What Discover the World Education does

Discover the World Education is a UK-based specialist educational travel operator that arranges curriculum-aligned school trips abroad for UK primary and secondary schools. Founded in 1983 and headquartered in Dorking, Surrey, the company employs approximately 24 people, most of whom are former teachers with first-hand destination knowledge. It operates with a deliberately focused portfolio of eight destinations—Iceland, Italy, France, Spain, Morocco, Costa Rica, Azores, and Norway—with particular depth in Geography and Modern Foreign Languages (MFL) school trips, supplemented by cross-curricular, adventure/pastoral, history/philosophy/ethics/religious studies, and university preparation offerings. The company holds strategic partnerships with the Geographical Association and EDU Critical Thinkers, and is accredited by ABTA, ATOL, AITO Assured, ABTOT, LOTC and STF.

The product offering is structured around subject-specific trip packages and a complementary suite of teacher resources including free classroom resources, CPD workshops, education webinars, teacher inspection trips, a Planning Hub, and a Golden Circle loyalty scheme. The underlying technology stack is not proprietary; operations are supported by a website enquiry system, live chat (Talkative), analytics tooling (Google Analytics, Hotjar, CrazyEgg), call tracking (ResponseTap), email marketing (Dotmailer), and standard paid media integrations (Google, Facebook, Bing). No mobile app, public API, or AI/ML capabilities were identified in the data.

Revenue is generated primarily through custom-quoted school trip packages bundling flights, accommodation, activities, guides, and transport. Ancillary streams include CPD workshops and educational content used as lead generation and relationship-building tools rather than direct revenue. Pricing is bespoke and not publicly disclosed; sales are conducted direct-to-school via phone, website enquiry, and consultative account management from former teachers. The company is privately held and founder-managed, with no disclosed institutional investment, funding rounds, acquisitions, or parent company relationships.

Name

Discover the World Education

Legal name

Discover the World Education

Website

https://discover-education.co.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

1983

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Discover the World Education is a UK-based specialist educational travel operator arranging curriculum-aligned school trips abroad for UK primary and secondary schools, with particular focus on Geography and Modern Foreign Languages to eight destinations.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Educational Travel Services

NAICS

Tour Operators (56152), Educational Services (611)

SIC

Services-Amusement & Recreation Services (7900), Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

School Group & Curriculum-Led Trips (THAKAGAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Student & Youth Educational Tours (THAKAGAA), In-Country Logistics Coordination & Itinerary Management (EDAIANAE), Excursions, Field Trips & Cultural Activities Logistics (EDAIANAJ)

Keywords

• School trip operator
• Educational travel services
• Geography field trips
• Language immersion trips
• Curriculum aligned tours

Headquarters

HQ city

Dorking, Surrey

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. School Trip Bookings: The primary revenue stream comes from booking and arranging educational school trips abroad to destinations including Iceland, Italy, France, Spain, Morocco, Costa Rica, Azores, and Norway. Tours are tailor-made to suit school needs, timeframes and budgets. Revenue is generated through package pricing that includes flights, accommodation, activities, guides, and transport.
2. CPD and Professional Development: The company provides free CPD workshops, webinars, and classroom resources for teachers as part of its service offering. These are used as lead generation and relationship-building tools rather than direct revenue generators.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Discover the World Education is a UK-based specialist educational travel operator that designs, arranges, and delivers tailor-made curriculum-aligned school trips abroad for primary and secondary schools. Its core product is fully-flexible, custom-quoted school trip packages to a curated set of eight destinations (Iceland, Italy, France, Spain, Morocco, Costa Rica, Azores, and Norway), bundling flights, accommodation, activities, guides, transport, and insurance into subject-themed itineraries (Geography, MFL, Adventure and Pastoral, Cross-Curriculum, History/Religious Studies/Philosophy/Ethics, and University Preparation). The company also provides supporting teacher engagement services including Teacher Inspection Trips, free CPD workshops, classroom resources, and webinars.

