From £800 and a minibus to a £40m global tour business – how two founders built expat explore

Two decades ago, Carl and Jakes arrived in London from South Africa with £800 between them, a shared love of travel, and a dream to make seeing the world affordable for everyone.

Today, that dream is a £40 million global group touring company – Expat Explore – which has guided more than 180,000 people across 50 countries.

Group travel is enjoying a resurgence. According to industry figures, 5.36 million UK adults have taken a group touring or adventure holiday in the past five years, with solo travel also on the rise. One in five UK consumers is interested in travelling alone, and more than a third of those have taken a small group tour in the past year – using it as a way to see the world and meet like-minded people.

Carl’s passion for travel was sparked when he won a return British Airways ticket to anywhere in Europe. “I chose Paris, walked everywhere, spoke terrible French, and came back knowing travel was going to be part of my life,” he recalls. For Jakes, it was a student scholarship to Europe that ignited his wanderlust.

Reconnecting in London in the early 2000s, they spotted a gap in the market: affordable, well-organised group tours that removed the stress of planning, navigating language barriers, and managing complex travel logistics.

“Twenty years ago, travel was out of reach for many people,” says Carl. “We wanted to change that.”

With just £800 in the bank, they bought a second-hand minibus for £500 and ran their first Paris tour in March 2005 for 42 paying guests. “We had no grand business plan,” says Jakes. “Just maps, packed lunches, and an Excel spreadsheet to track who’d paid.”

In their first year, they managed 12 tours to Paris and four to Amsterdam. Carl brought deep knowledge of the destinations, having already led low-cost weekend trips, while Jakes applied his operational and business skills.

Cash flow was tight, and every booking required careful juggling of deposits, vehicle hire, and supplier relationships. “We solved problems in real time,” says Jakes. “But our goal was always to deliver a brilliant experience.”

Back then, an overseas holiday for a family averaged £2,725; their first tours cost just £129 per person. In 2025, the average overseas trip costs over £4,000 – yet Expat Explore still offers international tours from £491 and multi-country adventures from £727.

When the pandemic halted global travel, the company’s hard-earned reputation was put to the test. “We told customers: your money is safe, and we’ll ride this out together,” Jakes says. Flexible booking policies and open communication helped retain loyalty, and post-pandemic review scores rose even higher.

Now celebrating its 20th anniversary, Expat Explore runs more than 85 itineraries in over 50 countries, from Europe’s iconic capitals to lesser-known destinations in Asia, Africa, and South America. The company has also launched TourCademy, a digital training platform opening up tour-leading careers worldwide.

While Carl and Jakes focus on the business today, their motivation remains rooted in traveller experiences. “Some people take their first trip with us, others make lifelong friends – some even meet their partners,” says Jakes. “The last 20 years have been incredible, and we’re excited to keep making the world more accessible.”

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From £800 and a minibus to a £40m global tour business – how two founders built expat explore