Meet The Co-Founder Of Unforgettable Travel Company

Unforgettable Travel Company is on a speedy trajectory to becoming one of the world’s leading luxury travel companies (30% YOY increase in bookings).

Established in 2015, the company creates bespoke private tours across Europe, Africa, and Asia, journeying across the globe by land, sea, or safari, from the sparkling coast of Croatia to the rich culture of Japan. Boasting an enviable black book of exclusive VIP experiences and relationships with some of the world’s finest guides, UTC lives by its motto, Why do Ordinary. With its high level of service, there is a fast-growing number of HNW and UHNW individuals traveling with Unforgettable Travel Company.

I sat down with its co-founder and Chief Commercial Officer, Graham Carter, to reflect on his early beginnings, his love of travel, launching Unforgettable Travel Company, and his plans for the future.

Growing up in South Africa, Carter had a sense of adventure from an early age, driving tractors and motorbikes on his family’s farm and enjoying spending time in the bush. A keen sportsman, Carter excelled in athletics and tennis, playing at a competitive level.

“I think my love of travel really extended from my love for adventure,” says Carter.

Aged sixteen, Carter traveled alone to the US to play tennis at the International Tennis Academy (now Proworld Tennis Academy).

“I remember flying from Johannesburg through Rome and onto Miami—and that feeling of traveling in a 747 completely encaptured me. It made me excited to see more places and be an independent traveler,” says Carter.

Today, Carter has traveled to 110 countries—from the Arctic to Colombia.

“I’ve always been someone who likes to get off on the beaten track and find new destinations—and for me, it’s chasing the wow moment,” says Carter.

In 2001, Carter moved to London, climbing up the corporate ladder before joining forces with his now wife and co-founder Julia Shikina and two close friends and now business partners. This young and dynamic four-some went on a mission to build a luxury travel brand that offers a level of personalization and service unrivaled in the travel industry—which has helped to catapult the brand into its award-winning success.

Today, Unforgettable Travel Company covers 50 destinations from Italy to Nepal with a mixture of bespoke private guided trips, safaris, and luxury yacht cruises. The company operates 5 luxury travel and cruising brands out of offices in London, New York, Melbourne, Split, Athens, and Cape Town.

UTC trips are highly bespoke and start with a conversation about which experiences clients want to enjoy. UTC travel designers then start creating unique journeys with immersive experiences, world-leading fine dining, and sumptuous stays in hand-picked properties.

Unforgettable Travel Company organizes luxury journeys for nearly 7,500 clients worldwide every year—growing from 2,500 in 2019 (tripling the business over the last five years).

As Carter looks ahead to the future, aiming to take UTC to $100 million in revenue in the next 5 years, he and his team are building several new divisions and expanding its luxury yacht cruise division.

One of the company’s divisions is its multi-award-winning Croatia luxury travel brand, Unforgettable Croatia.

As one of the largest luxury travel companies in Croatia, Unforgettable Croatia operates a private fleet of five 170ft yachts in Croatia, which were largely built in 2021 and accommodate up to 36 guests. The yachts offer a very intimate way for guests to explore the Dalmatian Coast over a seven-night period. With a 99% occupancy rate each season, Unforgettable Croatia is investing in a sixth vessel, which will launch in June 2025.

“Since Covid, there has been a big surge in demand for intimate yacht-style cruises with less than 100 onboard guests. More than 40% of our capacity is now from private charters with individuals celebrating milestone birthdays and corporate companies taking buyouts for incentive and team-building events,” says Carter.

Carter is also expanding Unforgettable Travel Company’s private clients division for high-net-worth clients, working through influential travel advisors and family wealth management firms to offer fully customized trips around the world, with exclusive behind-the-scenes experiences and 24/7 concierge access.

The company has recently appointed a US-based Director of Private Clients to spearhead the company’s growth in the US, whilst Carter heads up the private clients division in the UK.

“We’ve seen strong demand for our unique experiences and level of personalized service from the HNW and UHNW sectors. This year, we’ve designed a record number of trips ranging from $100,000 to $500,000 for many of the 1%. It’s an area we excel at, and it fits in with our elevated service levels,” says Carter.

Planned for 2025, Carter and his team are developing a new brand that will feature under the Unforgettable Travel Company umbrella.

The new brand will specialize in designing highly curated bucket list experience-based trips around the world and also offer exclusive access to sports and entertainment events, such as behind-the-scenes access to the F1 accompanied by a famous motorsports designer, an exclusive viewing of the Palio of Siena, helicopter golf trips playing at Ireland’s top courses, and VIP access to Art Basel.

“Thanks to hit shows such as Drive to Survive, greater social media exposure, and a growing global appetite for “in-the-moment” travel, we are looking to tap into the contacts we have and design trips for our clients to get to the heart of these events,” says Carter.

As part of the new brand launch, Carter and his team are currently curating and testing the experiences they plan to offer clients. Carter, who has previously driven an F1 car, has just returned from learning to fly in a Fighter Jet in France with an ex-French Military pilot—one of the experiences Unforgettable Travel Company plans to offer.

“I’ve always been someone who likes to push the envelope—so when the opportunity came up to drive both the F1 car and now the jet, I didn’t think twice. It’s important that as we design trips for our clients with this level of bucket list experiences included, we can talk from experience at having done them,” concluded Carter.

While others claim to go above and beyond for their clients, Carter has made it his unwavering mission to do so, crafting unforgettable experiences with his personal, human touch.

For more information, visit unforgettabletravel.com.

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