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MCI targets UK top 10 for restructured tour operator Thomas Cook

MCI's portfolio company eSky bought Thomas Cook after previous owner Chinese Fosun Tourism Group restructured the business.

MCI portfolio company eSky hopes to bridge the gap between the size and reputation of storied UK tour operator Thomas Cook, just a few years after the company collapsed, was restructured and then had to battle against the covid-19 pandemic.

Speaking to PE Hub , Michał Górecki, MCI senior investment partner, said the private equity firm sees “big potential” in developing and growing London-HQ’d Thomas Cook in the UK, which Górecki called a “massive market.”

MCI-backed eSky Group bought travel brand Thomas Cook from Chinese Fosun Tourism Group in early September. eSky, an online travel company based in Katowice, Poland, is part-owned by Warsaw-based private equity fund MCI.

MCI sees a “huge gap between what is the brand recognition and what is the actual size of Thomas Cook.” The company is a household name in the UK, where it is the oldest travel brand.

“We can at least partially bridge that gap and gain significant market share, ideally… to become a top 10 in the in the market in UK, maybe closer to top five,” Górecki said.

MCI is also considering more add-ons for eSky, especially in the flight sector, which will remain a significant portion of the business.

“In this segment, we think the buy-and-build strategy is something that we might be following, especially with some local strong players that are not capable to scale outside of a particular country but have good market recognition and brand recognition in their focused market,” said Górecki.

Long, turbulent journey

Fosun is selling Thomas Cook for up to £30 million ($40 million; €36 million), according to a filing on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange. The price includes two additional payments of £4 million, one paid if Thomas Cook reaches £200 million in value in any financial year up to 31 December 2028 and the other additional payment if it reaches £300 million over the same timeframe.

Fosun purchased Thomas Cook in 2019, after the firm collapsed, yet MCI now sees Thomas Cook as the “perfect fit” for eSky.

Speaking about the collapse, MCI’s Górecki said that Thomas Cook’s structure has been simplified, thanks to Fosun. This was achieved amid wider geopolitical challenges stemming from the covid-19 pandemic, as well as conflict in the Middle East and in Ukraine.

“[Before the collapse] it was a traditional tour operator, with all the businesses inside, including airlines, shops and many sub brands – a very complicated structure,” Górecki explained.

“After it was took over, they [Fosun] resurrected it into a light form, as a virtual tour operator, selling dynamic packages similar to Love Holidays or On The Beach.”

With this change of structure, MCI sees potential in Thomas Cook, as it is now “already a dynamic packaging business.”

Górecki also sees opportunities for Thomas Cook in eSky’s home region of central and eastern Europe. Travel operators in the region are “very traditional,” usually just chartering flights or helping pre-book hotels, rather than offering holiday packages, as Thomas Cook does.

This means that they carry currency risk and capacity risk at the end of seasons, which Górecki said is “everything that caused the historical Thomas Cook to collapse.”

Thomas Cook’s strategy post-collapse is one that MCI wants to follow with eSky. Pairing this with Thomas Cook’s reputation as the oldest travel brand in the UK, the acquisition is a “perfect fit.”

“People know it. People recognize it. They know what it’s about,” said Górecki. “You don’t have to explain what Thomas Cook is selling to anyone, even here in Poland.”

Traveling on

Looking at the travel sector, which has seen remarkable highs and lows since 2020, the future is less certain.

The pandemic saw the travel industry take a hit, with vacations limited by lockdowns. Once restrictions were lifted, the travel sector unsurprisingly soared, with holiday makers making the most of the hot weather and trips away.

This resurrection of the travel industry came despite spiking inflation pairing with a cost-of-living crisis. Since that comeback the market has plateaued. But looking ahead, Górecki said, “there might be ups and downs.”

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Savvy Travel Advice

Thomas Cook History: The Tale of the Father of Modern Tourism

Last updated: March 21, 2021 - Written by Jessica Norah 42 Comments

Do you know who Thomas Cook was and what contribution he made to the history of travel? Perhaps you have heard the name, seen it on the travel agencies that still carry his name, or maybe you’ve even taken a Thomas Cook tour. But my guess is that, like me, you don’t know too much about the man or how he fits into the history of travel.

Thomas Cook was a passionate man who was born into a world where most working class people worked long 6-day weeks and never traveled more than 20 miles from their home towns. Thomas would begin work at age 10, laboring in a vegetable garden for 1 penny per day; but with a lot of determination and hard work, this working class man would eventually build one of the largest travel companies in the world.

This post is dedicated to the memory of Thomas Cook and his role in history and will give you a good overview of Thomas the man, Thomas the travel pioneer, and a glimpse of what it was like to travel in the Victorian age.

Table of Contents:

Who was Thomas Cook?

Thomas Cook was born in 1808 in the small town of Melbourne, England but would be best known for his time living in Leicester. He would finish his schooling at age 10 to begin working, often for only a penny a day, to help support his family.

Throughout his life, Thomas Cook would work as a Baptist preacher, carpenter, furniture maker, printer, publisher, political advocate, and travel organizer. As a Baptist preacher, he would walk thousands of miles and earned so little that he often worked in the dark to conserve candles and oil.

After seeing the effects of drunkenness at an early age, Cook believed that alcohol abuse was one of the major roots of the many social problems in the Victoria era and would spend much of his time and talents supporting the Temperance movement in England for the rest of his life. In fact, Cook’s beginnings as a travel organizer would come about because of his temperance beliefs.

In 1841, he would arrange for a special train to take over 500 people from Leicester to Loughborough to attend a temperance meeting. For 1 shilling, passengers got round trip train travel, band entertainment, afternoon tea, and food. Not a bad deal!

T he Birth of Thomas Cook & Son

Then in 1845, he would organize his first railway excursion for profit, and the following year he would begin offering trips outside England to Scotland, a country that captivated Cook and would remain one of his favorite destinations. For many of his early passengers, this was their first time aboard a train and the furthest distance they’d ever traveled from their home.

His trips kept getting bigger and in 1851, Thomas got the chance to organize railway travel and travel accommodations for people from the provinces to travel to London to attend the Great Exhibition orchestrated by Prince Albert. Thomas would transport over 150,000 people to London during the 6 months of the exhibition. This was one of the largest events in England and one of the largest movements of people within Britain!

Up until this point in time, most people in the provinces would be unlikely to travel to a town 20 miles away, let alone to the city of London. It must have been quite a shock for many people, who likely had never attended an event bigger than a county agricultural fair, to witness the Great Exhibition, where many of the greatest industrial inventions of the time were on display, in the bustling capital city of London.

His early tours would be marketed towards the working class, but later his company would go on to escort more middle class passengers and even organize travel for royalty, the military, and other important figures given his increasing reputation for being able to efficiently organize travel.

Interestingly, a large percentage of Cook’s travelers would be single or unescorted women who likely would not have been able to travel on their own (remember these are the days of Gone with the Wind ), but being part of an escorted tour provided them with both protection and independence.

Cook would rapidly expand operations, escorting tours throughout Europe, North America, and even led the first commercial tour around the world. But perhaps no destination was more sacred to Thomas than his tours to Egypt and the Middle East. Here Thomas could witness firsthand the Biblical lands he had read and preached about all his life, and spending time in the Holy Land was truly a realization of many of his dreams as a young man.

