About Us

About us

Award-winning creators of
remarkable travel experiences

What We're About

we're a team
of people in the
know about travel

And we're on a mission to create remarkable experiences that thoughtfully connect our clients to the world and inspire them to explore it with curiosity, humility and a sense of wonder.

It began with a feeling

Black Tomato was founded in 2005 by Tom, James and Matt

A trio of friends who wanted to sweep aside the prevailing current of 'package' trips and same-same vacations.

Since then, we've become award-winning curators of tailor-made travel experiences – all crafted with inspirational engineering and an incomparable attention to detail. For us, the most important thing has always been: how do you want to feel? The rest is in the detail.

Unique, different, and daring

And we want to make the remarkable happen

The journeys we make, make us. We learnt this from legendary travel writer Bruce Chatwin, speaking about the importance of living a “restless” life. When we plan trips for our clients, we want to strip away the barriers that can get between them and the world. They – you – are searching for the unexpected, the unfamiliar, the unknown. Restlessness helps.

But so does expertise. Over the years, we've assembled a team of travel fanatics – people who live and breathe the world and everything in it. They're starry-eyed wanderers with the organisational nous of precision engineers. These are the people who'll help you find your way. Even if that means getting 'lost'.

We'll show you the world

And in an entirely new light

We curate trips for travellers who want to see the world up close – foregoing 'tick lists' and tourist traps in favour of deeper and more intimate connections with the world and its cultures.

Today, we take people to all seven continents, designing all of our trips from the ground up. This way, no two journeys are ever quite alike. Trekking with the tribes of Borneo; learning the trade of tanning in Morocco; joining the jostling crowds of Sienna's palio. It's a wide, wild world. And your travels should be the same.

Our
purpose

We seek to inspire people through
remarkable travel experiences

Why we exist

Our purpose drives us to create experiences that leave a lasting impact. The 'people' that we refer to, encompasses our clients, our partners and the local communities we engage with. We exist to inspire them all.

For clients, this means offering travel experiences that enrich their lives and create lifelong memories. For partners and local communities, it's about fostering sustainable, regenerative and meaningful interactions. These interactions support local economies, preserve cultural heritage and promote an appreciation of diverse ways of life.

Ultimately we believe our purpose makes a positive and enduring difference, using travel as a genuine force for good.

Our
values

These three things keep us on course – whatever we do, and wherever in the world we find ourselves

Be
Curious

Ours is a wide, wild world

We like to ask questions. How can this be better? Where next? What's genuinely possible, and what do our clients really want? Put another way, we love questions – and we love innovators.

Be
Thoughtful

Because thinking is caring

Good things come to those who think. And, in our world, to think is to care. Not only for our clients, but for each other – and the planet that we share.

Be
Humble

Let others do the talking

We don't get carried away. We don't get caught up in the hype. We're calmly confident in what we do; graceful under pressure, proud but never arrogant about our achievements.

Our Journey

Why the name?

Rare & remarkable

It all goes back to when Tom, James and Matt were traveling in Eastern Europe. One evening, somewhere in the backstreets, they encountered the black tomato on a menu. When they asked about it, they were told they should never pass up the chance to enjoy this 'rare and remarkable' experience. From that point on the founders set out to become the black tomato of travel. Offering rare and remarkable experiences to their curious clients.

Your world. Your trips.

Like a perfectly tailored suit, each trip we plan is different; just as each traveller is different. We're here to help you experience the world on your terms – to follow your dreams, to pursue your passions. With obsessive attention to detail and extraordinary customer client service, we're all about the personal. It's your world. It's your trip.

Feel something new

Our Travel Calendar