Real Holidays
Real Holidays is a UK-based bespoke tour operator and travel agent, established in 1989 and part of The RBR Group, that designs tailor-made holidays for individual leisure travellers and families worldwide.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1989
- HeadquartersLondon, United Kingdom
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
What Real Holidays does
Real Holidays is a UK-based private travel company founded in 1989, operating as both a tour operator and travel agent specialising in tailor-made holidays for individual leisure travellers and families. The company is a wholly owned subsidiary of The RBR Group Limited, headquartered in Hungerford with operations in London, and operates with a small team of 11-50 travel professionals who design bespoke itineraries on a personal-consultation basis. Core products include tailor-made multi-destination holidays, the curated Real Villas portfolio, and an annually published travel magazine used for content marketing. The company sells primarily through its own website enquiry funnel and acts as a British Airways Appointed Operator, supplementing direct enquiries with carrier-channel distribution. Real Holidays holds ABTA, ATOL, and ABTOT accreditations, providing the UK statutory financial protection required for package travel sales.
The business model is commission- and margin-based: revenue is generated from the spread between contracted supplier costs (accommodation, flights, transfers, excursions) and the price charged to the end consumer for a packaged, customised itinerary. Pricing is per-itinerary rather than per-seat or subscription, with average transaction values materially higher than mass-market OTA bookings due to the bespoke, multi-component nature of the product. Go-to-market relies on direct digital enquiry generation, referral, repeat clientele, and content-led brand building via the annual magazine. The technology stack is minimal — a marketing website with Google Analytics and Facebook Pixel tracking — and there is no disclosed use of AI, dynamic pricing, or automated itinerary tooling. The customer base is fully individual-leisure with no named enterprise or institutional accounts, implying low customer concentration but high exposure to discretionary UK outbound travel demand and FX cycles.
Real Holidays firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Real Holidays
- Legal name
- Real Holidays Travel Agency Limited
- Website
- https://realholidays.co.uk
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1989
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Real Holidays is a UK-based bespoke tour operator and travel agent, established in 1989 and part of The RBR Group, that designs tailor-made holidays for individual leisure travellers and families worldwide.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Real Holidays industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Tailor-made travel and tour operating services
- NAICS
- Tour Operators (561520), Travel Agencies (561510)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Family & Multigenerational Travel Agencies (THAKAFAD)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Cultural, Heritage & Arts Travel Agencies (THAKAFAK), Adventure & Active Travel Agencies (THAKABAD), Island, Beach & Resort Travel Agencies (THAKAFAL)
Keywords
Where Real Holidays is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- London
- HQ country
- United Kingdom
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices3 records
Markets served
Real Holidays business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D
Revenue model
- Tour Operator Services: Operates as both principal tour operator and travel agent. Designs and arranges complete holiday packages including flights, accommodation, transportation, and experiences. Collects deposits and full payments based on booking timeline.
- Travel Agency Services: Acts as agent facilitating bookings with third-party travel suppliers including tour operators, airlines, cruise companies, and accommodation providers. Earns commissions on bookings made on behalf of principals.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Other | Pay-as-you-go | Bespoke tailor-made holidays - pricing varies by destination, duration, and level of service |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels5 records
Real Holidays product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Real Holidays designs and books bespoke, tailor-made holidays from scratch for individual travelers and families, operating as both a tour operator and a travel agent. Each holiday is built around client preferences and includes flights, accommodation, transportation, and experiences across global destinations such as Italy, Greece, India, Vietnam, Cambodia, Latin America, Iceland, and Antarctica. The offering is supported by an annual printed travel magazine for inspiration and a curated Real Villas collection of hand-picked villa rentals.
Product overview
Real Holidays is an independent travel company established in 1989 that designs bespoke, tailor-made holidays from scratch. The core product is the Tailor Made Holidays service, through which knowledgeable travel professionals create personalized trip itineraries based on first-hand experience. Supporting products include the Real Villas collection of curated villa rentals and an annual Travel Magazine for inspiration. The company offers diverse holiday types including fly-drive, family, cultural, safari, beach, train journeys, and self-drive holidays across global destinations. Itineraries are offered as distinct products spanning regions such as Italy (No-Fly Italy Rail Holiday, Aeolian Island Hopping), Asia (Vietnam and Cambodia, Slow India, Sri Lanka), Latin America (Ecuador/Galapagos, Latin American Family Adventure), Europe (Swiss Alps Railway Route), and adventure destinations (Iceland, Antarctica, Costa Rica). The company operates as both tour operator and travel agent, with financial protection through ATOL and ABTOT memberships.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Tailor Made Holidays Bespoke, end-to-end holiday planning and booking service for individual travelers and families. Travel professionals design each itinerary from scratch based on client preferences, arranging flights, accommodation, transport, and experiences across worldwide destinations such as Italy, Greece, India, Southeast Asia, Latin America, Iceland, and Antarctica.
- Real Villas
- Real Holidays Travel Magazine Annual print magazine published every January, featuring travel ideas, trends, 'just back from' reports, and off-the-beaten-track destination recommendations designed to inspire clients to book tailor-made holidays with Real Holidays.
