By now you probably know that Expat Explore is all about exciting group travel tours. As one of the best small group tour companies operating simultaneously in Europe, Africa, South America, South-East Asia, Jordan, Israel and America, we make it our business to tailor group trips that are suitable for solo holidays, families, young adults, and even senior travel groups. What you probably didn’t know is that all this started with two young guys who loved showing their friends around Europe. 

Here are a few interesting facts about Expat Explore, and how we make organised group travel a fun, rewarding experience for everyone who steps foot aboard one of our coaches: 

1.  Expat Explore was founded by two South Africans, Jakes and Carl, who lived in the UK as expats at the time – hence the name. 

Back in 2005, Carl Cronje and Jakes Maritz were two South African expats living in the UK. They loved to travel and started taking their friends and friends-of-friends for weekend trips to Paris and Amsterdam. They soon realised that they love sharing the wonder of travel with others. Starting with the very first Expat Explore tours, Carl and Jakes hand-selected accommodation, experiences and transport – as they continue to do today. They wanted to build a travel group company that would offer affordable, comfortable tours that give you value for money, and it’s exactly what they did! 

2. We’re a global tour operator, not an agent.  

From 200 passengers in 2005 to over 18,000 passengers per annum in 2019, Expat Explore has since grown to offer over 60 guaranteed-departure group tour packages to destinations across Europe, the UK, Turkey, Greece, Croatia, Egypt, Israel, Jordan, South Africa and the USA. The one element that has never changed is our unwavering drive to deliver quality, affordable tours that offer excellent value for money.

3. We have two head offices, but we run our business mainly online. 

We’re a bunch of enthusiastic group travel experts that take great pleasure in designing and offering affordable holidays around the globe. While our offices are based in London, UK and Cape Town, South Africa – we have an active community of hard-working explorers from all around the world – including Australia, New Zealand, Canada, Ireland, the UK, Romania, Lithuania, Greece, Namibia and South Africa.

We’ve been on the road for over 14 years and we’re connected like never before. Most people that book with us do so online and most of everything we do happens online, so we’re connected and moving all around the world, all the time.

4. Our group travel tours are not only for expats (as our name might have you think!). 

As mentioned above, Jakes and Carl founded Expat Explore as two expats living and working in the UK back in 2005. Initially, the group tours were mostly for expats working in the UK, but it wasn’t long before everyone else started joining in. Over the years, thousands of passengers of all ages and backgrounds have explored the world’s most enticing destinations with us. And it’s still the case to this day.  We’re proud to be celebrating 14 years on the road this year!

5. Why we do what we do. 

The more you see and do, the more you learn and the deeper your appreciation becomes for this fascinating planet we call home. At Expat Explore, we live this belief through our passion for travel. This is why we create group travel packages that provide the opportunity for adventurers from around the globe to step outside their comfort zones, explore destinations and develop a better understanding of the world and the people around them. We believe that a combination of curiosity and the courage to satisfy that yearning leads to a better understanding of the world, and life in general. This is our passion, and our mission is to share it with as many people as we can. 

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So whether you’re on the lookout for single-parent holidays, last-minute solo holidays, exciting group holiday destinations or simply in the market for well-planned group trips abroad, there is bound to be an Expat Explore trip that will tick all your must-have boxes. Go on, have a browse…