A Man with Many Personal Obstacles and Struggles

Although Thomas Cook & Son would thrive and go on to become one of the largest travel agencies in the world, things did not work out as well for Cook in his personal life. Thomas’ father died when he was very young as did his stepfather, and young Thomas was left to be raised by his widowed mother.

As an adult, he would suffer the tragic sudden death of his only daughter Annie—a young woman on the cusp of marriage—who shared a close relationship with her parents. Thomas’ wife would suffer a long period of ill health following her daughter’s death, eventually dying and leaving Thomas alone with his own failing health that left him almost blind.

In his later years, he had a very strained relationship with his only son and business partner John Mason Cook. Thomas felt that he was being pushed aside in his own company and eventually John Mason Cook would take over all operations from his father. The father and son never truly reconciled and spent very little time together towards the end of his life.

While Thomas’ poor health and eyesight made it increasingly difficult, he continued to be active in travel and temperance activities until near the end of his life. His son would continue to expand the travel business.

What was it like to Travel During the Victorian Era?

Thomas lived during the reign of Queen Victoria—the Victorian era—and while romantic imaginings of spending time aboard the famous Oriental Express, sailing on luxury White Star Line steamships, and staying in grand palatial hotels may have been partially true of the wealthiest of travelers, these are far from the accommodations you could expect as a working class or middle class traveler.

Before widespread railway transport, the stagecoach reigned as the quickest way to get around and only the wealthy could afford such conveniences. So poorer people often walked, hitched rides on the back of wagons and carts, or, if lucky, rode a horse or donkey. In the early days of railway travel, third class train accommodations were open wagons, some without seats, where passengers would have to worry about the wind, sun, dust, locomotive smoke, and glowing hot embers.

During Cook’s travels—particularly his early trips—you would need to worry about germs and disease as very little was understood about germs at the time and the lack of widespread refrigeration and hot water heightened the chances of disease. Restaurants, flush toilets, and even running water were not staples in Great Britain, let alone the rest of the world. Communication was slow and done primarily by postal mail, sometimes taking weeks to confirm reservations or transmit a message back home.

However, things were not all bad. During Thomas’s life so much would change that would make travel faster, cheaper, and more comfortable than ever before. Improvements in the postal service, use of the steam engine, opening of the Suez canal, and the great expansion of the railways would make it possible for Thomas Cook to accomplish things that would not have been possible a generation before him.

Thomas Cook’s tours, with their discounted organized group rates, made it possible for a lot of working and middle class people to travel for the first time.  Cook believed that travel could help educate and enlighten people who, like him, often did not have a proper school education, eliminate prejudices and bigotry, and be a healthy leisure alternative to visiting pubs, gambling halls, and whorehouses.

However, these new travel opportunities for the lower classes was not something that was widely appreciated by many of those in the upper classes of society. Until the nineteenth century, popular tourist destinations were almost exclusively the playground of the wealthy who could afford the time away and expensive cost of travel. The upper classes did not want to mix with the lower classes when traveling.

As Thomas Cook and others began to offer affordable excursion tours to popular destinations such as English country homes (e.g., Chatsworth House), the Rhine River valley, the French Riviera, Egyptian pyramids, and the Swiss Alps, wealthy travelers complained about what they saw as a bunch of uncouth, uneducated common people invading their exclusive travel paradises.

They criticized Thomas Cook and the excursion travelers, and this criticism likely wounded Thomas, who although he strongly believed in the right for all people to be able to travel, he also strived to be accepted by the upper echelons of society. Despite his success, he never was accepted by the upper classes as he was not of gentle birth, but was a working man and a Baptist in a country still largely controlled by wealthy Anglicans.

However, despite all the criticism, the demand for discounted organized travel would only continue to increase. The number of travelers from London who crossed the Channel to continental Europe rose from 165,000 in 1850 to 951,000 by 1899. Travel agencies and organized travel were here to stay.

Why Thomas Cook was a Travel Pioneer

Thomas Cook was a travel pioneer who built one of the largest travel businesses in the world, a business that started very humbly as a way to transport travelers to nearby temperance meetings. Thomas was able to “organize travel as it was never organized before” and with the help of the railways and the steam engine, he was able to do it on a scale that would have never before been possible.

Although not the first to come up with most of the ideas, Thomas would make things like travel vouchers, traveler’s cheques, and printed guidebooks common and widespread. Cook would use his talents as a printer to print travel advertisements, bulletins, magazines, guidebooks, and train timetables.  In fact, Thomas Cook Continental Timetables would be published from 1873 to 2013 (last edition was published in August 2013) and were for many decades considered the bible for European train travelers.

His religious fervor would make him seek out exotic locations such as the Middle East and his determination would lead to Thomas Cook & Son opening offices around the world. Perhaps his greatest legacy is that he helped make it possible for a new group of people to engage in leisure travel. Cook understood well the drudgery of hard work and trying to support oneself on a meager income, and his tours provided working and lower middle class people the opportunity to explore a world they could have only have read about otherwise.

The Thomas Cook & Son name continued to exist as a travel company, offering travel tours until 2019. The company traded for 178 years. But it had not been a family-run business by the Cook family since the 1920’s when Thomas Cook’s grandsons, Frank and Ernest, sold the company to the Belgian Compagnie Internationale des Wagons-Lits et des Grands Express Européens, operators of most of Europe’s luxury sleeping cars, including the Orient Express .

In the 1940’s it would become state-owned by the British Transport Holding Company. It would continue to change hands over the years. In 2001, it would become owned solely by C&N Touristic AG, one of Germany’s largest travel groups, who renamed the company, Thomas Cook AG.

Thomas Cook became one of the world’s largest travel agencies and the oldest in the UK. Its famous slogan developed by advertising expert Michael Hennessy: “Don’t just book it….Thomas Cook it” became well-known around the world.

The Bankruptcy and Closure of the Thomas Cook Travel Agency in 2019

Sadly, the travel agency and airline that carried the Thomas Cook named declared bankruptcy in September 2019, leaving about 150,000 British travelers “stranded” all over the world (as well as a number of other nationalities). Perhaps the most devastating effect has been the immediate loss of thousands of jobs for people in the UK and abroad.

The travel agency, however, was properly insured and protected and most of those who booked a trip can apply for a refund, and those left “stranded” on trips were repatriated by the UK. It was the largest repatriation effort since World War 2.

In October 2019, it was announced that all the Thomas Cook travel agency offices in UK will be taken over by Hays Travel and rebranded under their name. Most of the reopened offices are being staffed by former Thomas Cook employees. Hays Travel is now the largest independent travel agency in the UK, and you can read more about them here .

In 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic wreaked havoc on all sectors of the global travel industry and Hays Travel was forced to close its travel offices in the UK for a large part of the year. Many of the former UK Thomas Cook offices have now been permanently shuttered and many of the employees who had been rehired were sadly made redundant. You can read more about that here .

Although the future of the Thomas Cook name in travel may be uncertain, I would be very surprised if the name does not continue to be associated in some way with a travel agency.

In fact, although all the UK based companies have stopped trading, some Thomas Cook owned resorted, like Cook’s Club are still operating. Some of its subsidiaries in some other countries are still trading as normal but are also in danger of closure.

