Why I set up a group travel company for 30-40 something solos

When she discovered a glaring gap in the market for group travel tours featuring 30- and 40-something solo travellers, Flash Pack co-founder and CEO Radha Vyas took matters into her own hands.

Summer 2012. I was single, in my thirties, completely tired of my job and desperate for a holiday. You know that feeling when you just need to escape and you need to escape NOW…? That was me. I’d always wanted to go to Cambodia so I decided it was finally time to tick it off the bucket list and excitedly set about trying to recruit a partner-in-crime. I racked my brain and my Facebook account but the reality slowly sunk in. I had no-one to travel with.

The origins of Flash Pack

All my friends were busy booking holidays to Devon and Maldives with their children or new husbands. What should I do? I could either go with, and act as an unpaid babysitter, or go on holiday on my own, which I was tired of doing. Who likes the idea of a dinner table for one on a beautiful beach?

While ranting about my dilemma to a friend, she suggested I look into a group tour. Group tour?! Me? The intrepid traveller? It seemed as though I had few other options. I found a couple of big companies offering loads of different group tours.

Travel has the ability to be a transformative experience

The slightly more dynamic itineraries I found were catering to the 18-30s market, which seems like a weird age bracket (what does a 30-year-old have in common with an 18-year-old?).

There was another option to travel with a much more mature group of travellers aged 60-70s. I finally settled on the 18-30s tour, on the basis that I do like a drink and a boogie in the evenings. There would probably be someone of similar age and life experience to me, right? Nope.

A bland experience

Day One and all 15 of us sat round a table in a slightly grotty hotel in Bangkok, Thailand. As an “ice-breaker”, the tour guide asked us all to introduce ourselves one by one. A sprightly young Italian girl started “Hi I’m Fabiana from Italy and I’m 19”. And so it continued around the table. Oh God, the shame! I felt like I was at an AA meeting but instead of declaring an addiction, I had to declare that I was 32 and past it. Cue the raised eyebrows and funny looks. It was the first time in my life I felt old and totally out of place.

The 10 days were pleasant enough, the group were all friendly, fresh-faced travel virgins. We were ferried from an air-conditioned bus to an air-conditioned hotel and ate our watery noodles in specified tourist restaurants to avoid any possibility of an upset stomach.

The reality sunk in: I had no-one to explore the world with

When I got back home my Dad excitedly asked me lots of questions about my time in Cambodia: the culture, people and everyday life. I couldn’t answer a single question. My Dad looked at me like I was some kind of idiot but I’d had zero contact with any Cambodians. I had no funny stories of lost-in-translation moments with locals, no amazing street food recommendations or any idea of what life is like for an ordinary Cambodian. 

The whole trip was a canned experience, spent ticking off the usual tourist destinations and snapping Facebook profile pictures. It was bland, just like our noodles, and I was left feeling totally unsatisfied with my trip. I didn’t want to go backpacking around the world – I just wanted an authentic holiday with the chance to meet local people.

A lightbulb moment

On my return I started researching the group tours – and I realised that the existing industry was set up predominantly for young gap year students and travellers in their 20s. The needs of 30- and 40-something solo travellers, who are busy professionals and aren’t looking for a singles holiday, were being ignored. This got me thinking about a new business idea, and I started to get really, really excited.

Around this time, my co-founder and now-husband Lee Thompson (pictured below) came on-board with the adventure. His background as a photojournalist for national newspapers added an extra dimension to our quest for boundary-pushing escapes. Our focus groups revealed there are loads of people out there who want to continue indulging their passion for travel but worry that group tours are outdated.

So many of us are also missing out on amazing holidays because of the security issue with travelling alone. And an increasing number of professionals want to take career breaks but are daunted by the prospect of solo holidays.

A different kind of travel

Et voilà, nine months later Flash Pack was born. Our mission is to shake up the outdated group tour industry and cater to passionate solo travellers – just like me.

I’m obsessed with really getting under the skin of the countries that I visit. Living abroad in Spain and Chile in my 20s gave me the opportunity to understand the psyche of a nation and what makes it tick. Now time is much more limited but the obsession remains, and every itinerary we create is carefully crafted around this principle.

No-one should come back from a holiday without feeling alive

If done right, travel has the ability to be a transformative experience. I’m not talking about the clichéd “go find yourself” nonsense. I’m just talking about the fact that no-one should come back from a holiday without feeling alive and in love with life. It’s about breaking the mundane routine of work for two weeks, experiencing something totally different and giving your brain the chance to shift gear.

Since starting the business in 2013 we’ve taken thousands of single travellers in their 30s and 40s all over the world in small groups, and have created raving fans (check out some of the reviews on Trustpilot). Our group adventures are dynamic, and we include loads of unique and local Pack experiences. We also prioritise new friendships. No hidden fees or tourist traps, and not an inebriated 18-year-old in sight. 

Feeling motivated? Find out how Flash Pack works, and celebrate your 30s and 40s by exploring the world with other like-minded travellers.

Got a story or adventure that could inspire a solo traveller like you? Tag @flashpack on social or email [email protected] to be featured.