as much or as little as you would like, for as long as you want. The only exceptions to this would be things like cruises, such as aboard our flagship, the Steam Ship Sudan on the Nile, as the boat has set departure dates and sailing routes, and so the same group will be on board for the duration of the cruise.
As a tour operator bound by the Package Travel Regulations, Original Travel has a duty of care to you and will either a) refund your holiday in its entirety, subject to any cancellation charges as set out in the Terms and Conditions, or b) offer you an equivalent holiday to a different destination, either refunding or charging you any difference in cost with the original holiday. Original Travel can bear no responsibility for those who insist on going ahead with their travel plans despite the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office advice, and you will almost certainly risk being uninsured as well. Please see our Terms & Conditions for more information.
ATOL – which is short for Air Travel Organisers' Licensing – exists to protect the public from losing money or being stranded abroad because of the failure of air travel firms. In the highly unlikely event of our insolvency, the CAA will ensure that you are not stranded abroad and will arrange to refund any money you have paid to us for an advance booking. ATOL was first introduced in 1972, and it provides comprehensive consumer protection to 28 million people in the UK who buy flights or air holidays each year. Any air holidays and flights booked with Original Travel are ATOL protected by the Civil Aviation Authority. Our ATOL number is ATOL 5922.
Original Travel manages its foreign currency requirements very closely and follows a prudent hedging strategy designed to a) protect our clients from the threat of surcharging (more on that later), and b) protect ourselves from any nasty shocks on currency movement. We are, as far as we know, one of the only tour operators, big or small, to have said (live on the BBC) that we won't surcharge clients post booking. We hear endless stories of clients being approached by other operators for four figure surcharges. Believe it or not, these operators are legally allowed to do this. By protecting the downside, we don't have to do this and can therefore stand by our statement on the BBC.
We provide financial protection for our package holidays:
1. For flight-based holidays this is through our Air Travel Organiser's Licence number 5922. When you buy an ATOL-protected flight or flight-inclusive holiday from us, you will receive an ATOL Certificate. This lists the flight, accommodation, car hire and/or other services that are financially protected, with information on what this means for you and who to contact if things go wrong. We will provide you with the services listed on the ATOL Certificate (or a suitable alternative). In the very unlikely case that we aren't able to do so for reasons of insolvency, an alternative ATOL holder may provide you with the services you have bought or a suitable alternative (at no extra cost to you). You agree to accept that in those circumstances, the alternative ATOL holder will perform those obligations, and you agree to pay any money outstanding to be paid by you under your contract to that alternative ATOL holder. However, you also agree that in some cases it will not be possible to appoint an alternative ATOL holder, in which case you will be entitled to make a claim under the ATOL scheme (or your credit card issuer where applicable).
2. When you buy a package holiday that doesn't include a flight, protection is provided by way of a bond to ABTA held by our bankers, NatWest. For further information please see www.abta.com.
We will inform you of any visa and passport requirements and will offer advice on any vaccinations required. It is, however, important to stress that we are not medical experts, so we strongly recommend that you seek a qualified opinion from your GP for further inoculation advice. Please also see the MASTA website for helpful advice http://www.masta-travel-health.com/.
Credit card companies' insurance coverage often offers the very lowest cover on the market. Furthermore, several of Original Travel's holidays involve activities that you are unlikely to be covered under your existing policy. We will not sell a holiday to someone who is not sufficiently covered. We can suggest policies that provide the very highest level of insurance cover for your holiday and for the activities you will be enjoying.
We see our Big Short Breaks as ideal corporate and incentive territory. We’ve put together many corporate trips, from simple six people weekends to far more innovative trips for larger groups. Please get in touch for more details and ideas of the sort of trips we have organised to date.
Our team of destination experts will get to know you and your unique requirements for your holiday
We work with you to build an ultra-personalised holiday itinerary with your choice of accommodation, experiences and activities
All of our holidays include little extras designed to make a big difference to your trip, from fast-tracking you through airport check-in and security to our network of local Concierges
