Not In The Guidebooks

Idea

Introduction

There is a growing demand for experiential and wellness travel.

Not in the Guidebooks offer authentic experiential travel designed and delivered by local hosts. Day experiences and longer itineraries all packed with local experiences, staying in premium accommodation, with transfers included making it hassle-free and easy to book.

We help travellers experience new places through the eyes of the people that live there. Meet the locals, taste the food, experience the culture and get right under the skin of the places they visit, to make unforgettable memories.

By connecting travellers with local hosts, we save them time searching for the finest things to do during their holiday. Whether they're seeking a private trip or a group experience, an immersive adventure or a taste of local culture, our experiences are crafted to be distinctive and modular, seamlessly fitting into any itinerary. We strive to make local travel effortless and enjoyable for all.

Substantial accomplishments to date

Since our successful fundraising in October 2019, we have achieved significant growth, with over £3.0m in booked revenue* from 1,600 bookings.

We have partnerships with major UK travel agencies including Hays-Travel, Travel Counsellors, Co-op Travel, and Designer Travel, providing access to over 15,000 travel agents,
and with prominent UK tour operators, including Gold Medal, JTA, and TravelPack.

With a global network of over 250 travel partners in 25 countries, we offer a wide range of more than 1,200 experiential itineraries.

Responsible travel is at the heart of our business and we work closely with The Travel Foundation, Travellife, and Travel4 Impact. As part of our commitment, we are actively pursuing B-Corp certification.

Through affiliate partnerships with publications such as Wanderlust and The Sunday Times, and brand collaborations with AVIS, Galaxy, and Kind Snacks, we have established a strong presence in the market.

* based on unaudited accounts.

Monetisation strategy

Customers and travel agents can easily book experiences directly through our user-friendly website. Our average order value is currently £2,500, with a commission rate of 22%.

Our primary market focus is on the travel trade, enabling travel agents to curate bespoke holiday packages by accessing our wide range of high-quality, authentic experiences. This approach offers a cost-effective route to market, with agents promoting our experiences to their customers and receiving a 10% fee. We have a high repeat booking rate, 40% of our agents are repeat bookers, with 10% making five or more bookings.

On average we are spending £170 on acquiring a new booking; we expect acquisition costs to continue to fall as we increase traffic from search engines, PR, social media & strategic partnerships.

Use of proceeds

This funding will allow us to make further investments in three key areas:

• Enriching the Experiences: We will bring in experts to collaborate with local partners, ensuring the creation of more unique and innovative itineraries.

• Enhanced Customer Experience: We aim to improve the booking process for both agents and travellers, providing easy access to all our experiences, seamless management of bookings, comprehensive itinerary information, and essential documents. Our host portal will allow local operators to easily manage their experience content on the website, manage their bookings and create promotional activity

• Driving Sales Growth: By intensifying our presence through effective PR campaigns, engaging social media strategies, and strategic partnerships, we will generate more awareness and inspire travellers to explore our offering. We will actively engage travel agents through events, training sessions, webinars, and by providing them with compelling marketing collateral and content to share with their customers.