EXPLORER FERNREISEN

What EXPLORER FERNREISEN does

Explorer Travel GmbH, operating as Explorer Fernreisen (and brand alias Explorer World of Travel), is a German specialty tour operator and travel agency founded in 1970 and headquartered in Düsseldorf. The company designs, packages, and sells individually customizable round trips and adventure travel experiences to destinations spanning Europe, Africa, Asia, the Americas, and Oceania. Its core product, the Rundreisen (round trip) platform, encompasses self-drive, train, guided group, and private-guide tour formats, complemented by ancillary services including flight booking (Flug & Services), car and camper rental (Mietwagen & Camper), travel protection (Reiseschutz), and a dedicated B2B Group Travel offering for groups of 10 or more.

The company distributes through a dual-channel model combining a direct-to-consumer website (explorer.de) — which features the Reisekompass AI-powered trip planning assistant for natural-language itinerary generation — with a physical network of more than 20 travel agency offices across major German cities staffed by destination-specialist advisors covering regions from Namibia to Japan. Revenue is generated primarily through one-time package tour sales ranging from €189 for short city breaks to over €3,900 for premium multi-country expeditions, supplemented by recurring travel insurance products (international health, trip cancellation, Explorer Premiumschutz), transaction-based service fees (€75 ticket rebooking, €150 cancellation), and B2B group travel packages.

Explorer holds TourCert sustainability certification and is a supporting member of ECPAT Deutschland, the DRV Child Protection Working Group, and the Roundtable Human Rights in Tourism, with an Atmosfair partnership for carbon offsetting. The company is privately held with no disclosed external investors, managed by Geschäftsführerin Bianca Bauer, and operates as an affiliated entity to schauinsland-reisen based on shared compliance email infrastructure. It reports having served more than 100,000 travelers cumulatively over its 50-year operating history.

Name

EXPLORER FERNREISEN

Legal name

Explorer Travel GmbH

Website

https://explorer.de

Company type

Private

Founded year

1970

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Explorer Fernreisen is a Düsseldorf-based German tour operator founded in 1970, specializing in individually customizable round trips and adventure packages to worldwide destinations. It serves German leisure travelers through a direct-to-consumer website, an AI-powered Reisekompass planner, and a network of 20+ physical agency offices.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Tour Operator Services

NAICS

Tour Operators (56152), Tour Operators (561520), Travel Agencies (56151)

SIC

Transportation Services (4700)

akta.pro primary industry

Private/Customized Multi-Day Tour Operators (THAKADAC)

akta.pro secondary industries

Adventure & Expedition Multi-Day Tour Operators (THAKADAD), Private Adventure & Expedition Experiences (Custom Hikes, Safaris, Backcountry) (THAJALAG)

Keywords

• Individual round trips
• Guided group tours
• Travel insurance packages
• Adventure travel packages
• Travel consultation services

Headquarters

HQ city

Düsseldorf

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices20 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Package Tours: Complete travel packages including flights, hotels, and experiences sold as all-inclusive bundle packages. Individualized tours and round trips worldwide with various travel styles (self-drive, guided, group, private guide).
2. Travel Insurance: Travel protection products including international health insurance, trip cancellation insurance, rental car insurance, and Explorer Premium protection packages.
3. Service Fees: Various service charges for ticket rebooking (75 EUR), cancellation (150 EUR), seat reservations, special baggage, visa services, and consultation services.
4. Group Travel Services: Customized group travel packages for groups of 10+ including schools, universities, clubs and companies with personalized consultation and flexible planning.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Explorer Fernreisen is a German tour operator and travel agency that sells individually customizable round trip packages (Rundreisen) worldwide, including self-drive tours, guided group tours, private-guide tours, train tours, safaris, cruises, and city breaks. Packages bundle flights, accommodations, and experiences into one-stop offerings, complemented by ancillary services such as flight booking, rental car/camper rental, travel insurance (Reiseschutz), and personalized travel consulting supported by an AI-powered trip planning assistant (Reisekompass).