Companies that use Real Holidays
Customer profileNamed customers6 records
Segments1 record
Ideal customer profiles1 record
Real Holidays technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Real Holidays partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- RBR GroupcoreReal Holidays is part of The RBR Group Limited, which includes Bailey Robinson, Roxtons Field Sports and Ian Coley Sporting. Parent company provides organizational structure and shared services.
- British AirwayscoreOfficial British Airways Appointed Operator status, enabling preferential access to flights and holiday packaging.
- ABTAcoreABTA membership number V2823. Provides consumer protection scheme and arbitration for dispute resolution.
- Civil Aviation Authority (ATOL)coreATOL number 4607. Government-backed financial protection scheme for air holidays.
- ABTOTcoreMember number 5401. Provides financial protection for non-flight packages under The Package Travel and Linked Travel Arrangements Regulations 2018.
- Traveller Made (Serandipians)minorSerandipians membership by Traveller Made network connecting luxury travel professionals globally.
- Travel Suppliers (Hotels, Airlines, Ground Agents)corePartnerships with accommodation providers, airlines, transport companies, and local ground agents to deliver complete travel arrangements. Information shared as needed with suppliers for booking purposes.
Scale indicators2 records
Recent moves5 records
Expansion highlights4 records
Real Holidays competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Carrier: UK luxury tour operator specializing in bespoke worldwide holidays with a focus on premium and experiential travel. Comparable on tailor-made service model, ABTA/ATOL protections, and affluent family customer base.
- Elegant Resorts: UK luxury tour operator offering bespoke worldwide holidays with a strong focus on villa rentals and premium accommodations. Closely comparable on luxury positioning, villa inventory emphasis, and tailor-made model.
- Black Tomato: UK-based bespoke experiential travel company designing personalized luxury holidays worldwide. Comparable on consultant-led design model, premium positioning, and curated global itineraries.
- Kuoni: Historic UK luxury tour operator offering bespoke long-haul holidays to worldwide destinations. Comparable on premium positioning, ABTA/ATOL credentials, and curated travel experiences.
- Turquoise Holidays: UK-based luxury tour operator specializing in bespoke worldwide holidays with curated villa and hotel inventory. Comparable on premium tailor-made model, villa offerings, and ABTA/ATOL-protected bookings.
- Audley Travel: UK-based bespoke travel company designing tailor-made holidays to worldwide destinations with a similar consultant-led model and country-specialist structure. Directly comparable on business model, customer segment, and geographic reach.
- Trailfinders: Long-established UK travel company offering tailor-made holidays worldwide with a strong emphasis on personal service and expert advice. Comparable in longevity, customer-centric approach, and bespoke positioning.
- Original Travel: UK-based tailor-made travel company designing personalized worldwide holidays with a strong content-led marketing approach. Comparable on bespoke service model, blog/magazine content strategy, and premium family/ experiential positioning.
- Scott Dunn: UK-based luxury tour operator specializing in bespoke family holidays and experiential travel worldwide. Direct competitor in the premium family travel niche with similar product mix and target customer.
Broad incumbents
- Abercrombie & Kent: Established global luxury travel company offering bespoke worldwide tours and expeditions. Comparable on luxury positioning and experiential itineraries, but operates at significantly larger scale and broader geographic footprint.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks7 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Real Holidays social profiles
Digital presenceReal Holidays compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance3 records
Real Holidays financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Real Holidays leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles1 record
Real Holidays funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Real Holidays 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 Real Holidays
What does Real Holidays do?
Real Holidays designs and books bespoke, tailor-made holidays from scratch for individual travelers and families, operating as both a tour operator and a travel agent. Each holiday is built around client preferences and includes flights, accommodation, transportation, and experiences across global destinations such as Italy, Greece, India, Vietnam, Cambodia, Latin America, Iceland, and Antarctica. The offering is supported by an annual printed travel magazine for inspiration and a curated Real Villas collection of hand-picked villa rentals.
Is Real Holidays a public or private company?
Real Holidays is a private company. It is classified as corporate owned and is currently operating.
When was Real Holidays founded?
Real Holidays was founded in 1989. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Real Holidays based?
Real Holidays is headquartered in London, United Kingdom, in the Europe region.
How does Real Holidays make money?
Two revenue lines are on record. Tour Operator Services are the primary driver. The others are travel Agency Services.
Who are Real Holidays's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Carrier, Elegant Resorts, Black Tomato, Kuoni, Turquoise Holidays, Audley Travel, Trailfinders, Original Travel and Scott Dunn. Abercrombie & Kent is listed as a broad incumbent.
Does Real Holidays have an API?
No public API is recorded for Real Holidays.
What industry is Real Holidays in?
Real Holidays's product category is Tailor-made travel and tour operating services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is THAKAFAD, Family & Multigenerational Travel Agencies, with a secondary code of THAKAFAK, Cultural, Heritage & Arts Travel Agencies. Its NAICS code is 561520.