Going Places Travel

What Going Places Travel does

Going Places Travel is a privately held, full-service travel agency incorporated as Going Places Travel, Inc. and operating under the DBAs Universal Travel and Danville Travel. Founded circa 1990 in Berkeley, California, the company provides four integrated service lines: corporate travel management, group and incentive travel, leisure/vacation planning, and meetings and events logistics. It serves enterprise clients including Fivetran, Yokohama, VETS Events, Northwest Anesthesia Seminars, Locked On (formerly Disney/ESPN), Google, Chem-Dry, and BELFOR, with documented engagements spanning 2005 to the present. The co-founder/Managing Partners are Kevin Saxe and Ting-Yi Shih.

The company's underlying technology is deliberately non-proprietary: it relies on industry-standard reservation and booking systems for flights, hotels, cruises, and ground transportation, with Concur integration for corporate expense management and reporting. There is no public API, no mobile app, and no disclosed AI or machine learning capability. Distribution is purely direct, through six physical offices (Berkeley HQ, Danville, Cupertino, La Jolla, Wasilla, Anchorage) plus phone, email, and a website contact form with no online self-booking. The revenue model combines supplier commissions on booked travel (the primary stream) with managed-services fees for corporate travel management, white-label travel certificate and reward programs, and incentive program administration. Pricing is quote-based and not publicly disclosed, with travel certificates requiring a $500 minimum face value. The 2025 Travel Leaders Agency of Excellence designation (top 35 of 5,000+ network agencies) and California Seller of Travel #2144999-40 registration support the company's enterprise positioning. Customer acquisition is sales-led through physical presence, referrals, testimonials, and in-person travel shows rather than digital marketing.

Name

Going Places Travel

Legal name

Going Places Travel, Inc.

Website

https://gptravel.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1990

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Going Places Travel is a privately held, full-service travel agency operating six offices across California and Alaska, serving enterprise corporate clients, incentive travel programs, and leisure travelers with human-advisor-led booking, group event logistics, and white-label reward programs.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Travel Agency Services

NAICS

Travel Agencies (561510), Tour Operators (561520), Travel Agencies (56151)

SIC

Transportation Services (4700)

akta.pro primary industry

Outbound International Retail Travel Agencies (THAKABAI)

akta.pro secondary industries

Online/Hybrid Corporate Travel Agencies (Self-Booking + Support) (THAKACAB), Ground Transportation & Transfers Coordination (HSACAKAD)

Keywords

• Corporate travel services
• Leisure travel planning
• Group travel coordination
• Incentive travel programs
• Meetings and events

Headquarters

HQ city

Berkeley

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices6 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Travel Agency Commissions: Going Places Travel earns commissions from travel suppliers including airlines, hotels, cruise lines, and tour operators on bookings made on behalf of clients. This is the primary revenue model for traditional travel agencies.
2. Travel Certificate Program: The company offers white-label travel certificate and reward programs to corporate clients, providing customized travel vouchers for employee rewards. Revenue is generated through program setup and management fees.
3. Corporate Travel Management Services: Provides ongoing corporate travel management services including booking, tracking, and corporate reporting through systems like Concur, potentially earning service fees or commissions on corporate travel spend.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Going Places Travel is a full-service travel agency that plans and books corporate, group, leisure, and meeting/event travel on behalf of clients through a network of experienced human travel advisors. The company earns commissions from travel suppliers (airlines, hotels, cruise lines, tour operators) and also delivers managed corporate travel programs, incentive travel rewards, custom white-label travel certificate programs, and hotel sourcing services across six offices in California and Alaska.

