Not In The Guidebooks
Not In The Guidebooks is a UK experiential travel marketplace that curates off-the-beaten-track holidays across 25 countries and sells them via 15,000+ travel agents through partnerships with major UK agencies like Hays Travel, Travel Counsellors, and Co-op Travel.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2018
- HeadquartersLondon, United Kingdom
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
What Not In The Guidebooks does
Not In The Guidebooks (NITGB) is a UK-based experiential travel marketplace founded in 2017–2018 that curates and packages authentic, off-the-beaten-track holidays across 25 countries spanning Europe, Central/Latin America, Africa, and Asia. The company operates a B2B2C distribution model, selling curated itineraries — featuring vetted local hosts, unique accommodations, and immersive activities ranging from cooking holidays and wildlife safaris to Northern Lights experiences — through a network of over 15,000 UK travel agents accessed via partnerships with major agencies including Hays Travel, Travel Counsellors, and Co-op Travel. A consumer-facing website provides direct booking alongside the agent channel.
The underlying technology is a proprietary booking platform designed for travel agents to discover, package, and book itineraries. Recent product development includes Lapland Instant Book (February 2026), enabling instant availability confirmation, signalling a shift from quote-based to higher-velocity transactional booking. The platform is supported by an integrated trade engagement engine comprising familiarization trips, webinars (e.g., 100+ agents attended post-Sri Lanka webinar), and trade publication coverage. Certifications include B Corp (2024), ABTA membership, and Travelife Partner status, anchoring the brand around sustainability and consumer protection.
Revenue is generated through transaction fees on package holiday sales, with unit-based per-person pricing ranging from approximately £660 (Tuscan horse riding) to £2,872 (Vietnam 14-day). In May 2026 the company secured investment led by Maven Cognition and appointed Richard Downs (founder of Iglu.com) as Chair to accelerate geographic expansion and technology platform scaling. The company employs 11–50 people and is headquartered in Harrow, England (registered as NotInTheGuideBooks Ltd, company number 10554780).
Not In The Guidebooks firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Not In The Guidebooks
- Legal name
- NotInTheGuideBooks Ltd
- Website
- https://notintheguidebooks.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2018
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Not In The Guidebooks is a UK experiential travel marketplace that curates off-the-beaten-track holidays across 25 countries and sells them via 15,000+ travel agents through partnerships with major UK agencies like Hays Travel, Travel Counsellors, and Co-op Travel.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Not In The Guidebooks industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Experiential Travel Services
- NAICS
- Tour Operators (561520), Tour Operators (56152), Travel Agencies (56151)
- SIC
- Services-Miscellaneous Amusement & Recreation (7990)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Package Tour Wholesalers (Pre-Packaged FIT/Group Programs) (THAKAJAC)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Adventure & Expedition Travel Agencies (THAKAFAB), Multi-Activity & Expedition Packages (Guided Adventure Trips) (THAJABAL), Wildlife & Nature Interpretation Guides (Birding, Photography, Naturalist) (THAAALAE), Private Guided Tours & Personal Tour Guides (THAJALAA)
Keywords
Where Not In The Guidebooks is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- London
- HQ country
- United Kingdom
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices1 record
Markets served
Not In The Guidebooks business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Operations, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Supply Chain
Revenue model
- Package Holiday Sales: Not In The Guidebooks operates as a specialist tour operator selling complete holiday packages including accommodation, activities, transportation, and experiences. Revenue is generated through the sale of these curated travel itineraries to end consumers via travel agent partnerships.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Lapland Festive Adventure - 3 nights |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Lapland Christmas Experience - 4 nights |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Vietnam Multi-day Tours |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Italy Cooking and Activity Holidays |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Morocco Adventure Tours |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels2 records
Marketing channels8 records
Not In The Guidebooks product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Not In The Guidebooks is a specialist tour operator that curates and sells immersive, locally hosted holiday packages across more than 25 countries, ranging from half-day experiences to 5-day excursions. Itineraries span adventure, cooking, wildlife, active, creative, wellness, and Northern Lights categories, and are packaged with accommodation, activities, transfers and some meals. Distribution is delivered primarily through a B2B travel-agent portal used by over 15,000 UK agents, supplemented by direct consumer bookings on the company's own website.
Product overview
Not In The Guidebooks (NITGB) is an experiential travel operator and booking platform offering off-the-beaten-track holidays across 25 countries. The core platform enables travelers to book curated itineraries featuring local hosts, unique stays, and immersive experiences. The product portfolio includes adventure holidays, cooking and foodie holidays, wildlife holidays, active holidays, creative holidays, wellness holidays, and Northern Lights experiences. NITGB operates both direct-to-consumer through its website and B2B through an agent portal serving over 15,000 travel agents via partnerships with major UK agencies. Key product differentiators include Private Journeys (tailored itineraries) and Unique Stays (characterful accommodations).
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Adventure Holidays Off-the-beaten-track adventure travel experiences including trekking, safari, wildlife encounters and immersive cultural activities across global destinations, for travelers seeking authentic, locally hosted itineraries.
- Cooking & Foodie Holidays Culinary-focused travel experiences including cooking classes, food tours, market visits and wine-tasting holidays in destinations such as Italy, France, Spain, Vietnam and Morocco.
- Wildlife Holidays Responsible wildlife watching experiences including safaris in Kenya, Costa Rica, Uganda, Namibia and Sri Lanka, focusing on ethical encounters with native fauna.
- Active Holidays Physical activity holidays including walking, hiking, horse riding, surfing, kayaking and cycling experiences across Europe, Asia, Africa and Latin America.
