Spilling the Beans on New UK Travel Company, Insider Places

Insider Places puts travellers directly in touch with local travel agents in 15 countries worldwide and promises highly individualised holiday itineraries featuring authentic experiences with potential savings of up to 20%

This week sees the launch of Insider Places – a new London-based travel company founded by travel industry pioneer Chris Fraser. The business puts British holidaymakers directly in touch with local travel agents in a number of long-haul travel destinations with the promise of better value, bigger savings and a more authentic experience, all with the peace of mind offered by booking with a UK-based, ABTA-bonded travel company.

Insider Places launches with a network of vigorously vetted, local travel agents in 15 countries across South America and Asia, including Argentina, Brazil, China, Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, India, Malaysia and Borneo, Myanmar, Peru, Sri Lanka, Thailand and Vietnam. Indonesia, Japan and South Africa are among countries that will be added later this year.

Chris Fraser, Managing Director of Insider Places says “Insider Places is for those who want to immerse themselves in the real essence of a destination, who want more authentic, closer encounters with the culture, wildlife, nature, people and traditions. We offer opportunities to live like the locals, eat like them, cook with them, away from ‘The Gringo Trail’ that is so often served up by many travel operators, but with the security that comes with a fully bonded, UK-based company.

“I wanted to make this connection easier by pulling together a trusted team of the very best local agents and provide recognised travel guarantees, allowing customers to benefit from the improved experience and great savings, which can be as high as 20%, when booking directly with fewer intermediaries.”

Insider Places doesn’t just auto-connect customers with suppliers, the company’s UK team takes time to find out what each client wants from their trip before introducing them to one of their on-the-ground experts.

Once a detailed enquiry form has been filled in online, the Insider Places sales team schedules a call with each client to run through their exact requirements and wish list so that they are matched with the most suitable travel agent in their chosen destination and then the introduction is made. The result – tailormade itineraries which go well beyond those offered by most tour operators and high-street travel agents who often rely on travel product aggregators to pull itineraries together.

Fraser also said: “My focus has always been on the provision of the best possible quality and service at negotiated prices – I want Insider Places to become the people’s travel brand – not just for the people who book with us, but for the people who work hard in the destinations that we feature to pull such incredible itineraries together.

“Our strong local negotiation results in prices people would struggle to better online. Our clients can save as much as 20% on their holiday with the added bonus of their itinerary featuring authentic, local experiences that they probably can’t book through most tour operators and high-street travel agents. Also a bigger proportion of the customers’ money goes to the travel agents we work with in the destinations we feature.”

Fraser has more than 30 years’ experience in the travel and tourism industry. He was a pioneer in online accommodation booking and at the forefront of the 1990s movement that enabled customers to book direct with hotels.

His vast experience in the travel and tourism sector includes founding and running his own successful accommodation-only travel business – HotelConnect, founded in 1993. He has also held senior consultancy roles with leading luxury tour operator Cox & Kings and The Hideaways Club.

The service stretches to help and advice on flights and there is 24/7 contact for customers when travelling.