Product overview

Going Places Travel is a full-service travel agency operating as a unified service model rather than a software platform. The company provides four integrated core service lines: Corporate Travel Services (business travel management and reporting), Group Travel Planning (incentive programs and team events), Leisure Travel Services (personal vacation planning), and Meetings & Events (conference and corporate gathering logistics). Supporting sub-products include Custom Reward Programs (white label travel certificates with nearly 100% engagement), Travel Certificate Programs (digital incentive vouchers), Visa Processing (via CIBTvisa partnership), and Travel Insurance (via Travel Insured International partnership). The company also offers hotel sourcing and contracting services. All services are delivered through a network of experienced human travel advisors across six office locations in California and Alaska.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Corporate Travel Services Full-service corporate travel management for businesses of all sizes, including booking, tracking, expense management, and corporate reporting. Operates either as a full-service booking partner or in support of self-booking tools such as Concur.
• Group Travel Planning

Quantifiable outcome

• 84% average redemption rate for Yokohama's incentive program since 2005
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers9 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration3 records

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Travel Leaders NetworkcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorGoing Places Travel is a member of Travel Leaders Network, one of the largest travel agency networks in North America with approximately 5,700 agency locations. The partnership provides access to Travel Leaders' tools, programs, and partner relationships. Going Places Travel achieved Agency of Excellence status as part of this network.
• CIBTvisasminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCIBTvisas is a visa processing service partner that Going Places Travel recommends to clients for obtaining travel visas online. The partnership allows clients to quickly, easily, and securely obtain required legal documents for international travel.
• Travel Insured InternationalminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerTravel Insured International is a travel insurance partner that Going Places Travel recommends for coverage including baggage delays, loss, theft and damage, medical expenses, trip cancellation, and interruption due to medical reasons, disasters, or unexpected life events.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves11 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Protravel International: High-end retail travel agency specializing in luxury and corporate travel with a relationship-led advisor model across multiple U.S. offices. Highly comparable to Going Places Travel's mix of corporate management, leisure luxury, and meetings & events work.
• SmartFlyer: Luxury-focused retail travel agency network serving both leisure and corporate clients with in-person advisor consultations and curated itineraries. Comparable in target customer (high-net-worth leisure + enterprise) and white-glove service model.
• Valerie Wilson Travel: Long-standing retail travel agency (since 1981) with offices serving corporate, leisure, and group clients, providing personalized advisor-led booking and event logistics. Closely mirrors Going Places Travel's multi-office, multi-segment model.
• Direct Travel: Mid-market corporate travel management company offering managed corporate booking, meetings & events, and leisure services. Comparable in offering Concur-style reporting, corporate reporting, and incentive travel programs to Going Places Travel's enterprise clients.
• Frosch Travel: Family-owned retail and corporate travel agency with multiple offices across the U.S., focused on luxury leisure and corporate travel management. Similar relationship-driven, multi-office model and customer mix to Going Places Travel.

Broad incumbents

• American Express Global Business Travel (Amex GBT): One of the world's largest corporate travel management companies offering corporate booking, expense, and meetings tools globally. Broad incumbent alternative for the corporate travel segment that Going Places Travel serves for mid-market and enterprise clients.
• CWT (formerly Carlson Wagonlit Travel): Major global TMC providing corporate travel, meetings & events, and travel risk management for multinational enterprises. Broader-scale competitor for Going Places Travel's corporate travel management line.
• Internova Travel Group: Travel services holding company encompassing retail leisure, luxury, and corporate brands (including Protravel and Tzell). Comparable parent-level aggregator of agencies that competes for high-end and corporate travel budgets similar to Going Places Travel's segments.

Emerging players

• EmbarkBeyond: Tech-enabled luxury travel platform that pairs curated advisor service with a modern booking experience. Represents the digitally-native emerging competitor targeting the same high-end leisure and corporate clients as Going Places Travel.

Regional players

• Travel Store (Los Angeles): Long-standing California-based retail travel agency with strong corporate, leisure, and meetings business throughout the West Coast. Direct regional competitor overlapping with Going Places Travel's California geographic footprint.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/GoingPlacesBerkeley
• Instagraminstagram.com/gptravel.us

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Going Places Travel