Dear travellers,
I am delighted to announce the re-launch of Travel The Unknown, a company I had co-founded and grown since 2008, but forced to close down in August 2021 due to the unprecedented and unrelenting nature of the Covid pandemic which ground international travel to a halt. During the past two years we rebooked trips and flights for numerous clients, fought with airlines for refunds, and conducted almost 30 webinars showcasing our incredible destinations supported by our wonderful partners and expert speakers from around the world. Sadly, despite our best efforts to keep going we eventually had to make the gut-wrenching decision to close down our business.Â
However, despite the huge personal cost of winding up the business, I was not willing to give up on 15 years of hard work or let down our partners and guides abroad who have suffered a great deal. I have been able to buy back the assets, and I am eagerly looking forward to the challenge of restarting the company again. The past few years has given me plenty of time to reflect on the many things we did well and on areas where we could improve further. Therefore, I plan to introduce the following changes to how we run and manage the business.
Payment protection and refunds
I fully understand the importance of payment protection, so we have become members of the Protected Trust Services. Therefore, irrespective of which country you come from, all payments will go directly into a trust bank account independent of Travel The Unknown, which is maintained and audited by a third party. These funds are protected until your trip is complete, except either to make necessary advance payments to suppliers or provide refunds - meaning we can guarantee refunds within 14 days. And God forbid the company were to become insolvent, the trust scheme providers will reimburse your full payment.
More on financial protection >>
Sustainability
The concept of ‘sustainable tourism’ has been around for some time and the post-Covid world has awoken to a new reality where tourism cannot continue as it used to. Having recently been awarded the Professional Certificate in Sustainable Tourism by the Global Sustainable Tourism Council, I am in the process of analysing all aspects of our tours and ensure that our trips are run as sustainably as possible, which I believe will not only make our tours even more respectful of the natural environments and communities visited on our trips, but they will make for more enriching travel experiences. Although we have always tried to spread the benefits of tourism by taking our clients away from crowded centres to more remote parts of countries, there is more we can do.Â
Wildlife and nature
The impact of Covid has highlighted the fragile nature of our environment and the importance of the natural world for maintaining healthy ecosystems on which we are all dependent. Tourism has a vital role in preserving these pristine wildernesses and protecting rare flora and fauna - if managed properly. We already run some wildlife and nature-themed tours in places like Costa Rica, India, Borneo and Madagascar, and I plan to introduce more destinations over time in Africa, the Canadian Arctic and Europe.
Finally ...
I would like to thank all of you for your support and trust in Travel The Unknown. As the world now opens up I sincerely hope we can inspire you to travel with us again in the near future.
Happy travels.
Rahul Aggarwal
Founder & Director
I am delighted to announce the re-launch of Travel The Unknown, a company I had co-founded and grown since 2008, but forced to close down in August 2021 due to the unprecedented and unrelenting nature of the Covid pandemic which ground international travel to a halt. During the past two years we rebooked trips and flights for numerous clients, fought with airlines for refunds, and conducted almost 30 webinars showcasing our incredible destinations supported by our wonderful partners and expert speakers from around the world. Sadly, despite our best efforts to keep going we eventually had to make the gut-wrenching decision to close down our business.Â
However, despite the huge personal cost of winding up the business, I was not willing to give up on 15 years of hard work or let down our partners and guides abroad who have suffered a great deal. I have been able to buy back the assets, and I am eagerly looking forward to the challenge of restarting the company again. The past few years has given me plenty of time to reflect on the many things we did well and on areas where we could improve further. Therefore, I plan to introduce the following changes to how we run and manage the business.
Payment protection and refunds
I fully understand the importance of payment protection, so we have become members of the Protected Trust Services. Therefore, irrespective of which country you come from, all payments will go directly into a trust bank account independent of Travel The Unknown, which is maintained and audited by a third party. These funds are protected until your trip is complete, except either to make necessary advance payments to suppliers or provide refunds - meaning we can guarantee refunds within 14 days. And God forbid the company were to become insolvent, the trust scheme providers will reimburse your full payment.
More on financial protection >>
Sustainability
The concept of ‘sustainable tourism’ has been around for some time and the post-Covid world has awoken to a new reality where tourism cannot continue as it used to. Having recently been awarded the Professional Certificate in Sustainable Tourism by the Global Sustainable Tourism Council, I am in the process of analysing all aspects of our tours and ensure that our trips are run as sustainably as possible, which I believe will not only make our tours even more respectful of the natural environments and communities visited on our trips, but they will make for more enriching travel experiences. Although we have always tried to spread the benefits of tourism by taking our clients away from crowded centres to more remote parts of countries, there is more we can do.Â
Wildlife and nature
The impact of Covid has highlighted the fragile nature of our environment and the importance of the natural world for maintaining healthy ecosystems on which we are all dependent. Tourism has a vital role in preserving these pristine wildernesses and protecting rare flora and fauna - if managed properly. We already run some wildlife and nature-themed tours in places like Costa Rica, India, Borneo and Madagascar, and I plan to introduce more destinations over time in Africa, the Canadian Arctic and Europe.
Finally ...
I would like to thank all of you for your support and trust in Travel The Unknown. As the world now opens up I sincerely hope we can inspire you to travel with us again in the near future.
Happy travels.
Rahul Aggarwal
Founder & Director