Explorer Travel vs Not Just Travel
Both sell a franchise package priced by how much travel experience you already have, and both charge from £99/mo after that. Explorer Travel is recorded at £2,995 (experienced) / £5,995 (new); Not Just Travel at Lite from £995–£2,995; Elite £14,995+VAT.
In short: Explorer Travel suits someone who wants the smaller, more specialised operation and the search-led websites it builds around niches. Not Just Travel suits someone who wants the larger recruitment machine, a higher headline split and a money-back mechanism attached to the fee.
Side by side
| Explorer Travel | Not Just Travel | |
|---|---|---|
| Model | Franchise | Franchise |
| Cost to join | £2,995 (experienced) / £5,995 (new) | Lite from £995–£2,995; Elite £14,995+VAT |
| Ongoing fee | From £99/mo | From £99/mo |
| Other fees | None recorded | None recorded |
| Agent keeps | 50–70% by package | Up to 85% |
| Protection | ABTA · ATOL | ABTA · ATOL |
| Agents in the network | 150+ (TG#11); the company site claims 400+ | 550+ (TG#6); 900+ reported in 2021 |
| Founded | Not published; described as trading 15+ years | 10 September 2001 |
| Parent or owner | Hays Travel | Independent, or not published |
| Accepts newcomers | Yes | Yes — no experience required |
Two franchises, and a shared name in the background
Explorer Travel was acquired by Hays Travel in June 2021 and describes itself as the only travel franchise owned by the UK’s largest independent travel agency. Our record for Not Just Travel also puts Hays in the picture, describing its ATOL cover as held through a partnership with Hays rather than a licence in its own name. So Hays appears on both sides of this page in two different roles: as owner on one side, and behind part of the cover on the other. Worth knowing before a sales call tells you one of them is Hays-backed.
If the word franchise itself is doing unfamiliar work here, the models guide explains what you are buying and what happens to it if you stop.
Costs
Explorer Travel: £2,995 (experienced) / £5,995 (new), then from £99/mo. Not Just Travel: Lite from £995–£2,995; Elite £14,995+VAT, then from £99/mo. Both scale by experience, and both quote “from” prices, so the real comparison is between two written quotes for your own situation.
Not Just Travel attaches a refund mechanism to its fee: “Money-Back Challenge”: the full franchise fee is refunded if a commission target is hit within 12 months. Explorer Travel records no equivalent. Our fees guide works through how to put these on the same footing as a first-year number.
What you keep
Explorer Travel pays 50–70% by package; Not Just Travel advertises up to 85%. Both are ranges and both are read from the top in marketing. Ask which package earns which rate and what volume moves you up. On a £3,000 package holiday paying 10% supplier commission, the difference between the bottom of the Explorer Travel range and the top of the Not Just Travel one is £105 a booking — which is a real difference, and also the widest possible reading of it.
Protection
Explorer Travel: ABTA membership L3832 confirmed on the official ABTA member search. ATOL cover claimed; not yet confirmed against the CAA register. Not Just Travel: The official ABTA member search lists Not Just Travel with its own ABTA membership, K9413 (a “Not Just Travel - Jetset” listing also appears under P8743) — a stronger position than the “as part of Hays” description in TG#6. ATOL cover is described as held through the Hays partnership; no ATOL in the company’s own name was confirmed. Both companies’ ABTA and ATOL details have been checked against the official ABTA member search and the CAA’s ATOL register. Where a licence number is not published, it cannot be looked up — see the protection guide for why those numbers are worth asking for.
The honest differences
Both headcounts are contested, one of them on our own page. Explorer Travel is recorded as 150+ (TG#11); the company site claims 400+; we publish both figures rather than choose. Not Just Travel is recorded as 550+ (TG#6); 900+ reported in 2021. Ask each how many franchisees are actively trading today.
The cheapest entry is not from the same shelf. The lowest Not Just Travel package is a recent, lighter product; the Explorer Travel prices are for its established packages. Compare what each tier includes, not just the number.
Ownership changes things quietly. A franchise bought by a larger group can change its supplier terms, its technology and its support model without changing its name. That is not a criticism of either company — it is a reason to ask when the terms were last revised.
Who each one suits
Explorer Travel if you like the niche-website approach and want group ownership behind a smaller franchise network.
Not Just Travel if you want the bigger brand, the higher potential share, and the structured launch that the larger packages pay for.
See also Travel Counsellors against Not Just Travel, the Explorer Travel profile for every sourced figure, and the master table for the rest of the market.
Figures on this page were last reviewed on 2026-09-22 and come from the two profile records, where each one is listed with its source. Both companies’ ABTA and ATOL details have been checked against the official ABTA member search and the CAA’s ATOL register. See the methodology note. Terms change — confirm anything that matters to you with the company before you sign.