Our Story
Sixteen years old and counting. Find out how we got where we are today.
Previous
Next
2003
The three founders leave the City, the Army and Fleet Street and
the Big Short Break is born.
We scoop our first award, for Best Brochure, at the prestigious
Guardian/Observer Travel Awards.
2004
One client goes on seven Big Short Breaks and our team now
numbers nine.
2005
Our second brochure picks up the Best Brochure gong again at the
Guardian Observer Travel Awards
2006
The team (now 14) head to Iceland, and in our quest for world
domination we launch our long haul portfolio.
2007
We turn publishers, launching our Big Short Break coffee table
book.
The big one. We win Best Tour Operator at the Guardian/Observer
Travel Awards in only our 5th year.
(and we also sweep the board at the inaugural Matrix Skeleton
Challenge, hurtling down the Olympic bobsleigh track in
Lillehammer.)
2008
Alastair beats an opponent from one of our competitors at the
Boodles Boxing Ball, raising money for the Starlight Charity.
The winning habit continues with a Best Short Break Tour
Operator nod at the Guardian/Observer Awards, and the BT Essence of
the Entrepreneur Award to boot.
The Original Travel baby boom begins with Tom's twins and, not
entirely coincidentally, we launch our new family holiday
portfolio.
2009
We acquire well respected Africa, Latin America and India
specialists Tim Best Travel, and pick up the Best Short Break Tour
Operator award again.
2010
We launch Original Diving with Tim Simond, author of the best
selling Dive in Style books, and Dive Master and former Mr
Universe, Neill Ghosh.
The hardier members of
the team compete in the Blenheim Triathlon to raise money for one
of our key charities, the admirable
TUSK
We bag the Guardian/Observer Travel Awards Best Short Break Tour
Operator award for a fourth straight year. Huw Edwards seems less
than impressed.
2011
We go from strength to strength organising wonderful trips -
some more high profile than others - to far flung corners of the
globe.
2012
With the acquisition of Simoon Travel, founder Amelia Stewart
brings the finest Middle Eastern and desert culture specialists on
board.
A clean sweep of both Best Tour Operator and Best Short Break
Tour Operator at the Guardian/Observer Awards. Trophy cabinet now
officially groaning.
We move to our lovely new office, the former home of Victoria
Beckham's fashion label.
2013
Original Travel turns ten!
2014
A sparkly new Original Travel website launches with over 3,000
pages and 20,000 photos of holiday inspiration. Share your holiday
plans with friends using My
Ideas and find your Travel Tribe.
2016
We move into a shiny new office in Putney to accommodate the
ever bigger and better team, which now numbers 50.
2017
Two of Europe's best tailor-made travel companies join forces as
French tour operator Voyageurs du Monde takes a strategic stake in
Original Travel. Expect even better service and destination
expertise.
2018
We introduce a range of additional
services, including our global network of Concierges, fast
track through airport check in & security, and access to
airport lounges. All as standard on every trip.
2019
Our expanding team now numbers over 60! Original Travel's
Amelia
Stewart deservedly snags a Condé Nast Traveler Top Travel
Specialist 2019 award for her expertise in Georgia.
Our expertise goes from strength to strength as head of Original
Diving, Louisa Fisher,
is officially named a Travel + Leisure expert on diving.
Original Travel scoops a trophy in the Family Traveller
Excellence Awards 2019 in the 'Above & Beyond' category which
recognises companies who put families at the heart of what they
do.
We are listed in the 'Top Tour Operators' category in the 2019
Condé Nast Traveller's Reader's
Choice Awards with over 600,000 readers voting.
- 2003
- 2004
- 2005
- 2006
- 2007
- 2008
- 2009
- 2010
- 2011
- 2012
- 2013
- 2014
- 2016
- 2017
- 2018
- 2019