Travel Department
Travel Department is an Irish privately-owned tour operator selling all-inclusive guided group holidays and escorted tours to 30+ countries, departing from Ireland and the UK, and serving solo travellers, groups, and over-50s customers via its own websites and Dublin call centre.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1995
- HeadquartersDublin, Ireland
- Headcount51–100
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
What Travel Department does
Travel Department is an Irish privately-owned travel agent and tour operator founded in 1995 and headquartered in Dublin, with approximately 66 employees. The company specialises in guided group holidays and escorted tours, packaging flights, accommodation, airport transfers, and guided excursions into all-inclusive itineraries departing from Dublin, Shannon, and Cork airports to more than 30 destination countries across Europe, the Americas, the Middle East, Africa, Asia, and Australia. Its primary customer segments are solo travellers, group travellers (including parties of 10+ through a Tailored Groups programme), the over-50s demographic, and general tourists; the company also operates a separate UK-facing website (traveldepartment.co.uk) under a Travel Department UK entity.
The product portfolio is organised around destination pages (Italy, Spain, Egypt, Japan, India, Vietnam, etc.) and holiday-type categories (solo, city breaks, river cruises, small group, walking, garden, sun, cultural, lakeside, last-minute, and seasonal getaways such as St Patrick's Day and Easter). The TD active Holidays sub-brand extends the offering into adventure and wellness segments including walking, yoga, photography, and small-group explore tours. Supporting the commercial operation is a content platform comprising the Travel Tales Blog, country travel guides, and travel podcasts, used as top-of-funnel marketing assets. The company holds an Irish Aviation Authority travel-agent licence and ITAA membership, and has been recognised in the British Travel Awards and ESG Excellent 2025.
The business model is direct-to-consumer packaged-holiday sales: revenue is generated through transaction fees on all-inclusive tour packages priced per person, with bookings taken via the website, phone (01 6371650), and email. Pricing is not publicly disclosed on the website and requires direct contact for specific quotes; promotional offers such as 'Save up to €200pp on selected 2026 departures' are used to drive conversion. Distribution is wholly proprietary (own e-commerce storefronts in Ireland and the UK plus a Dublin office), with no disclosed third-party reseller channels, no API or partner integrations, and no proprietary technology platform beyond a standard booking-management system. The company is independently owned with no external investors, no parent company, and no public listing.
Travel Department firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Travel Department
- Legal name
- Travel Department
- Website
- https://traveldepartment.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1995
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 51–100 employees
- Short description
- Travel Department is an Irish privately-owned tour operator selling all-inclusive guided group holidays and escorted tours to 30+ countries, departing from Ireland and the UK, and serving solo travellers, groups, and over-50s customers via its own websites and Dublin call centre.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Travel Department industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Tour Operator Services
- NAICS
- Tour Operators (561520), Travel Agencies (56151), Scenic and Sightseeing Transportation (487)
- SIC
- Transportation Services (4700)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Escorted Coach & Bus Package Tour Operators (THAKADAA)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Adventure & Active Travel Agencies (THAKABAD), Adventure & Expedition Travel Agencies (THAKAFAB)
Keywords
Where Travel Department is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Dublin
- HQ country
- Ireland
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices1 record
Markets served
Travel Department business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Operations, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Others
Revenue model
- Package Holiday Sales: Travel Department generates revenue through selling all-inclusive guided holiday packages that bundle flights, accommodation, transfers, and guided excursions. The company operates as a tour operator with packages departing from Ireland to worldwide destinations including Europe, Asia, Americas, Middle East, Africa, and Australia.
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels10 records
Travel Department product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Travel Department is an Irish travel agency and tour operator that sells all-inclusive guided group holidays and escorted tours to destinations across Europe, the Americas, Asia, Africa, the Middle East, and Australia. Each package bundles flights, accommodation, airport transfers, and guided excursions led by expert local guides, with departures from Dublin, Shannon, and Cork airports. The company also operates the TD active Holidays sub-brand for adventure and wellness travel (yoga, photography, walking, and Camino tours).
Product overview
Travel Department is an Irish travel agent specialising in expertly guided group holidays, escorted tours, and river cruises. The company operates two distinct brands: the main Travel Department brand offering comprehensive package holidays (including flights, accommodation, transfers, and guided excursions) across Europe, the Americas, Middle East, Africa, Asia, and Australia; and the TD active Holidays sub-brand focused on adventure and wellness travel including yoga, photography, and walking holidays. The product portfolio encompasses destination-specific tours (Italy, Spain, Egypt, India, Vietnam, etc.), holiday types (solo, city breaks, river cruises, small group), and travel services (booking management, brochures, gift vouchers, travel guides). The company also maintains a content platform through its Travel Tales Blog and Country Travel Guides.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- TD active Holidays: A collection of adventure holidays including walking, yoga, photography, and small group Explore tours, with trips accompanied by local guides and designed for authentic, unique experiences.
Products and services
- Guided Group Holidays All-inclusive escorted group tours for individual leisure travellers, families, and groups, covering flights, accommodation, transfers, and sightseeing with expert local guides across worldwide destinations.
- TD active Holidays Adventure and wellness holiday sub-brand offering yoga holidays, walking holidays, photography holidays, solo adventure holidays, and small-group Explore tours including Camino tours, accompanied by local guides.
