May 2014: Regional Tours
To expand on the multi-country European tours Expat Explore already offered, new in-depth regional tours to the United Kingdom and Italy were added. The first regional tour was the 8-day Taste of Italy tour that departed in May 2014 with 23 passengers. The itinerary included idyllic destinations like Rome, Lake Garda and Tuscany and continues to do so to this day.
2014: Making Travel Possible
In 2014, Jakes and Carl made the decision to offer Expat Explore passengers the promise of a tour made for everyone. So, whether you’re a solo traveller, a group of friends or a family travelling together, on Expat Explore tours, you’ll find like-minded travellers, ready to discover incredible destinations together!
May 2015: Alpenrose Hotel & Gardens opens its doors!
In the summer of 2014, a hotel in the Jungfrau Region of Switzerland came up for sale. Frequent traveller to Wilderswil and surrounds, Carl fell in love with the beauty of the Alps and purchased the hotel. Renovations started in 2015, and after it was completed in a record time of six weeks, the new Alpenrose Hotel & Gardens opened its doors for Expat Explore guests in May 2015.
2017: Celebrating over 12 years of travel excellence!
By 2017, Expat Explore had grown to even bigger heights, welcoming over 15,000 passengers per annum. With 31 tour leaders on the road, leading passengers to over 35 countries on more than 50 different tour itineraries, Expat Explore has established itself as one of the best Europe tour operators around.
2019: Celebrating over 15 years of travel excellence!
Reaching the 15-year milestone, Expat Explore’s passion for travel grew to even stronger heights with the firm belief that travel is #BetterTogether. In 2019, over 17,900 people travelled with Expat Explore. It was our biggest year yet with regards to the number of travellers! Expat Explore’s tours expanded to include more destinations in Europe, the UK, the USA and Canada, Asia, Africa, the Middle East and South America; making travel possible around the world.
2020-2021: Travel was paused… then we pressed play!
2020 was an unprecedented year for travel and the world at large. It began as normal and Expat Explore launched South America as a new destination; operating the first South America tour in February 2020.
Life came to a halt with the surge of Covid-19. The world entered a global pandemic and faced the ensuing lockdowns and travel restrictions. Travel was paused for 2020 and most of 2021. In nearly 20 years of operation, Expat Explore has seen it all. However, Covid-19 was the biggest challenge yet. Expat Explore had two major focuses on how to survive the pandemic:
- Make sure Expat Explore’s customers would be able to move their bookings to a future date that best suited their needs.
- Look after as many of our loyal staff as possible.
Expat Explore used the time to restructure business operations and it was a major period of innovation. Many fantastic concepts were born during this period!
Expat Explore began operating tours again in September 2021 with heightened safety measures for travellers and staff. This continued throughout 2021, with festive tours on the road over December 2021 and January 2022. While it was an incredibly tough time globally, Expat Explore recovered and began moving forward in a stronger position than ever before, while maintaining the goal of enriching people’s lives through travel!
2022 - 2023: Back on the road and better than ever with rail tours and more!
Travel returned in full force over the course of 2022. That same year, Expat Explore launched a new tour destination - Japan! In September 2022, Expat Explore hosted the inaugural Highlights of Japan tour. Excitingly, we were one of the only tourist groups in Japan when we travelled in September 2022 as the country gradually lifted travel restrictions. In 2022, Expat Explore also ran a trial of the first batch of brand-new rail tours and has continued developing these products further to create more unmissable experiences for our travellers to enjoy in the future!
In 2022, Expat Explore also moved into brand new offices in Greenwich, London, where the UK team continues to #MakeTravelPossible for our travellers from around the world.
2023 - 2024: Always exploring new and exciting destinations!
Travel is back in full swing, and so is our passion for discovering more of the world! 2023 saw a global resurgence in travel with travellers wishing to explore more than ever before. To address the ever-growing demand and desire to travel, the Expat Explore team grew significantly, welcoming new team members in every area of the business.
March 2023 saw the first-ever Mega Company Training (MCT) tour, which brought together tour leaders, drivers and office staff on a journey to some of Expat Explore’s top destinations.
In May of 2024, Expat Explore will embark on a Discovery Tour of Morocco with an excited group of avid explorers. As the first tour testing out a new itinerary, a Discovery Tour offers an unmissable opportunity to not only experience a destination but also get a glimpse into how our expert itineraries are crafted!
Expat Explore is incredibly excited to offer more enriching travel opportunities through new destinations and exciting travel experiences in 2024 and beyond!