The Inspired Unemployed founders Matt Ford and Jack Steele launched ARRIVAL in July 2025 with travel-industry executives. It sells curated, multi-day trips built around activities and local experiences, rather than operating as a basic flights-and-hotels search site. Trade reporting in May 2026 said thousands of Australians had taken ARRIVAL trips since launch, indicating the venture moved beyond its initial announcement.
What is ARRIVAL?
ARRIVAL is the travel company created by Matt Ford and Jack Steele, the Australian comedy duo behind The Inspired Unemployed, with an experienced travel team. The company describes trips spanning Japanese ski and snowboard days, Costa Rican surf camps, cultural travel in Morocco and trekking in Tanzania. Its experience-led, locally connected approach is the company’s positioning, not an independent assessment of trip quality. ARRIVAL’s company page outlines the business and its team.
Ford described the concept as curating complete adventures with a story, rather than asking customers to book flights and hotels separately. That distinction matters: ARRIVAL is presented as a trip curator, not a general-purpose flight-comparison service. What any specific booking includes depends on the individual itinerary and its terms.
How the company started
A July 2025 launch feature traced the idea to 2023, when the founders were trying to organize a friend’s birthday trip. They had already discussed an experience-based travel company, and the project took shape when travel entrepreneur Quentin Nolan shared a similar idea. Nolan became co-founder and CEO; Trent Ellen, a senior travel executive, also helped build the business. Broadsheet’s launch feature covers the origin story and launch.
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ARRIVAL’s biographies describe Nolan as the founder of Mountainwatch Travel, which the company says sends more than 20,000 skiers annually to resorts around the world. That figure describes Nolan’s earlier venture, not ARRIVAL’s customer volume. ARRIVAL also describes Nolan as having more than 20 years of travel entrepreneurship and Ellen as having more than 15 years of travel-industry experience; these are company-published biographies, accessed in 2026. The company’s biographies provide those descriptions.
What happened after launch?
At launch, Vacations & Travel reported more than 50 bookable trips and a starting price of AUD $1,000. Both figures describe the July 2025 launch period; they should not be read as ARRIVAL’s current trip count or current starting price. The launch coverage gives those dated figures.
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In May 2026, Travel Weekly reported that thousands of Australians had taken trips with ARRIVAL since it launched. The trade publication also reported that an Everest Base Camp expedition with Liam Moore sold out in two days. These are reported outcomes, not audited sales figures. Travel Weekly’s 2026 report provides the post-launch update.
What to check before booking an ARRIVAL trip
Trip dates, availability, inclusions, cancellation terms and prices vary by itinerary. Before paying, read the current listing and booking terms for the trip you want; the launch-era starting price does not establish what a current trip costs.
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- Compare the full itinerary: Check activities, destinations and how much time is spent travelling between locations.
- Confirm what the price covers: Distinguish included accommodation, meals, guides and activities from excluded items such as transport or flights. Do not assume that a curated trip includes every expense.
- Understand the travel style: ARRIVAL’s launch reporting described a range from more backpacker-like to premium trips. Check the specific accommodation level, group size and guide arrangements rather than assuming the same style across the company’s catalogue.
- Read change and cancellation terms: Verify the rules and any costs that apply to the exact booking before committing.
- Check activity-specific preparation: For a trek, consult the operator’s equipment list. Trekking poles may be relevant optional gear, but the launch and trade reports do not establish that they are required or included.
- Review travel insurance carefully: Check that a policy covers the exact activities, destination and relevant risks on your itinerary; the cited coverage does not identify a particular insurer or suitable policy.
For a fair comparison with another provider, line up trips with similar dates, activities, accommodation and inclusions, then compare the total cost and terms. A headline price alone may not reflect the overall expense.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.What ARRIVAL’s claims do—and do not—establish
Ford and Jack Steele have said the company emphasizes experiences and that its team has tested or checked trips. Those are founder claims about the business’s approach, not independent reviews or guarantees that every traveller will have a particular experience. The available reporting also does not establish ARRIVAL’s revenue, profitability, funding or market share.
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