- Worldwide Tours Long-haul guided group holidays to international destinations across Asia, Africa, the Americas, and the Middle East, including Egypt, Vietnam, India, China, South Africa, Peru, and Jordan.
- Solo Holidays Group holidays designed for solo travellers, offering guided tours with like-minded people and avoiding single supplement charges where possible.
- City Breaks Short escorted breaks to European cities featuring guided sightseeing and free leisure time.
- River Cruise Holidays Guided holidays combining escorted tours with river cruises, including Nile cruises.
- Tailored Group Holidays Customised group travel packages with group rates for parties of 10 or more travellers, including extended families, friend groups, and corporate or social groups.
- Small Group Tours Small-group touring experiences with a reduced maximum group size designed for a more intimate guided holiday experience.
- Over 50s Holidays Guided group holidays tailored for travellers aged over 50, with leisurely pacing and comfortable accommodation.
- Gift Vouchers Purchasable gift vouchers that can be redeemed against Travel Department holiday bookings.
- Last Minute Holidays Special late-departure guided holidays offered at discounted rates to fill remaining capacity.
Companies that use Travel Department
Customer profileSegments4 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
Travel Department technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Travel Department partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
One partnership is on record.
- TD active HolidayscoreTD active Holidays is a subsidiary brand specializing in adventure and activity-based holidays including walking holidays, yoga holidays, photography holidays, and small group explore tours. Operates from tdactiveholidays.com targeting customers seeking more active travel experiences.
Scale indicators3 records
Recent moves1 record
Expansion highlights5 records
Travel Department competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- Trafalgar Tours: Global guided-holiday brand (part of The Travel Corporation) operating escorted tours across six continents. Comparable escorted-tour product but at much larger scale and global reach.
- Cosmos Tours: Globally operating escorted-tour and river-cruise brand offering value-oriented guided holidays. Comparable in escorted-tour product and breadth of European/Worldwide itineraries.
- TUI Group: European leisure travel conglomerate offering package holidays, tours, cruises, and city breaks. Broad incumbent competing across overlapping product categories, though at much larger scale and with its own airline and hotel assets.
- Insight Vacations: Premium escorted-tour brand under The Travel Corporation offering guided trips across Europe, the Americas, and beyond. Comparable guided-tour format with a premium overlay versus Travel Department's mid-market positioning.
Direct peers
- Newmarket Holidays: UK escorted tour operator offering short breaks, escorted holidays, and river cruises. Direct competitor in the escorted guided-tour category with similar mid-market positioning and UK departure base.
- Riviera Travel: UK-based escorted tour operator offering guided holidays, river cruises, and city breaks across Europe and worldwide. Closely comparable in product mix, escorted-tour format, and target customer (UK/Ireland mature traveler).
- Travelsphere: UK escorted-holidays and tours operator serving a similar over-50s and guided-tour customer. Comparable in escorted tour product, all-inclusive pricing, and UK/Ireland market overlap.
Emerging players
- Intrepid Travel: Small-group adventure and sustainable-tour operator active across all continents. Comparable to TD active Holidays on adventure, small-group, and ESG-oriented travel experiences.
- G Adventures: Small-group adventure tour operator offering walking, cultural, and active tours worldwide. Comparable to TD active Holidays sub-brand in adventure-format small-group tours.
Regional players
- Abbey Travel: Irish-owned travel agency and tour operator based in Dublin offering packaged holidays, group tours, and cruises. Direct regional competitor within the Republic of Ireland departure market.
Market position
Strengths3 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Travel Department social profiles
Digital presenceTravel Department financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Travel Department leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Travel Department subsidiaries and ownership
Company hierarchySubsidiaries2 records
Travel Department funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Travel Department 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 Travel Department
What does Travel Department do?
Travel Department is an Irish travel agency and tour operator that sells all-inclusive guided group holidays and escorted tours to destinations across Europe, the Americas, Asia, Africa, the Middle East, and Australia. Each package bundles flights, accommodation, airport transfers, and guided excursions led by expert local guides, with departures from Dublin, Shannon, and Cork airports. The company also operates the TD active Holidays sub-brand for adventure and wellness travel (yoga, photography, walking, and Camino tours).
Is Travel Department a public or private company?
Travel Department is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Travel Department founded?
Travel Department was founded in 1995. It employs 51 to 100 people.
Where is Travel Department based?
Travel Department is headquartered in Dublin, Ireland, in the Europe region.
How does Travel Department make money?
One revenue line is on record: package Holiday Sales.
Who are Travel Department's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are Trafalgar Tours, Cosmos Tours, TUI Group and Insight Vacations. Direct peers are Newmarket Holidays, Riviera Travel and Travelsphere. Emerging players are Intrepid Travel and G Adventures. Abbey Travel is listed as a regional player.
Does Travel Department have an API?
No public API is recorded for Travel Department.
What industry is Travel Department in?
Travel Department's product category is Tour Operator Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is THAKADAA, Escorted Coach & Bus Package Tour Operators, with a secondary code of THAKABAD, Adventure & Active Travel Agencies. Its NAICS code is 561520 and its SIC code is 4700.