What I Learned from Reading about Thomas Cook

Thomas Cook was a quite extraordinary self-made man. He had so many occupations and business ventures and so many setback and failures, even declaring bankruptcy at one point, but he was so persistent and never gave up. He was a passionate man who fought for his Baptist faith, beliefs in equality for all people, and for temperance.

In addition to being impressed by the determination and innovativeness of Thomas Cook himself, I was also quite intrigued in the ways that travel has changed and the ways it has not. We have come a long way since Thomas Cook escorted his first tour as we can travel so much lighter, faster, and more conveniently than would have seemed possible to Victorian age travelers who would accept unheated train cars, month-long ocean crossings, and hotels without hot water.

Cook, a teetotaler until his death, would likely be shocked by the tourism industry’s promotion of sun, sea and sex and the partying and drinking associated with many travel destinations. Indeed, many of these locations are the most popular destinations for British travelers on package holidays.

However, some things have not changed very much. Criticisms of organized travel remain with the notion that independent travel is better and people love to make the subjective “traveler” versus “tourist” distinction.  There are also still locations that remain primarily the playgrounds of the wealthy although never like during the Victorian age. Travel remains class segregated as those who can afford to do so can fly in first class seats, dine in the finest restaurants aboard ships, and sleep in the best cabins with little need to spend much time with other class passengers.

One of the things that I found perhaps the most interesting was the destinations promoted by Thomas Cook still remain, with few exceptions, major tourist destinations today. The country house of Chatsworth House is one of the most notable country houses in England today and people are still flocking to the Scottish highlands, Paris, Rhine River Valley, Swiss Alps, Egypt, the ancient city of Petra, Australia, and most of the other destinations promoted by Thomas Cook in the 1800’s.

While things have changed in some ways beyond recognition, many of the world’s wonders and great destinations continue to awe visitors as they must have awed those first pioneer tourists led by Thomas Cook.

Want to Learn More about Thomas Cook and Victorian Age Travel? 

Resources about Thomas Cook (I used these in writing this article) :

-Hamilton, Jill. (2005). Thomas Cook: The Holiday Maker . The History Press.

-Piers Brendon. (1991). Thomas Cook – 150 Years of Popular Tourism . Martin Secker & Warburg Ltd.

-Withey, Lynne. (1997). Grand Tours and Cook’s Tours – A History of Leisure Travel, 1750 to 1915 .  William Morrow & Co. [This book focuses on a broader view of the history of travel including a lot of attention to Thomas Cook tours and their impact on tourism]

-A great Wikipedia link to some of Thomas Cook’s Traveler Handbooks: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cook%27s_Travellers_Handbooks

Another book related to Thomas Cook on my to-read list:

-Swinglehurst, Edmund. (1974).  The Romantic Journey – The Story of Thomas Cook and Victorian Travel . Pica Editions.

So what do you think about Thomas Cook and the Victorian Age of Travel? If you are interested in another article on travel during the Victorian age, check out our post on t wo American women who race around the world in less than 80 days .

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There are 42 comments on this post.

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Baskin Post author

February 28, 2024 at 3:26 am

Wow, so fascinating to read about the history of Thomas Cook, the visionary behind modern tourism. I definitely learned a lot from this about how His legacy continues to shape travel and hospitality industries, very educational post!

Jessica & Laurence Norah Post author

February 28, 2024 at 10:20 am

Thanks for taking the time to comment and glad to hear you enjoyed our article on Thomas Cook. And yes his contributions to the travel industry can definitely still be seend today!

Best, Jessica

Chandra Gurung Post author

May 9, 2023 at 4:15 am

Very interesting post, thanks for the great travel History !!

May 13, 2023 at 8:06 am

Hi Chandra,

Glad you enjoyed our post on Thomas Cook, thanks for taking the time to comment!

Karim Post author

October 29, 2022 at 3:01 pm

Thanks for your blog post on Thomas Cook, very helpful, nice to read.

October 31, 2022 at 10:04 am

Thanks for taking the time to comment, glad you enjoyed our post on Thomas Cook and a bit of the history of the man and his company 😉

Jeanne Gisi Post author

May 24, 2022 at 1:06 pm

While cleaning out some boxes filled with mementos of my travels over the years, I came upon an Itinerary prepared by Thos. Cook & Son for a 6 week European trip in 1965 for my parents & I (I was 13)! It was so fascinating to see the level of detail for each stop, which included England, France, Italy, Spain & Germany; and the beautiful cover & fancy paper used to produce the itinerary. I went looking on the internet to see if they were still in existence & found your blog, which I found so informative about the founder & the many iterations the company had gone through. Probably the most amazing detail in this itinerary was discovering that for hotels in 4 different cities, train rides, rental car & private transport for the entire trip was shown at $328 per person! Astounding! Appreciated reading your historical information about this venerable company.

May 25, 2022 at 5:10 am

So glad you enjoyed our article on the history of Thomas Cook.

Oh, wow, that must be wonderful finding old treasures from your family travels. I love things like that. And yes a 6 week trip for $328 per person (about $3,000 per person in today’s money) would still be a good value today for all that was included for a 6-week trip. And it would have taken longer to put together an itinerary then as the travel agent would have needed to call or mail for inquiries and reservations rather than clicking buttons on a computer.

Yes, Thomas Cook has gone through a lot in recent years. Hays Travel purchased most of the Thomas Cook offices/stores and hired back a lot of the staff in 2019. But then of course the COVID-19 pandemic came soon after, and many of the stores have since re-closed and a number of people had to be let go. For example, our local travel store (in Bath, England) went from a Thomas Cook to a Hays Travel to being empty again in about a year’s time. It will be interesting to see what will happen with traditional travel agencies like this as international travel goes back to 2019 levels and if they will continue to flourish in the face of online competitors.

Ruth Deeks Post author

March 21, 2021 at 8:39 am

Very interesting. My parents who were Baptist missionaries in India had told me that Thomas Cook was a Baptist and gave a special rate to missionaries travelling by boat to and from India, the journey taking 5 weeks approx. I am talking about the 1930s to 1950s. What a shame the The Thomas Cook co. was sold out of the family and went bankrupt.

March 21, 2021 at 9:05 am

Glad you enjoyed our article on Thomas Cook and the history of his travel business. He is an interesting man combining his religion with travel.

Yes, it is sad that the Thomas Cook business went bankrupt. Sadly, the UK travel company which took over most of the Thomas Cook offices in the UK, Hays Travel, has now had to close many of these offices in 2020 due to the coronavirus. This has also sadly left many of the former Thomas Cook employees, many of which were then re-hired by Hays Travel, without a job again. It’s been a very tough couple of years for UK travel agents. Hopefully, 2021 will be a better year for them.

Uwingabire Faustine Post author

November 28, 2020 at 1:03 pm

Hello I was inspired by the theory of Thomas Cook, but wanted to know above all that why was he important in tourism industry?

November 29, 2020 at 7:05 am

Glad you enjoyed our post on Thomas Cook and learning about his life. Hopefully you found your answer about why Thomas Cook was important in the tourism industry from the article. But if not, I’d go back and read the “Why Thomas Cook was a Travel Pioneer” section as that covers a good summary of his achievements related to travel and his importance in the tourism industry.

