Big Smoke Competitors

Context is a network of scholars and specialists whose aim is to invite travelers off the tourist track and into the real life of the people, history, and culture of the world's greatest cities. While over 80% of our guides have MA or PhD-level degrees in their fields of expertise, we live by the rule that learning isn't a finite activity. We're inquisitive about the places and people around us. We're inspired by conversations ripe with new perspectives and oft-untold stories. We don't play loose with the facts. Ours is the intellectual seeker's approach to the world: both in life and in work, we thrill at the potent possibility of "yet". At day's end—we believe that travel is the ultimate form of education, one best served with a heaping side of meaningful interaction and memorable conversation. Curiosity is Key... and that's been true since the beginning. Context was founded in 2003 by Paul Bennett and Lani Bevacqua, a husband and wife who landed in Rome after over two years spent sailing across the Atlantic. Once in Rome, Paul and Lani fell in with an eclectic group of professors and specialists—architects, native Romans, researchers, writers, archaeologists—and formed Context as a means to connect those experts with travelers yearning for an in-depth understanding of the city. Now, 20-plus years and over 250,000 tours later, we've grown from a single-city operation to a group of scholars, nerds, and curious travelers spanning over 60 cities across 6 continents. (Someone once called us "affable weirdos," which may be the nicest compliment we've gotten, ever). Just about the only thing that hasn't changed is our passion for ideas and sharing knowledge.

WHO WE ARE: At Urban Adventures, ‘responsible tourism’ isn’t just a marketing catch phrase. It’s at the heart of everything we do, from how we design our tours, to who we employ, to where we grow our business.  We use locally owned infrastructure and businesses to make sure the money you spend on travel is injected back into the local economy. WHAT WE DO: We’re about stepping into the community, and understanding how we can better connect as travellers. Whether we’re exploring world famous sites or hidden gems, you’ll be tasting, touching and smelling the city. On our 1500+ tours in 150+ cities, you’ll hear tales straight from the people who live there. Our breadth of destinations also means we can act as a global DMC creating bespoke products for brands (like the New York Times), agents, and conference or meeting planners. CONNECT WITH US: All our product is proprietary to Urban Adventures and is available for resale via API feed. Get in touch if you’re interested in distributing the best products on the planet as an agent or affiliate. We create product by giving passionate, locals the opportunity to start and own their own Urban Adventures Tour business. We give you everything you need with no upfront costs and work with you to make your new business sustainable and profitable following our tried and true formula. You bring the passion for your city and the commitment and work ethic to follow the program. If you are thinking of starting a tour business - get in touch before starting the expensive work of building your own website and trying to get your ideas to the world. We've got all that figured out. We are particularly interested in hearing from change makers, Social Enterprises, Micro Finances, NGO's and non-profits who have inspirational stories to tell about their cities. We'd love to amplify those voices, create revenue streams, build a tight, simple and non-disruptive process around donor visits and thereby increase overall donation pools.

We believe that success in a globalised world is based on connectivity and best practice sharing. For nine years, Insider London has been providing high-level educational programmes for prestigious universities, pioneering corporates, curious private groups and forward-thinking government officials world-wide. Designed to give your group profound insight into the business scene of your chosen destinations, we provide exclusive company visits, educational walking tours and cultural experiences. We focus on global business cities: London, Berlin, Shanghai, Tokyo, Dubai and Silicon Valley. Our specialities include business, finance, technology, retail and marketing, sustainability and more. "We've had some excellent feedback from conference delegates...it received the highest ratings from our entire programme" - Allen & Overy "By the end of the [City Finance] tour I wanted to explore more... I can't recommend this walking tour enough – it is money well spent and I guarantee you won't be disappointed." - Imperial College "A huge thank you for the [Sustainability] tour yesterday! I've had some great feedback from everyone, saying how interesting it was and how knowledgeable you were." – Heineken Get in touch now via contact@insiderlondon.com to find our what we can offer your group. More information on our programmes is available on our website: www.insiderlondon.com