Journeys by Design Travel

What Journeys by Design Travel does

Journeys by Design is a privately held, UK-based luxury travel company founded in 1999 that designs and manages bespoke private safaris across Africa for affluent families, couples, and multi-generational groups. The company operates from its Brighton headquarters (8-9 Ship Street) with a New York City representation office serving North American clients, and is structured as Journeys by Design Limited with the trading entity Black and Green Trading Ltd (ATOL Licence 9680). Service delivery is high-touch and consultative: each client is paired with a dedicated exploration specialist who manages the journey from initial conversation through execution and post-trip follow-up. Pricing is quote-based, with a 30% deposit on classic safaris and a 35% deposit on rare adventures, balance due 16 weeks prior to departure.

The product portfolio is organized around two core lines, Classic Safaris (Kenya, Tanzania, Botswana, South Africa) and Rare Adventures (Chad, Gabon, the Congo Basin, Ethiopia's Omo Valley), supplemented by Conservation Journeys, an Environmental Pledge program, and ATOL-protected flight-inclusive packages. The exploration team is small (11-50 employees) and includes founder Will Jones alongside Squack Evans and Kyle de Nobrega, all members of the African Parks private guide network. The business runs on a professional-services revenue model with no proprietary technology platform, app, or API, and distribution is direct-to-consumer via consultation, website enquiry, and earned media in publications such as the Financial Times, Condé Nast Traveler, Travel + Leisure, and National Geographic. Over 80% of guests arrive through personal referrals, and the company holds strategic partnerships with African Parks, Wild Philanthropy, and The Safari Collection.

Name

Journeys by Design Travel

Legal name

Journeys by Design Limited

Website

https://journeysbydesign.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1999

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Journeys by Design is a privately held UK-based luxury travel company, founded in 1999, that designs bespoke private safaris across Africa for affluent families, couples, and multi-generational groups, operating from Brighton with a New York representation office.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Luxury Safari Travel

NAICS

Tour Operators (56152), Tour Operators (561520)

SIC

Services-Amusement & Recreation Services (7900)

akta.pro primary industry

Safari & Wildlife Travel Agencies (THAKAFAG)

akta.pro secondary industries

Private Adventure & Expedition Experiences (Custom Hikes, Safaris, Backcountry) (THAJALAG), Safari Lodges & Tented Camps (THAAAHAC), Wildlife Safaris & Game Drives (THAJAIAB)

Keywords

• Bespoke safari travel
• Luxury African safaris
• Private travel design
• Conservation travel
• Safari booking services

Headquarters

HQ city

Brighton

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Supply Chain, Others

Revenue model

1. Safari Planning and Booking Services: The company charges a booking and design fee (30% for classic safaris, 35% for rare adventures) at time of booking, with balance due 16 weeks prior to departure. The design fee covers their time to design and professionally execute the safari and allows them to make conservation commitments to local suppliers.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Journeys by Design designs and manages private, tailor-made safaris across Africa, pairing each client with a dedicated exploration specialist who handles every aspect of the journey from initial consultation to final execution. The company offers two principal service lines: Classic Safaris through established East and Southern African destinations (Kenya, Tanzania, Botswana, South Africa) and Rare Adventures to remote, logistically complex regions (Chad's Ennedi, Gabon's rainforests, Congo Basin, Ethiopia's Omo Valley). Conservation-focused itineraries and an environmental pledge program are integrated into the offerings, with flight-inclusive packages protected under ATOL 9680.