If you have any further questions, please let me know!

Seba Campos Post author

July 30, 2020 at 6:49 pm

Hi! I am a tourism student from Argentina, I really liked your article and it was extremely revealing for me. I’m working on the Thomas Cook story.

Do you have any information about his family? Why did they decide to sell the company? Why did your son remove him from the company? Thank you so much!

August 1, 2020 at 5:28 am

Glad that you are finding my article helpful in writing your paper on Thomas Cook.

If you are looking for additional information, I’d recommend checking out one of the books about Thomas Cook such as this one by Jill Hamilton published in 2005. The books will give you more details and context than you’ll find online. You should be able to buy it online through Amazon or ebay.

The Thomas Cook company website used to have some good historical information but that information has all been removed since Thomas Cook closed in the UK.

Hope that helps, Jessica

Colin Post author

October 6, 2019 at 5:41 am

Hi Jessica, I was just searching about Thomas Cook after the recent bankruptcy as I was one of the people affected. Luckily for us, we were not on the tour and it was booked several months away, so it seems all will be well in terms of getting our money back. We also have plenty of time to rebook our holiday, so we are luckier than most.

What a great post and what a detailed history of Thomas Cook and his travel company. I have used Thomas Cook to book holidays for years and never knew anything about Thomas Cook, the man or his background. This was a very interesting read!

October 6, 2019 at 6:09 am

Sorry to hear that you were one of the people affected by the Thomas Cook bankruptcy and closure. But I am happy to hear that it sounds like you will receive a full refund for your booked trip and will have plenty of time to rebook your holiday.

So glad you enjoyed our post. Yes, the history of Thomas Cook as a person is very interesting and he was definitely a pioneer in the field of tourism. I am sure the Cook name will continue to be associated with a travel company in one way or another in the future since it is so well recognized worldwide.

Happy travels, Jessica

Eran Post author

December 26, 2018 at 10:21 pm

Hi, Great post! Towards the end of it you mention that a lot of things haven’t changed in travel. However, I think in recent years, with the rise of low-cost flights, now tourism is more reachable to all segments than ever before…

December 27, 2018 at 3:37 am

Hi Eran, Yes, it is amazing how much hasn’t changed and in other ways how much things have changed since the time of Thomas Cook!

I do think that low cost travel has enabled more people to travel, but in more recent times it is probably more due to better economic conditions in countries than things like budget airlines, as we are seeing huge increases in the number of travelers from places like India, China, and Latin America. Travel for leisure is commonplace in many countries, but still remains something for those with money as much of the world’s population can not often afford to travel internationally for leisure. According to Hans Rosling, it is estimated that only the richest 1 billion people in the world live where they can easily afford airplane tickets, and 2 billion people spend less than $2 a day.

Interesting to look at travel from a global perspective as it can be easy for Western people to take it for granted.

Alok kumar mandal Post author

August 17, 2018 at 8:15 am

very interesting and useful facts about Mr. Cook…

August 17, 2018 at 11:32 am

Hi Alok, Yes, Thomas Cook was an interesting man and we the see the effects of his legacy on modern travel all over the place, especially since we are now living in the UK. Best, Jessica

Bryant Kerr Post author

November 4, 2017 at 10:08 pm

I have a old traveling trunk that have the names Colonel Thomas Cook and Sons the other name is Lieutenant Colonel Rodger Young military number 03443 79 New Delhi does anyone know anything about this trunk

November 7, 2017 at 8:29 am

Hi Bryant, I don’t know anything about the trunk, but there is a fairly well-known American from Ohio that was in the military named Rodger Wilton Young although not sure if he was ever in New Delhi. There was also a Thomas Cook who served at the Addiscombe Military Seminary in 1837. But the Thomas Cook & Sons are probably just the ones that arranged the travel so you’ll probably have better luck tracking down Young. Best of luck!! ~ Jessica

Taranath Bohara Post author

January 31, 2017 at 5:09 am

I love this guy Thomas Cook, who helped bring affordable tourism to the world. Many people are involved and have followed his principles. He was a great who taught the lesson of tour and travel. Great blog post!

January 31, 2017 at 6:20 am

Hi Taranath, Thanks for taking the time to comment. Yes, I really love the story of Thomas Cook and I don’t think a lot of people know the influence he had on the modern tourism industry but at least his name is still carried on in the company he founded. Glad you enjoyed our article! Best, Jessica

LOUIS GEEN Post author

January 31, 2017 at 9:11 am

Could this be the same man? I am a Freemason and a member of the Port Natal Masonic Lodge in Durban, South Africa. The Lodge is almost 160 years old, having been consecrated on 12th August 1858. According to our records Thomas Cook was Master of the Lodge during the Masonic year 1883 – 1884. The Lodge is in possession of a beautiful oil painting of Thomas Cook that was donated by him to the Lodge. Until I discovered Thomas Cook’s name in the Port Natal Lodge’s records, I was not aware that the Father of Modern Tourism resided in South Africa. Could our Thomas Cook be the same man that turned tourism into the industry it has become?

January 31, 2017 at 10:22 am

Hi Louis, How interesting and thanks for commenting again on this post! It is possible of course as Thomas Cook lived from 1808-1892, but I don’t think that Thomas Cook was a freemason and I don’t remember reading about him spending time in South Africa. Thomas Cook is a fairly common name. However, I am no expert, and to find out for sure, I’d contact the Thomas Cook Group and they should be able to easily verify if the painting is of the same Thomas Cook of the travel agency. Let me know if you have any difficulty contacting them and I’d love to hear what you find out even if it turns out to be another Thomas Cook! Best Jessica

Tim Post author

June 7, 2016 at 7:22 am

Thanks for all this information on Thomas Cook! I am looking to for copy of one of the recommended books on Amazon!

travelcats Post author

June 13, 2016 at 7:30 am

Hi Tim, You are very welcome for the information on Thomas Cook. Amazing story and an important person in modern travel history and the current state of tourism. Good luck finding the book! ~ Jessica

Kerstin Post author

May 24, 2016 at 6:43 am

Meanwhile, Diccon Bewes has written a book on Cook’s Grand Tour of Switzerland, which I highly recommend to anybody interested in Victorian era travel: Slow Train to Switzerland , ISBN 9781857886092.

May 24, 2016 at 7:27 am

Hi Kerstin, Thanks for that book recommendation. I have not read it but it does have good reviews and I think it would be great for those readers interested in Thomas Cook tours to Switzerland or early mass tourism to the Alps! Best, Jessica

Louis Geen Post author

November 12, 2014 at 1:26 am

Thomas Cook was certainly an interesting character. Another interesting fact about this amazing man is that he was a Freemason and that he was Master of the Port Natal Lodge in Durban, South Africa, from 1883/1884. The Lodge now 156 years old, still exists and has in its possession a beautiful oil painting of Thomas Cook in its original gilded frame, which he donated to the Lodge.

November 15, 2014 at 9:28 am

Hi Louis, I did not know this. I don’t recall any reference to the freemasons or even South Africa during my readings and research on Thomas Cook. Do you have a reference for this for those interested in reading more about this? I couldn’t find any info about the lodge online.