Product overview

Discover the World Education is a specialist school trips operator offering educational travel experiences to a curated selection of destinations including Iceland, Italy, France, Spain, Morocco, Costa Rica, Azores, and Norway. The core product portfolio consists of subject-specific educational trips covering Geography Trips, Language School Trips (MFL), Adventure and Pastoral Trips, Cross-Curriculum Trips, Philosophy/Ethics/History/Religious Studies Trips, and University Trips. Beyond the trips themselves, the company provides a suite of supporting teacher resources including Classroom Resources (free classroom packs, videos, revision sessions), Education Webinars, Free CPD Workshops, Teacher Inspection Trips, and a Golden Circle Loyalty Scheme. The company also offers a Planning Hub for trip preparation. Most employees are former teachers who provide expertise in curriculum alignment and real-world learning experiences.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Geography Trips Curriculum-aligned Geography school trips abroad to Iceland, Italy, France, Spain, Morocco, Costa Rica, Azores, and Norway. Experiences include exploring solidified lava formations and glacial landscapes in Iceland, volcanic sites, tectonic rifts, and other physical and human geography fieldwork opportunities. Tailor-made packages bundle flights, accommodation, activities, guides, transport, and insurance for UK primary and secondary school groups.
• Language School Trips (MFL) Modern Foreign Languages (MFL) school trips to France, Spain, and Morocco combining classroom-based language workshops with immersive cultural activities such as flamenco performances, market visits, and travel-based immersion for language acquisition. Designed for UK school MFL departments seeking real-world language learning experiences.
• Adventure and Pastoral Trips School trips combining adventure activities with pastoral care elements, including white water rafting, horse-riding, rainforest experiences in Costa Rica, and other outdoor adventure pursuits. Tailor-made itineraries designed to build resilience, teamwork, and student wellbeing.
• Cross-Curriculum Trips Educational school trips designed to connect multiple subject areas including science, geography, and cultural studies. Experiences include exploring active volcanoes, cultural heritage sites, and natural phenomena that span multiple curriculum disciplines for UK school groups.
• Philosophy, Ethics, History and Religious Studies Trips Educational trips focusing on history, religious studies, philosophy and ethics, including visits to historical and cultural sites such as Pompeii in Italy. Designed for UK school history, religious studies, philosophy, and ethics departments.
• University Trips School trips designed to help students explore higher education opportunities and visit university campuses. Targeted at sixth-form and college students preparing for higher education applications.
• Teacher Inspection Trips Familiarisation trips for teachers to inspect destinations, accommodation, and activities first-hand before booking school trips, allowing teachers to evaluate sites for educational visits. Functions as both a paid service and a relationship-building/lead-conversion mechanism.

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration11 records

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core, supporting and minor.

• Geographical AssociationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Geographical Association is listed as a Strategic Partner of Discover the World Education. The GA is the professional body for geography teachers in the UK. This partnership provides credibility within the geography education community and aligns the company with curriculum-relevant content and standards.
• EDU Critical ThinkerscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerEDU Critical Thinkers is listed as a Strategic Partner of Discover the World Education. The partnership signals endorsement from an education-focused organisation, helping build trust with school customers seeking quality educational experiences.
• Campbell Irvine Insurance BrokerssupportingOthersTravel insurance provider referenced in the privacy policy as a third-party supplier to whom customer personal data is shared to fulfil bookings. Insurance is a required component of the travel packages offered.
• AXA InsurancesupportingOthersTravel insurance provider referenced in the privacy policy as a third-party supplier for travel insurance services included with bookings.
• Insurance4CarHireminorOthersCar hire insurance excess provider referenced in the privacy policy as a third-party supplier for managing car hire insurance during educational trips.
• Clear Insurance Management LtdsupportingOthersLiability insurance provider referenced in the privacy policy as part of the insurance infrastructure supporting the travel business.
• Catlin Insurance Company UKsupportingOthersLiability insurance provider referenced in the privacy policy as part of the company's insurance arrangements.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Discover Adventure: UK-based adventure and educational travel company organising school expeditions and adventure trips. Comparable on the adventure and pastoral trip side of the portfolio and on UK school channel access.
• Rayburn Tours: UK school trip and educational tour operator covering Geography, MFL, music, and sport trips. Direct peer with comparable UK school customer base, multi-destination portfolio, and consultancy-led booking process.
• Halsbury Travel: UK-based school travel specialist offering curriculum-linked trips across many subjects and destinations. Highly comparable as a direct competitor in UK school trip bookings with similar subject-led positioning and bespoke quotation sales model.
• WST Travel: Established UK school tour operator running subject-specific trips for UK and international schools. Direct competitor on Geography, MFL, and history trips to European and long-haul destinations with a similar school-facing sales motion.
• Adaptable Travel: UK school trip specialist arranging Geography, MFL, History, and Science trips for UK schools. Direct peer operating in the same niche with comparable consultative sales model and curriculum alignment.
• Equity Group Travel: UK school travel company focused on educational and cultural tours for schools and youth groups. Direct peer with overlapping UK school customer base and multi-destination itineraries tailored to curriculum objectives.
• Club Europe / Esprit: UK specialist in school ski trips and educational tours for school groups. Direct competitor on group bookings for school-age travellers with subject and activity-led itineraries to European destinations.
• NST Travel: One of the largest UK school tour operators, offering curriculum-linked trips across a broad range of subjects and destinations. Direct peer serving the same UK primary and secondary school buyer with a similar full-service trip package offering.

Broad incumbents

• EF Education First: Global education company with a substantial educational travel division running language immersion and school trips. Comparable on the MFL and cross-curricular educational travel side but at much larger scale and with broader programme breadth.
• WorldStrides: Large global educational and student travel provider serving schools, universities, and sports teams. Comparable on educational travel for school-age groups but operates at much greater scale across a far broader portfolio of programmes and geographies.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/DTWEGeography
• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/DTWSchools
• Facebookfacebook.com/DiscoverEducationGeography
• Instagraminstagram.com/discovereducationgeography
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/discover-the-world-education

Compliance5 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 Discover the World Education