Explore Worldwide

A British small-group operator with a worldwide range

Explore Worldwide is a UK tour operator that runs small-group adventure trips with local tour leaders in around 100 countries. Its About page says the story began in 1981, when founders Travers Cox and Derek Moore listed six tours in a four-page brochure. The footer gives the registered company as Explore Worldwide Ltd, with its registered office in Farnborough, Hampshire, and the compliance page places it in the DERTOUR Group, the tourism division of the German REWE Group. The site has versions for Australia, Canada, Europe, Switzerland, New Zealand, the UK and the US; the US version gives a toll-free number. The destination menu covers Europe in depth, from Albania and the Balkans to Scandinavia, the Baltic States, the Faroe Islands, Portugal and Turkey, plus Africa (from Morocco and West Africa to Kenya, Tanzania, Botswana and Madagascar), Asia and the Silk Road, the Middle East (Jordan, Oman, Saudi Arabia), North, Central and South America, the Caribbean, Australasia, and polar voyages to Antarctica, the Arctic, Greenland, Spitsbergen, South Georgia and the Falklands.

Trip styles and the range

The homepage says the company offers "over 350 tours in around 100 countries worldwide", while the About page speaks of "over 400 trips"; the difference is not explained. Trips fall into Cultural Discovery, Walking & Hiking, Biking Adventures, Wildlife, Family Adventures, Solo, Polar and Food & Drink, with trip types including rail journeys, boat journeys, eclipse trips and activity holidays. Walking trips range from Spain, Italy, Portugal, Greece and the UK to Patagonia, the Inca Trail, Mount Toubkal and Nepal treks, and the menu promotes Kilimanjaro treks, African safaris, big cat safaris and whale and dolphin watching. New trips for 2027 include a Western USA National Parks Explorer road trip and a Canadian Rockies and Pacific Coast tour. An "Explore Upgraded" range adds premium accommodation, and family trips are organized around school breaks. The wildlife menu names India, Sri Lanka, Canada, South Africa, Costa Rica, Botswana, Namibia, Madagascar and the Galapagos as top destinations, and the family menu lists Croatia, Italy, Thailand, Vietnam and South Africa, with a travel guide aimed at single parents. For polar trips, the site publishes a guide to its expedition ships and a special Polar edition of its magazine.

Group size, leaders and pace

Groups are small. The homepage describes "Average groups of 11; solos, couples and friends", and the About page says trips are "typically with around 11 people". Leaders are local: the About page says tours are "Guided by locals who know their regions inside and out", and the homepage says tour leaders are chosen for their knowledge of the destination.

The site grades trips so travelers can judge the effort. A Trip Pace page defines three levels. Full On trips pack in activities with early starts, long drives and busy days, and the page admits "Some may find them tiring". Moderate trips balance busy days with time to rest; the page's example is a Turkey trip that spends one week walking in the Taurus Mountains and the next on a traditional gulet. Relaxed trips leave plenty of free time for travelers who want an easy pace. Walking trips carry their own grades from Leisurely to Tough, cycling trips from Leisurely to Challenging, and wildlife trips have a wildlife grading. The site suggests seven easy trips as an introduction to walking holidays.

Booking, flexibility and support

Tours are booked on the site, with a wishlist, a Manage my booking area and an order form for brochures. The homepage says flexible booking arrangements and safety policies "come standard" under a scheme called Explore Flex, and the footer links to booking conditions, financial protection, travel updates, flights and transfers pages. Current offers include 20% off selected Europe and Turkey departures for 2027 and up to 20% off Peru tours, alongside last-minute deals, a refer-a-friend discount and a Loyalty Club whose benefits, the site says, can be shared with up to five family members. A "Switch your loyalty" offer rewards previous loyalty to other companies.

The site also runs online events, such as a Zoom session on Asia, publishes The Explorer magazine, and offers guides for first-time walkers, cyclists, trekkers and solo women travelers. Support in the US is by phone on 18007151746, open 9-6pm EST according to the header, and through an online support center. The homepage says 98% of customers say they would book with Explore again, and the menu shows a Feefo Platinum Trusted Service Award.

Sustainability

The About page lists milestones: offsetting customer flights with Cool Earth from 2008, ending elephant riding on its holidays in 2016, carbon-offsetting whole trips from 2020 with an Animal Protection Policy, launching the Explore Foundation in 2023, and B Corp certification by 2024. The menu adds a published carbon footprint for every trip and a partnership with Rewilding Britain. The About page frames this under the mantra "to be better than yesterday", with commitments grouped as Our Planet, Our Places and Our People, including a stated aim that its trips bring no negative impact to host communities, wildlife or landscapes. The footer links to a purpose paper, a climate change page and a modern slavery statement, and the homepage tagline for the service side is "Made by Humans".

What the pages leave open, and who it suits

The overview pages give no trip prices, deposit amounts or cancellation charges; the details of Explore Flex and the booking conditions sit on separate pages, so travelers should read them before paying. The flights page is linked from the menu, but the overview pages do not say whether flights are included in tour prices for US customers. The two different trip counts, 350 and 400, also go unexplained. Group sizes are given as an average of 11 rather than a maximum.

Explore suits travelers who want a well-established operator for small-group trips with local leaders, clear pace and difficulty grades, and a very wide choice of places, from a walking week in Portugal to an Antarctic voyage. Solo travelers and families have their own ranges. Those who want a fully private trip or a fixed maximum group size should check each trip page, but for graded, locally led group travel the company's range is broad.