Nic Post author

November 7, 2013 at 9:03 am

The quotes from Thomas Cook are great.

November 7, 2013 at 10:14 am

Agreed:) I really like the one in the green box.

Meghan Post author

November 6, 2013 at 6:24 pm

This is so interesting! I’m always so fascinated by stories about travel in the past. I recently learned that it wasn’t until the last few centuries that people began traveling for pleasure. I’ve even read that in some parts of the world, people think it is a little strange for a person to travel just because, and not for some business or personal errand. But all this information I never knew. I’ve never even heard of Thomas Cook until now. Thanks for sharing!

November 7, 2013 at 10:12 am

I know, it is so interesting to read about travels in prior centuries. That’s interesting about how some people see travel as strange today but I imagine in places where people have very little money, leisure travel is not much of a possibility.

bevchen Post author

November 5, 2013 at 11:51 pm

I knew only some of this. It’s very interesting!

November 6, 2013 at 7:20 am

Yes, it is a fascinating history.

Meredith Post author

November 5, 2013 at 9:52 pm

Wow, I had no idea! I’d heard the name but didn’t fully realize the history behind it. I feel like I owe him a big thank you! Even now there are some places in the world that would’ve been difficult for me to see without a tour group. Fascinating!

November 6, 2013 at 7:19 am

Yes, there are definitely several places in the world that make more sense with organized travel or travel guides than on your own. Thomas Cook’s company actually also helped people book unecorted independent travel and just made all the travel arrangements, allowing people to do it on their own. BTW, did you see how he was also captivated by Scotland (made me think of you).

Kate Post author

November 5, 2013 at 5:19 pm

Not only am I amazed I didn’t know any of this, but I am fascinated as to how much history there really is behind Thomas Cook!

November 5, 2013 at 7:21 pm

Yes, it really is an interesting history. The British, like Thomas Cook, were really the pioneers that started the modern tourism industry. It didn’t hurt that the British Empire stretched across the world:)

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The sexual harassment allegations in Mayor Hogsett's administration: What you need to know

Indianapolis Mayor Joe Hogsett's administration is dealing with claims from multiple women who are alleging sexual harassment by some of the staffers in Hogsett's administration, including his former chief deputy mayor and right-hand man Thomas Cook.

An IndyStar investigation in July revealed that the mayor heard complaints about Cook's alleged conduct as far back as 2017 but kept Cook in his inner circle until 2023. Three women - Lauren Roberts, Caroline Ellert and an anonymous accuser - who worked under Cook have come forward to say he harassed them.

Since then, the fallout over the situation has led to an inquiry from the City-County Council, new HR investigations, at least one firing, and calls for transparency and accountability from survivors of sexual harassment and assault.

Here's a roundup of IndyStar's detailed coverage of the sexual harassment claims within Hogsett's administration.

'I kept saying no': Women accuse top Hogsett aide of preying on subordinates for years

Mayor Hogsett 's right-hand man targeted younger women who worked under him, showering them with praise, poetry and gifts and promising career growth as he pressured them toward intimacy and unwanted sexual encounters, three women told IndyStar.

The women accuse Thomas Cook of abusing his power for nearly a decade while serving under the Democratic mayor.

Read the full story here .

Who is Thomas Cook? Hogsett's former right-hand man accused of sexual harassment

Cook, now 39, served under the Democratic mayor in a variety of roles for almost a decade, including five years as chief deputy mayor, the No. 2 position in city government.

Read the full story here.

Indy councilors want change, probe into handling of complaints against top Hogsett aide

Hogsett’s administration is trying to quell concerns about how it handles sexual harassment complaints in the wake of allegations related to Cook.

Hogsett’s human resources department sent a memo to all City-County employees reiterating the city’s commitment to “maintaining a workplace free from harassment” and its “zero-tolerance policy” for such behavior, following an IndyStar investigation detailing the behavior.

Indy councilor calls on Mayor Hogsett to resign over handling of sex harassment accusations

First-term Indianapolis Councilor  Jesse Brown  called for Hogsett to resign over allegations that his former chief of staff pressured at least three subordinates into sexual relationships.

Brown, a self-proclaimed democratic socialist  who has previously butted heads with Democrats , also accused Hogsett of dodging discussions about the issue with council members. Brown so far is the only council member to call for Hogsett to resign.

Joe Hogsett apologizes; council moves to investigate response to alleged sexual harassment

Lauren Roberts and Caroline Ellert, two former Hogsett staffers who now live out of state, sat in the audience at the August City-County Council meeting as Hogsett acknowledged “I, myself, fell short” in his handling of harassment allegations against Cook.

“First, I regret that the two women who spoke up about this did not feel heard for far too long,” Hogsett said.

“We weren’t heard,” Roberts interjected, as she held up a sign.

Watch the video here .

Mayor Joe Hogsett to require sexual harassment training for Indy employees. Will it work?

Thousands of Indianapolis City-County employees will now be required to complete sexual harassment training as fallout continues over  Hogsett ’s handling of  harassment claims made against his former top aide .

But experts in workplace sexual harassment issues said it remains to be seen if Hogsett’s actions after the controversy involving Cook will be effective in combating future instances of harassment.

Hogsett staffer fired amid Indianapolis' reckoning on sexual harassment

Indianapolis ' #MeToo moment has led to a surge in reports of harassment and unwanted advances among current and former city workers, sparking internal investigations and one firing.

The city terminated a staff member in the Department of Metropolitan Development on Wednesday after an investigation revealed "overwhelming evidence" of sexual misconduct. The city's human resources department is also conducting six other investigations into current and former staff, officials confirmed to IndyStar.

Council may subpoena Hogsett administration

Members of the Indianapolis City-County Council could subpoena Mayor Hogsett’s administration as they move to investigate the  sexual harassment allegations  levied against his former chief deputy.

“Our priority is to restore trust in city leadership and to ensure that Indianapolis is a place where every employee feels secure, valued and supported,” Democratic Majority Leader Maggie Lewis said.

Indianapolis council votes to investigate sexual harassment in Hogsett administration

The Council overwhelmingly voted to hire an independent firm to “thoroughly investigate” allegations made against Cook and others. The council could subpoena the administration as they investigate how claims against Cook and others were handled.

"Our job is to figure out where the systems went wrong and fix those systems so this never happens again," said Council Vice President Ali Brown.

Hogsett official says 'I'm running from things' comment was a joke

In the brief clip, recorded at a Mike Epps concert, Hogsett said: "I want you all — look, I ain't on the ballot. I ain't running for nothing. I'm running  from  things, but I ain't running for nothing, but I want everybody here to make sure you get registered to vote at this election in November."

“He was making a joke," a senior Hogsett administration official told IndyStar on Sunday. "It was received as a joke. He’s not going anywhere."

Other IndyStar coverage of the Hogsett administration's sexual harassment crisis

IndyStar executive editor Eric Larsen weighed in on the situation, stating that "we still have too much evidence that too few of our leaders have taken firm action to eliminate workplace sexual harassment. That has to change."

"It will be of little comfort that an accused serial harasser is out of his latest job if the inaction of the past seven years persists," Larsen writes.

Read the full editorial here.

