What sets True Travel apart from its peers is the exclusivity of the activities it offers. Shunning conventional ideas found through a simple internet search, True Travel embraces a more imaginative approach. To fulfil its mission, the luxury travel operator has meticulously developed a global network of local guides and experts, ensuring an authentic and genuinely transformative experience for their guests.
Learn a little more about our latest addition to the Walpole family in our interview with True Travel's founder, Henry Morley...
Walpole: Tell us about the history of your brand?
Henry Morely: In 2013 I bought a 1987 Land Cruiser from eBay and decided to drive down to Cape Town from London, travelling across Europe, crossing from Turkey to the northern coast of Egypt and down the whole eastern coast of the African continent. It was a life changing trip and one that got me hooked on travel – and started my love affair with Africa. Shortly after I returned to London, I set up True Travel with the aim of sharing those experiences with clients.
Starting in Africa, before growing into Asia, the Middle East, Europe and then Latin America, the business was built on the recruitment of exceptionally talented destination experts, with an inherent curiosity to unveil new experiences in new destinations and a conscious effort to ensure that every single trip that we create has a positive impact. The business grew as clients returned year after year, referring True Travel to their friends and family. Ten years later, the company is going from strength to strength.
What is your brand best known for?
We are a team of passionate, global travellers with deep expertise of our specialist destinations. Hand-crafted travel, designed around the individual, is a dying art. We are known for preserving that skill.
What has been a significant achievement in your company’s timeline?
Firstly, navigating the turbulence of Covid within our industry, and rebuilding revenues within 12 months, through sheer hard graft and furious innovation. This was made possible by the close relationships we have built over the years with our loyal clients, combined with the enormous efforts from our team.
Secondly, this year we have received our B Corp certification and become one of just a handful of tour operators worldwide to have achieved this accolade. The B Corp certification is awarded to companies that excel in their mission to promote environmentally and socially conscious practices, demonstrating genuine impact in areas such as community, employee welfare, ethics and of course sustainability. The process took us eight months, answering more than 300 questions and submitting a huge volume of supporting documentation. The certification process was lengthy, complex and meticulous in detail, but this rigorous process is exactly why we believe B Corp to be the true gold standard that all travel companies should benchmark their operations against.
Why do you love the brand?
I love True Travel because we deliver absolute quality in everything that we do. We are still a family-owned business, led by a team of passionate travellers, who design extraordinary experiences around the world, and care so much about what they do. In an industry where the bottom line too often drives decisions, we swim against the tide, prioritising our clients in every single decision we make. As a result our referral rate is one of the highest in our industry.
Why does your brand represent the very best in British luxury?
The luxury travel industry’s spiritual home is in London; seen around the world as the epicentre of genuine expertise. From the very first trip we created ten years ago, we compared the process to creating a masterpiece. Beginning with a blank canvas, drilling into the fine detail of what our customers were hoping to achieve, before curating a hand crafted proposal, based around that individual and their aspirations. To execute that promise, there is no hiding place. You need a team of absolute experts, masters of their craft. And that is what our brand represents. Genuine, tailor-made travel curation is a dying art. True Travel, a British luxury brand, is preserving that skill.
What attracted you to becoming a Walpole member?
Walpole is an esteemed institution bringing together the greatest names in British luxury. To be able to collaborate and connect with like-minded brands in the industry, and share in our knowledge and insights, is a wonderful opportunity. At True Travel, we are proud to be infinitely curious, and this comes with a fervour to learn, grow and evolve as a brand, never becoming complacent and always remaining part of the conversation.
If you could collaborate with another Walpole member, which one would you choose (and what would you like to do)?
I would love to collaborate with Aston Martin, to create an exclusive UK experience for our joint clients, combining True Travel’s black book of experiences and Aston Martin’s access to adrenaline.
Tell us about an exciting development or new launch for your brand in the coming months?
We are launching a collection of "non-Googleable" luxury experiences, taking our clients under the ropes, behind the scenes and through hidden doors, introducing them to people and places they never thought they could access. It will be a world first in the luxury travel industry.
> Visit True Travel's member profile here