Product overview

Explorer Fernreisen is a German tour operator and travel agency offering individually customizable round trip packages and adventure travel experiences worldwide. The core product is the Rundreisen (round trip) platform, which encompasses multiple tour formats including self-drive tours (Mietwagenrundreisen), guided group tours (Geführte Rundreisen), train tours (Zugreisen), tours with private guides, and specialty trips such as safaris and cruises. These are complemented by ancillary services including flight booking (Flug & Services), car and camper rental (Mietwagen & Camper), travel insurance packages (Reiseschutz), and personalized travel consulting (Reiseplanung) featuring an AI-powered trip planning assistant. The product portfolio also includes specific destination experiences like the Seychelles catamaran cruise, South Africa adventure safari, and French Polynesia cargo ship cruise. The company positions itself as a full-service provider offering 'everything from one source' (Alles aus einer Hand) with flights, hotels, and experiences bundled together.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Rundreisen (Round Trips) Individually customizable round trip packages to destinations worldwide, available in multiple formats including self-drive tours (Mietwagenrundreisen), train tours (Zugreisen), guided group tours (Geführte Rundreisen), tours with private guides, multi-country combinations, and specialty trips such as safaris, beach vacations, and city breaks.
• Gruppenreisen (Group Travel) Customized group travel packages for groups of 10 or more persons, including school trips, club outings, corporate travel, and choir tours. Services include flights, accommodations, and personalized itineraries with flexible planning and worldwide support.
• Reiseschutz (Travel Protection) Travel protection packages including international health insurance, long-term international health insurance, trip cancellation insurance, Explorer Premiumschutz, and rental car insurance. Offered as individual add-ons or complete protection bundles.
• Reiseplanung (Trip Planning & Consulting) Personalized travel consulting service featuring individual consultation via phone or WhatsApp, a free webinar series on trip planning, and an AI-powered trip planning assistant (Reisekompass) that generates customized travel recommendations from natural language input.
• Flug & Services (Flight Booking) Flight booking services including regular and charter flights, multi-stop flights (Gabelflüge und Multistop), and special airline partnerships with Lufthansa and Discover Airlines.
• Mietwagen & Camper (Car Rental & Campers) Rental car and camper/motorhome booking services for self-drive tours and road trips.
• Praslin Dream Katamaran-Segeltörn (Seychelles Catamaran Cruise) 8-day catamaran sailing cruise through the Seychelles islands including Mahé, Sainte Anne Marine Park, La Digue, Cousin, Praslin, and Curieuse, with full board, water sports equipment, and guided excursions.
• Südafrika Explorer (South Africa Adventure Safari) 20-day group adventure safari package covering South Africa, Swaziland/Eswatini, Lesotho, and South Africa including Kruger National Park, Drakensberg, Garden Route, and Cape Town, with accommodation, meals, transportation, and guided game drives.
• Aranui 5 Frachtschiff-Kreuzfahrt (French Polynesia Freighter Cruise) 13-day cruise aboard the Aranui 5 cargo-passenger ship through French Polynesia including Tahiti, Marquesas Islands, Tuamotu Atolls, and Bora Bora, combining freight supply route with passenger travel experience.
• Mauritius entdecken (Discover Mauritius) 11-day self-drive tour of Mauritius starting and ending at different locations, covering southern beaches (Bel Ombre), Chamarel, northern beaches (Pointe aux Cannoniers), and eastern beaches (Belle Mare), with snorkeling, hiking, and cultural experiences.
• Südschweden entdecken (Discover Southern Sweden) 11-day self-drive round trip from Stockholm covering southern Sweden including Norrköping, Växjö, Karlskrona, Malmö, Gothenburg, Örebro, and Stockholm, visiting UNESCO World Heritage sites and Scandinavian cultural landmarks.
• Dubrovnik – Die Stadt hinter der berühmten Serienkulisse 4-day city trip to Dubrovnik, Croatia, visiting Game of Thrones filming locations including Fort Lovrijenac and the city walls, with private guided tour of the famous series' shooting sites.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 100,000 enthusiastic travelers have trusted Explorer for their travel needs
• +2 more outcomes

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability3 records

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• TourCertcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerTourCert provides sustainability certification and verification services for Explorer, examining company management practices and awarding CSR certification. Explorer commits to annual sustainability reporting and continuous improvement.
• ECPAT DeutschlandcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerExplorer is a supporting member of ECPAT Deutschland, actively supporting their mission to protect children from commercial exploitation and sexual abuse in tourism. ECPAT works with the travel industry and policymakers for child protection.
• AtmosfairminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAtmosfair provides climate protection project partnerships. Explorer cooperates with Atmosfair and supports climate protection projects, including 100% carbon compensation for all business travel.
• Visum CentraleminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorExternal visa service partner providing visa application information and processing services for travelers requiring visas for international travel.
• LufthansaminorGTM or Marketing PartnerFeatured airline partner for Florida destination campaigns, offering flights to sunshine state destinations.
• Discover AirlinesminorGTM or Marketing PartnerFeatured airline partner for Mauritius destination campaigns, offering flights to tropical destinations.
• German Travel Association (DRV)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerExplorer participates in the DRV Working Group on Child Protection, contributing to industry-wide initiatives for child safeguarding in tourism.
• Roundtable Human Rights in TourismminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerIndustry initiative focused on human rights in tourism, with Explorer committed to human rights principles in operations.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Gebeco (Gesellschaft für internationale Begegnung und Cooperation):
• Wikinger Reisen: German specialty tour operator focused on active, hiking and adventure travel worldwide. Directly overlaps with Explorer's adventure/safari/self-drive round trips and shares the same German premium customer base and sustainability orientation.
• Schauinsland-Reisen: Major German tour operator based in Duisburg offering package holidays, round trips and customized travel worldwide. Comparable in product mix (multi-day packages, flights, hotels) and appears to share corporate infrastructure with Explorer ([email protected], shared CDN), making it the most direct comparable and likely parent/sister brand.
• Studiosus Reisen: German market leader in cultural and educational guided group tours worldwide with strong brand heritage. Directly competes for the same German premium cultural-travel customer and similar itineraries (Europe, Asia, Americas, Africa) with comparable pricing tiers.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCReykgI_-GxyfNC9oRH0fjA
• Facebookfacebook.com/explorerfernreisen
• Instagraminstagram.com/explorer.fernreisen
• Pinterestpinterest.de/explorerfernreisen
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/explorer-fernreisen

Compliance5 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

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 EXPLORER FERNREISEN