IndyStar columnist James Briggs tackled the mayor's leadership crisis, stating that "Hogsett only has himself to blame for the latest round of questions over whether he understands the gravity of the problems that have occurred under his watch."

Read the full column here.

Check back with IndyStar as our coverage continues.

Get in touch

We're continuing to cover the aftermath of the sexual harassment accusations in Hogsett's administration, and issues of sexual harassment and assault elsewhere in Indiana government.

Do you have a story or feedback to share? Contact senior government accountability reporter Hayleigh Colombo at [email protected] or columnist James Briggs at [email protected].

Note: IndyStar typically does not name people who say they have experienced sexual harassment or assault without their consent.

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Thomas Cook

2021 marks the 180th anniversary of Thomas Cook’s first step towards building the package holiday phenomenon. Through Thomas Cook’s belief in temperance and education he grew a travel company so all classes could enjoy the luxury of a holiday…

Shona Parker

2021 marked the 180th anniversary of Thomas Cook’s first step towards building the package holiday phenomenon. But ironically, wealth and social standing was the last thing on Thomas’ mind throughout his varied and illustrious career.

“We carried music with us, and music met us at Loughborough Station … and cheered us all along the line with the heartiest welcome … the whole affair being one which excited extraordinary interest, not only in the county of Leicester but throughout the whole country … All went off in the best style … and thus was struck the keynote of my excursions, and the social idea grew upon me.”

Thus wrote an exuberant Thomas Cook after his first organised day out for working class people of the Temperance Movement on 5th July 1841. A society devoted to encouraging others to give up alcohol and to try education instead, the Temperance members organised meetings, readings and family picnics as an alternative to hours spent in a pub. A member of the movement himself, Thomas decided to try something bigger to spread the word.

A fervent Baptist, Thomas believed in people helping themselves but recognised they could only do this if they were given the education and opportunity. At the same time, he surmised that travel educated a person by broadening their mind and firing the imagination, relaxing people and giving them hope. So he hoped to practise his ideas by arranging for 500 working class people to travel by train from Leicester to Loughborough to visit the Temperance quarterly meeting.

For most of his passengers, this was their first time on a train. Despite travelling Third Class in open air carriages, the whole trip was imbued with a holiday atmosphere, with villagers waving flags at the side of the tracks and Loughborough station decorated with banners, flags and props.

Mr Paget, a local dignitary, opened up his property Southfields for the day-trippers to use. White tablecloths were laid out under the shelter of trees and a typical English picnic of bread and ham and later crumpets and cake was consumed. Family games were arranged, and a cricket match enjoyed before minister after minister made rousing speeches accompanied by the band. It was the biggest teetotal party they had ever seen.

Thomas always wanted to help the poorer people in society as he had encountered his fair share of hardship. His father and stepfather both died when he was young and 10-year-old Thomas was apprenticed to a carpenter, working long hours and spending his free time in church. He grew up wanting a fairer society and a better democracy.

After Thomas married Marianne Mason in 1833, they opened up their home in Leicester to temperance travellers, as local inns were noisy, dirty, expensive and full of drunks. Leicester, like many towns in the north of England, had low life expectancy due to poor sanitation, a lack of freshwater reservoirs, hardly any drainage and an excess of factory pollution in the river Soar. It did a roaring trade in shoes and hosiery so there was the inevitable Victorian slum housing.

According to the Temperance Messenger magazine, Leicester was also home to 700 spirit shops, beer shops and pubs. It claimed the town had an above average amount of drunkards, prostitutes and cases of alcohol related diseases.

Fired up by the success of his first trip, Thomas set to organising more cheap Temperance days out for the working classes, volunteering his time and his own money to ensure success. Trips to Derby, Birmingham and Nottingham ensued, all underpinned by Thomas’ belief in feeding the soul with education and relaxation. In the summer of 1843, he took a crowd of Leicester teetotallers to the peaks of Derbyshire and parts of Yorkshire to breathe uncontaminated air.

Thomas tirelessly promoted his trips by printing and distributing leaflets and posters throughout the town. He gave promotional talks in the local Temperance Hall. In fact, although Thomas’s May Day trip wasn’t the first organised excursion by rail, it was the first to be promoted through the use of print material and proved a resounding success.

Thomas’ help for the working class didn’t stop at organising days out for them to try to forget their worries. He deeply abhorred alcohol and blamed it for the many problems the poor faced during the hungry Forties. He was a voracious anti-Corn Law protestor and orator, damning the use of cereal crops to make alcohol when hundreds of thousands of people were starving across the country.

He also promoted gardening, a new Victorian pastime, and bought potato seeds to distribute among the working class to encourage them to grow their own food. He even started printing a gardening magazine called The Cottage Gardener, covering the basics on how to grow vegetables and cultivate a cottage garden, although the copies no longer exist. He went onto help found the Leicester Allotment Society as another way of helping the poor to be fed but self-sufficient.

All this work came at the expense of Thomas’s own pocket and in August 1846 he filed for bankruptcy. Luckily, this no longer meant the shame and prison sentence it used to, and Thomas held onto his printing works and his home. This did teach him a valuable lesson though: he needed to make a hefty profit to continue helping the poor, and the best way to do this was to organise excursions for the middle classes.

Thomas had already decided to take the plunge in 1845, when he gathered up his courage and advertised his first commercial tour to Liverpool, with the opportunities to climb Mount Snowdon, explore Bangor and sail in a steamboat along the way, all backed up with his printed historical booklets. Despite tickets costing 10-15 shillings each, so clearly aimed at the middle class, demand for this trip far outstripped supply and another was planned a fortnight later. Thomas had found his niche. Cook’s Tours was born.

Although the company went on to become a package holiday phenomenon, Thomas never cared for gentrification. Large houses, country pursuits and members clubs passed him by as he continued to promote cheap travel for the masses.

In fact, he fell out with his son, as John Mason wanted to stop all non-profit making tours, but this went against everything Thomas stood for. He said of his son, “He does not like my mixing of missions with business; but he cannot deprive me of the pleasure I have had in the combination.”

Thomas’ last act of philanthropy was to build a pretty row of 14 memorial cottages and gardens in Melbourne, alongside a Baptist hall, a bakery and a laundry. Four flats were included for visiting Baptist ministers and their families, and a caretaker oversaw the upkeep.

When Thomas died on 18th July 1892, he had just £2731 in his bank.

William Gladstone summed up Thomas Cook in the Leicester Daily Post on the 20th July: “Thousands and thousands of the inhabitants of these islands who never would for a moment have passed beyond its shores have been able to go and return in safety and comfort, and with great enjoyment, great refreshment and great improvement to themselves.”

Written by Shona Parker. I blog about the social history behind the novels studied for GCSE English and drama at www.backinthedayof.co.uk. I include the type of social, political and economical paraphernalia which will pad out your knowledge and understanding, dispel your misgivings and make English history come alive!

Published: May 3rd, 2021.

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History Hit Story of England: Making of a Nation

Thomas Cook and the Invention of Mass Tourism in Victorian Britain

Harry Sherrin

03 mar 2022.

After its inception in the mid-19th century, the travel agency Thomas Cook pioneered the development of mass tourism, launching the world’s first travel guidebooks, package holidays and round-the-world tours.