- Creative Holidays Artistic and creative travel experiences including painting, photography, pottery and arts & crafts workshops led by local experts.
- Wellness Holidays Health-focused retreats including yoga holidays, spa experiences and digital detox retreats in destinations like Wales, Portugal, Costa Rica and Spain.
- Singles Activity Holidays Solo-friendly activity holidays combining cookery, wellness and creative experiences with like-minded travelers.
- Northern Lights Experiences Aurora borealis hunting trips to Lapland, Norway and Svalbard with husky sledding, snowmobiling and wilderness accommodation.
- Private Journeys Tailored travel itineraries designed around individual preferences with flexible dates, private guides and customizable experiences.
Quantifiable outcome
- 15,000+ travel agents use the platform to book experiences for their clients
- +1 more outcomes
Companies that use Not In The Guidebooks
Customer profileNamed customers3 records
Segments5 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
Not In The Guidebooks technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature1 record
Not In The Guidebooks partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Five partnerships are on record, tiered core.
- Association of Touring & Adventure Suppliers (Atas)corePartnership with Atas to host a five-agent familiarization trip to Sri Lanka, showcasing 11 days of immersive, locally hosted experiences. The successful fam trip generated overwhelmingly positive feedback and exceptional trade interest following a follow-up webinar attended by over 100 agents.
- Richard DownscoreRichard Downs, founder of Iglu.com, appointed as Chair of Not In The Guidebooks to provide strategic leadership and accelerate expansion into new destinations.
- Hays TravelcoreMajor UK travel agency partnership enabling 15,000+ agents to access and sell Not In The Guidebooks experiential travel products to their customers.
- Travel CounsellorscoreMajor UK travel agency partnership enabling access to Not In The Guidebooks experiential travel products through their network of travel consultants.
- Co-op TravelcoreMajor UK travel agency partnership providing distribution for Not In The Guidebooks products through Co-op Travel's retail network.
Scale indicators3 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights6 records
Not In The Guidebooks competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Audley Travel: UK specialist in tailor-made, experiential travel sold through a network of country-specialist travel agents. Closely comparable B2B2C model and premium off-the-beaten-track positioning to NITGB.
- Intrepid Travel: Global experiential and adventure tour operator with a strong small-group, locally-led ethos and B Corp credentials. Competes in the same responsible, immersive travel category as NITGB.
- G Adventures: Worldwide small-group adventure and experiential tour operator with a broad agent and direct distribution model. Direct competitor for multi-country experiential itineraries.
- Exodus Travels: UK-based adventure and activity holiday specialist with guided small-group trips across multiple continents. Overlaps with NITGB's adventure, walking, and wildlife categories.
- Wild Frontiers: UK off-the-beaten-track adventure and cultural travel operator focused on unusual destinations with local guides. Highly comparable to NITGB's experiential, local-host positioning.
- Responsible Travel: UK marketplace of responsible, locally-led holidays across many countries. Overlaps with NITGB on sustainability positioning, curated local supply, and breadth of destinations.
- Hayes & Jarvis: UK tailormade long-haul travel specialist selling through travel agents. Similar premium, multi-country, agent-led distribution model to NITGB.
- Evaneos: Marketplace connecting travelers with local travel agents across 180+ destinations. Closely comparable technology-led platform model for curating and booking local-led experiential trips.
- On The Go Tours: UK-guided group tour operator covering Europe, Africa, and Asia with local-led cultural itineraries. Comparable package format and destination overlap with NITGB.
Emerging players
- Selective Asia: UK specialist in tailormade Asia experiential travel with local hosts and agent-style itinerary design. Smaller in scale but comparable proposition on the Asia portion of NITGB's catalogue.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Not In The Guidebooks social profiles
Digital presenceNot In The Guidebooks compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance2 records
Not In The Guidebooks financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Not In The Guidebooks leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles2 records
Not In The Guidebooks funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds2 records
Investors2 records
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Not In The Guidebooks M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Not In The Guidebooks
What does Not In The Guidebooks do?
Not In The Guidebooks is a specialist tour operator that curates and sells immersive, locally hosted holiday packages across more than 25 countries, ranging from half-day experiences to 5-day excursions. Itineraries span adventure, cooking, wildlife, active, creative, wellness, and Northern Lights categories, and are packaged with accommodation, activities, transfers and some meals. Distribution is delivered primarily through a B2B travel-agent portal used by over 15,000 UK agents, supplemented by direct consumer bookings on the company's own website.
Is Not In The Guidebooks a public or private company?
Not In The Guidebooks is a private company. It is classified as venture growth investor backed and is currently operating.
When was Not In The Guidebooks founded?
Not In The Guidebooks was founded in 2018. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Not In The Guidebooks based?
Not In The Guidebooks is headquartered in London, United Kingdom, in the Europe region.
How does Not In The Guidebooks make money?
One revenue line is on record: package Holiday Sales.
Who are Not In The Guidebooks's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Audley Travel, Intrepid Travel, G Adventures, Exodus Travels, Wild Frontiers, Responsible Travel, Hayes & Jarvis, Evaneos and On The Go Tours. Selective Asia is listed as an emerging player.
Does Not In The Guidebooks have an API?
No public API is recorded for Not In The Guidebooks.
What industry is Not In The Guidebooks in?
Not In The Guidebooks's product category is Experiential Travel Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is THAKAJAC, Package Tour Wholesalers (Pre-Packaged FIT/Group Programs), with a secondary code of THAKAFAB, Adventure & Expedition Travel Agencies. Its NAICS code is 561520 and its SIC code is 7990.