Product overview

Journeys by Design is a bespoke private safari company offering two primary service lines: Classic Safaris (tailor-made journeys through established East and southern Africa destinations) and Rare Adventures (remote expeditions to less-traveled parts of the continent). Both offerings are supported by Conservation Journeys and Environmental Pledge programs. The company pairs clients with dedicated exploration specialists who manage trips from initial consultation through execution, operating primarily in Kenya, Tanzania, Botswana, and South Africa for classic journeys, with rare adventures extending to Chad, Gabon, Congo Basin, and Ethiopia's Omo Valley.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Classic Safaris Tailor-made private safari experiences through established East and Southern Africa destinations including Kenya, Tanzania, Botswana, and South Africa, designed for affluent families, couples, and multi-generational groups seeking exclusive wildlife and cultural experiences. Pricing is via 30% design/booking deposit at time of booking, with balance due 16 weeks prior to departure.
• Rare Adventures Expeditions to remote and logistically complex African destinations rarely reached by travelers, including Chad's Ennedi Desert, Gabon's rainforests, the Congo Basin, and Ethiopia's Omo Valley tribal communities. Designed for experienced adventure travelers; pricing is via 35% design/booking deposit at time of booking, with balance due 16 weeks prior to departure.
• Conservation Journeys Specialized conservation-focused trips that connect travelers with conservation practitioners and protected areas undergoing active restoration, with opportunities to support conservation projects on the ground. Delivered in partnership with African Parks and Wild Philanthropy, leveraging the African Parks private guide network.
• Home Visits In-person discovery consultations where the exploration team visits clients in their homes to plan bespoke safaris, offered as part of the company's high-touch consultative service model.

Quantifiable outcome

• 80%+ of guests travel through personal referrals

Named customers1 record

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• African ParkscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerJourneys by Design team members Will Jones, Squack Evans, and Kyle de Nobrega are part of the African Parks private guide network. This partnership provides exclusive access to conservation areas managed by African Parks and deep connections to conservation practitioners on the ground.
• Wild PhilanthropycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with Wild Philanthropy to offer conservation-focused journeys that connect travelers to wildlife and community conservation projects. The company collaborates on donor travel programs that support conservation work.
• The Safari CollectionminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with The Safari Collection, featuring properties like Sasaab in northern Kenya. Joint marketing and destination coverage across classic safari destinations.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• &Beyond: &Beyond operates luxury private guided safaris across Africa with a similar high-touch travel-designer model and multi-generational family trip focus, making it the closest direct competitor to Journeys by Design across East and Southern Africa.
• Asilia Africa: Asilia Africa designs and operates bespoke safaris in East and Southern Africa (Tanzania, Kenya, Namibia), competing head-to-head with Journeys by Design for premium private-itinerary customers.
• African Travel Inc. African Travel Inc. (a Ker & Downey brand) sells high-touch luxury safari itineraries across Africa with dedicated trip designers, putting it in direct competition with Journeys by Design for the same affluent family safari segment.
• Roar Africa: Roar Africa is a South Africa-based luxury bespoke safari and conservation-focused tour operator targeting ultra-high-net-worth families, directly comparable to Journeys by Design's Rare Adventures and Conservation Journeys offerings.
• Wilderness Safaris: Wilderness Safaris is one of Africa's largest luxury safari operators running private, high-end safaris across Botswana, Kenya, Tanzania, Rwanda, Zambia and Zimbabwe, directly competing for the same affluent family and milestone-trip clientele.
• Great Plains Conservation: Great Plains Conservation operates luxury tented safari camps and bespoke journeys across Botswana, Kenya and Zimbabwe with a strong conservation-tourism angle, closely mirroring Journeys by Design's conservation-tied high-end safari positioning.
• Rothschild Safaris: Rothschild Safaris is a US-based luxury safari outfitter designing private African safaris for affluent families, operating with the same boutique, expert-led approach as Journeys by Design.
• Classic Africa: Classic Africa curates bespoke, high-end safaris across Eastern and Southern Africa with a small-team, expert-led model very similar in positioning and customer profile to Journeys by Design.

Broad incumbents

• Abercrombie & Kent: Abercrombie & Kent is a large global luxury tour operator with a dedicated Africa division offering private safaris; broader portfolio and reach, but overlapping premium-client base and bespoke itinerary model.
• Singita: Singita is a vertically integrated ultra-luxury safari group operating its own lodges and conservation programs across Africa; it competes by owning supply (lodges, guides) rather than curating third-party inventory like Journeys by Design.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/jbd_africa

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 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 Journeys by Design Travel