Thomas Cook grew from humble beginnings, carrying temperance activists to meetings by train in the English Midlands, into a vast multinational company. In the 19th century, its tours catered to increasingly wealthy Victorians during the height of the British Empire , successfully championing a travel revolution.

But in 2019, Thomas Cook declared bankruptcy. It was the world’s oldest and longest-serving tour operator at the time, having existed for more than a century and a half and endured world wars, economic crises and the rise of the internet.

Here’s the story of Thomas Cook and the advent of global mass tourism.

Temperance trips

Thomas Cook (1808-1892), a devout Christian and advocate of the temperance movement, organised a one-day rail excursion for a temperance meeting in 1841. The trip, on 5 July, involved a train journey between Leicester and Loughborough, courtesy of an arrangement with the Midland Counties Railway Company.

Cook continued this practice over the following years, organising railway journeys for temperance activist groups around the Midlands of England. In 1845, he organised his first for-profit excursion, in the form of a trip to Liverpool for passengers from three locations – Derby, Nottingham and Leicester.

For this tour, Cook crafted a passengers’ handbook, now widely considered a precursor to the popular travel guidebook that would be produced to accompany travel excursions for decades to follow.

Branching out to Europe

English tourist agent Thomas Cook and party in the ruins of Pompeii, Easter 1868. Cook is seated on the ground, just to right of center, in this carte-de-visite photograph.

Image Credit: Granger Historical Picture Archive / Alamy Stock Photo

By the 1850s, Cook had his sights set further afield than England. For the Paris Exposition of 1855 , for example, he organised guided trips from Leicester to Calais.

That same year, he also oversaw international ‘package’ tours, carrying parties from England to various cities in Europe, including Brussels, Strasbourg, Cologne and Paris . These excursions offered passengers everything needed to sustain them on their journeys, including transport, accommodation and meals.

By the 1860s, Cook’s sporadic temperance trips had grown into a profitable mass tourism operation – thought to be the first in global history. In response to his newfound success, Cook opened his first high-street store in London’s Fleet Street in 1865.

That same year, the London Underground opened as the first subterranean railway in the world. London was the most populous city on the planet at the time, and the enterprises of the British Empire saw wealth pouring into mainland Britain. With this came disposable income and, by extension, more Britons willing to spend large sums on international holidays.

For Cook, business was booming.

Going global

After tackling Europe, Thomas Cook went global. Now a father-son business comprising Thomas Cook and his son, John Mason Cook, the tour agency launched its first US tour in 1866. John Mason guided it personally.

A few years later, Thomas Cook escorted passengers on the company’s first trip to North Africa and the Middle East, stopping in Egypt and Palestine.

Tourism for Britons at the time was intimately tied to the endeavours of the British Empire. As British armies entered Egypt and Sudan in the late 19th century, so too did tourists, traders, teachers and missionaries, eager to capitalise on the newfound accessibility of far-flung nations and the relative safety offered by the presence of British forces there.

Thomas Cook and Son was even responsible for delivering military personnel and mail to British Egypt in the late 19th century.

1872 marked a huge moment in the history of Thomas Cook and indeed global tourism. That year, Thomas Cook escorted the first known round-the-world tour. The lengthy excursion, which lasted more than 200 days and covered nearly 30,000 miles, was targeted at wealthy Victorians – those with the time, funds and proclivity to see the world’s many cultures.

In that decade, Thomas Cook also helped invent the traveler’s cheque: the company offered a ‘Circular Note’ to its passengers which could be exchanged for currency around the world.

In the 1920s, Thomas Cook and Son launched the first-known tour through Africa. The excursion lasted some 5 months and took passengers from Cairo in Egypt down to the Cape of Good Hope.

Conquering air and sea

John Mason Cook took over primary leadership of the company in the 1870s, overseeing its continued expansion and the opening of various new offices around the world.

With this expansion came the launching of Thomas Cook’s company-owned steamers in the late 19th century. In 1886, a fleet of luxury steamers opened to passengers, offering cruises along the Nile.

A Thomas Cook flyer from 1922 advertising cruises down the Nile. This kind of travel has been immortalised in works such as ‘Death on the Nile’ by Agatha Christie.

Image Credit: Wikimedia Commons

Thomas Cook eventually took to the skies in the 1920s, overseeing its first guided tour involving air travel in 1927. The trip carried 6 passengers from New York to Chicago, and also included accommodation and tickets for a Chicago boxing fight.

Into the modern era

During World War Two , Thomas Cook was briefly enlisted to assist with the ‘enemy mail service’, essentially the covert delivery of post from Allied regions to occupied territories.

The company went on to change hands several times during the 20th century, yet it managed to stay afloat despite various buyouts, economic crises and the rise of online travel agents.

In 2019, Thomas Cook was handed a bill of some £200 million by the Royal Bank of Scotland and other financial institutions. Unable to source the funds, the company declared bankruptcy.

At the time, Thomas Cook was responsible for more than 150,000 holiday-goers abroad. When the company collapsed, new arrangements had to be made to return every stranded customer home. The UK Civil Aviation Authority, which assisted with the repatriation efforts, called it the largest-ever peacetime repatriation in British history.

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The power to travel the world just gets better with Women’s Special tours! A journey of meeting likeminded women, making new friends and creating new stories. Every Veena World Women’s Special tour welcomes women to celebrate their own bonding time! Travel alone or with your grandmother, mother, daughter or even sister-in-law. Enjoy the benefits of Women’s Special tour packages which invites even the single travellers by offering a guaranteed partner without any single occupancy charges.

Meet women from all professional backgrounds from philosophers, doctors to homemakers and all age groups from 7 to 70 and be inspired by this one of a kind journey of life. The handcrafted domestic and international tour packages can take you across every destination you dream of and encourage you to conquer the world. Our Women’s Special tour packages empower you with many fascinating memories to take back and invite you to join our legacy to travel, explore and celebrate life. With so many repeat travellers reaching new heights with every journey, it’s time for you to count how many Women’s Special tours you crossed off your bucket list?

50 Women's Special Holiday Packages

Joining & leaving.

Guests will Join tour at first destination and leave tour at last destination

Women's special Patan Modhera with Statue of Unity

Tour includes, super deal price.

Women's Special Shimla Manali

Women's Special Kerala

Women's Special Rajasthan

Women's Special Gujarat

Women's Special Indore Ujjain Mandu

Women's Special Rajasthan - Pune

Women's Special Rann Utsav Gujarat

Women's Special Nainital Mussoorie Haridwar

Women's Special Delhi Agra

Veena world tour reviews, what are you waiting for chalo bag bharo nikal pado, women's special ladakh.

