Staring out

Back in December 1977, Travelsphere opened for business above a bakery on thecorner of Coventry Road in Market Harborough. Founded by Mike Edwards and Richard Mackay, along with the late Bruce Wake, the company grew from these humble beginnings to become the UK’s leading direct-sell operator of escorted holidays, offering a wide range of holidays the world over.

Originally, Travelsphere specialised in holidays for readers of local newspapers. The company carried 3,000 passengers in 1977, with its first holiday a trip to Colwyn Bay for readers of the Hemel Hempstead Express. Holidays in the Channel Islands and Europe were added, and the company soon expanded into North America. In 1985 the company was privileged to become an officially authorised operator of tours to the People’s Republic of China – a country which is now one of Travelsphere’s most popular destinations.

Building business

With business thriving, larger premises were needed, and in 1980 Travelsphere moved to the Old School House, just a short way down the street from the offices whereit all began. Over the next few years the company’s growth continued apace, and with ever more staff required to handle the burgeoning number of customers, Travelsphere soon outgrew the Old School House.

In 1990 the company took the exciting step of moving to a purpose-built site on the edge of town. These offices were expanded in 1995 to house the increasing staff necessary to manage the flourishing business. Travelsphere reached 250 employees, making it one of Market Harborough’s biggest employers.

Focus on service

Travelsphere has always been committed to the highest levels of service and, to keep up with the latest developments, launched its website in 1999. The site gives full details on all our holidays. Customers can also request brochures, make reservations, book, find useful information and subscribe to our monthly
e-newsletter for the latest news & offers.

Over the years Travelsphere has always been committed to its original principles of great value holidays and excellent service. It is for this very reason that the company enjoys an exceptional level of loyalty and receives so many recommendations from its customers client testimonials.

Looking to the future

The company has continued to build on its success. Over the years, Travelsphere has established itself in the cruise sector and introduced a dedicated Group Sales department, offering super holidays to groups of ten or more people. With the market for single travellers becoming bigger, the company launched the Just You range, and is now the UK’s leading choice for single travellers.

In 2004, Travelsphere bought Leicester based tour operator Page & Moy, adding another strong brand to its portfolio.

In 2006 the company was bought by Cognetas, a leading name in the private investment sector.

Today the Travelsphere Group, comprising Travelsphere, Page & Moy and Just You, is the UK’s No. 1 operator of escorted holidays worldwide. Over 400 people work at the head office in Market Harborough and around 400 Tour Managers escort our 300 plus holidays, spanning more than 70 countries worldwide.

We are the biggest operator of escorted holidays to China, Australia and America. Our Contact Centre answers up to 6,500 calls a day and 7,000,000 brochures are mailed to our customers.

This year, Travelsphere is celebrating our 30th anniversary. We remain a friendly company and the future for Travelsphere, Page & Moy, Just You and their thousands of satisfied customers is bright.