"As a 22 year old who was going on her first solo trip,... Read more

Women's Special Dubai Abu Dhabi

"My first international tour with Veena World and that too solo .It was mesmering.Meeting new people ,making new friends for lifetime. T... Read more

"Feedback - Rajasthan -***** : Hello This is regarding the recent Rajasthan Women's special tour started on 30th July 2024. I would ... Read more

Women's Special Ladakh Kargil

"Myself Surekha Silelan, would like to take the opportunity to thank all the members of your Team before the Camera and behind the Camer... Read more

"LHWB060724/A : Hi Veena World Team, I am Urvi Desai. I have recently travelled with Veena World Women's Special On 6th July till 14th ... Read more

The incredible idea of tours specially framed and handpicked for women, brought a new hope to women travel enthusiasts! Women are universally known to be the ones who dive in their lives to care for others. For a change, indulge in the journey where you’ll be taken care of and set free to create your own stories. Get ready to explore, experience and have a blast...this is your time! Rejuvenate yourself, and enjoy your “me time”. For all you charming ladies, Veena World brings well-planned tours that include a balance of activities and leisure time along with carefully selected accommodations, knowledgeable guides and a safe travel experience. Be a part of this exclusive women special tour package! Fuse style and passion, walk the ramp, flaunt your style and vie for the crown in special gala nights that are a part of our women’s special tour packages. As the women's special reached out to more and more people and started scaling new heights, the number of destinations also increased. The important thing is that the number of destinations in India started to increase too. Goa, Kerala, Kashmir, Himachal, Rann of Kutch...Women's special also reached up to Leh Ladakh and North East, Nepal were also added to this list. Women's special is already rocking at Thailand, Sri Lanka, Mauritius, Dubai, Hong Kong Macau Shenzhen, Europe and USA. Now, after having added Australia-New Zealand to this list, we are looking forward to make women travel to Antarctica. Veena World's women's special tour packages makes you create special moments as you learn to celebrate life all over again with our travel mantra! We offer the most interesting domestic and international tour packages for our beautiful ladies. The handcrafted tours provide you non-stop fun and entertainment along with ample time to unwind and soak in the beauty of the destinations that you visit. Our women’s special tour packages are relaxing and carefully planned itineraries. We make sure you have all the fun and entertainment along with plenty of time to relax and soak in the surroundings on tour. Get a chance to travel with Veena Patil and her enthusiastic team of tour managers who promise an extra touch of personal care. Come with us, create special moments and celebrate life all over again.

Veena World’s unique women’s special tour packages, especially handcrafted for women, are irresistible choices to choose from! If you’re looking for a perfect getaway, the world awaits to surprise you with its holiday options. Lift up the spirit of exploration and a heart-warming symphony awaits to give you a perfect vacation to be selected from our specially crafted itinerary options. We use our passionate unrivalled knowledge to gift you a perfect trip to be cherished all your life! We empower you to make the most fascinating memories with us and invite you to relish our legacy of travel, explore and celebrate life.

The Highlights & Experience

With over 50 plus itinerary options, traced specially to celebrate your womanhood along with your fellow women travellers, our women’s special tours are all set to take you on a journey across the world! Choose distinctive options that will redefine your exploration and give you some much-needed time to be spent with yourself! Walk the unknown trails, discover a new culture, pamper your taste buds with exotic cuisine and explore new destinations! We empower you to let you create your own exclusive travel stories outside your comfort zone. Explore our tour options traced in different handpicked locations especially for you!

Navratri Festival Ahmedabad: Experience the festival of Navaratri in the land of Ahmedabad. Visit Manek Chowk where you get an opportunity to shop for the traditional Navaratri attires for traditional Garba night and enjoy some lip-smacking Gujarati snacks at Manek Chowk.

Indore Ujjain Mandu

The popular cities of Madhya Pradesh which witness the religious vigour of devotees along with wholesome sightseeing that highlights cultural and historical significances. Visit the famous riverside temples of Maheshwar and experience local delicacies of Indore.

Udaipur Kumbhalgarh Jaipur

The Land of the Kings welcomes every visitor to walk through their legacy. Time simply turns back here and takes you directly to the heart of the royal era. The world of lavish, chivalrous kings and gorgeous yet fearless queens, reverberates their immortal tales in all of the forts. Explore the rich heritage, opulent palaces and one of the huge fort complexes in India on this tour.

Rann of Kutch Gujarat

Located in the colourful and cultural state of Gujarat, the wonderful irony here is the beautiful contrast of the white salt desert against the incredibly colourful Rann Utsav that takes place in the flat desert land every year.

Rajasthan Mewad Marwad

Architectural wonders, exquisite handicrafts, colourful culture and tempting cuisine are few of the many highlights of this magnificent state. Set amidst a vast desert, the magical land of Rajasthan is synonymous with romance and chivalry.

With a wonderful kaleidoscope of Himalayan culture, spectacular scenery, mountain ranges interspersed with passes and an unbelievable array of flora and fauna, these mystical lands cherish the enthusiasm of every traveller! The cultural folk dances that bring smiles and a spirit of celebrating life, can be experienced in our North East tour.

Leh Ladakh Kargil Pangong

The divine time lapsed experience of a lifetime is the gift of this duo, Leh Ladakh! The picture perfect destinations of India are still untapped and pristine to its core. The spectacular landscapes, the chilling snow blankets and metaphorically, a paradise land have so much to content every mind and every soul.

These mysterious islands are blessed with a heavenly climate that soothes the body completely. Superb, near-deserted beaches, incredible corals and marine life and an intriguing colonial past, lure travellers to these incredibly beautiful and scenic islands.

Shimla Manali

A beautiful blend of blissful nature with the aura of mythology! Shimla Manali have been ruling the hearts of many travellers since decades making them two of the most perfect vacation destinations in India.

God’s Own Country, Kerala, leaves so many visitors spellbound. With the classic backwaters and leisurely feels of the destination, it has always been the traveller’s favourite choice to travel, explore and celebrate life!

The holy, mystical land of Nepal that holds the mysteries of nature, mankind and mountains is a land-locked nation between Tibet and India. Being the birthplace of Buddha and the shrine of holy temples, helps build a significant aura around this country

Bhutan is a land of tradition, culture and mythological mysteries! One of the most memorable factors of this land are its people that leave a mark right in the heart, merely by a soft stroke of warm smiles.

Singapore Thailand Malaysia

The epicentres of the Asian continent in their own way and fast growing developed nations, Singapore Thailand Malaysia are remarkable travel choices, all known for being vastly dynamic countries. The melting pot of different cultures, cuisines and architectural styles; amazing amusement and wildlife parks; wonderful shopping avenues and outlying neighbourhoods; unmatched cleanliness; they are truly global cities of Southeast Asia!

Sounds of ocean on the rhythm of waves, the symphony of Mauritius is ready to resonate an unforgettable music for your unique getaway! Relaxing ambience and authentic resort getaways, this home away from home awaits you in all its turquoise blue glory.

Dubai is a very futuristic city with innovations and developments cropping up on the basis of ideas, which are quite ahead of their time. This land which seems to appear straight out of a magic lamp and is often considered to be the first international trip option for many Indian travellers.

America is known to welcome humans from all over the world! The diversity of America is even reflected in the continent’s natural significances. Blend of all seasons and the shrine of vibrant wonders, it always has been an explorers triggering passion.

Every child grows up reading stories and tales, that Europe shares a reputation for bringing colours and reality to their fantasy. The fantasy land popping straight out of your favourite storybook as a child has successfully grasped the world’s attention since the beginning of the time.

Scandinavia Russia

The three dreamland kingdoms of Denmark, Norway and Sweden form the legendary region of Scandinavia! With a quirky reputation of being the dream destination of every traveller alive, this region is often observed to be at the top of the bucket list of every explorer!