Much Better Adventures

Much Better Adventures

Travel marketplace for guided adventure itineraries

Overview

Much Better Adventures curates and sells guided multi-day adventure trips through a global travel marketplace. It partners with local guides and hosts to offer hiking, climbing, kayaking, and wildlife watching in Europe, Asia, and beyond, focusing on solo travelers in their 30s–50s and small groups. The trips come with expert planning and logistical support, so customers can book ready-to-go itineraries without handling the details themselves. The company emphasizes responsible and sustainable tourism, and a portion of revenue supports conservation and the communities and environments visited. What sets it apart is its commitment to low-impact, authentic experiences, small group sizes, and direct funding for conservation. Its goal is to make adventure travel easier to access while ensuring positive environmental and community outcomes.

About Much Better Adventures

Simplify's Rating
Why Much Better Adventures is rated
B-
Rated B on Competitive Edge
Rated B on Growth Potential
Rated C on Differentiation

Industries

Consumer Software

Social Impact

Entertainment

Company Size

51-200

Company Stage

Growth Equity (Venture Capital)

Total Funding

$11.8M

Headquarters

Bristol, United Kingdom

Founded

2012

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Simplify's Take

What believers are saying

  • 2026 product expansion includes e-bike tours, with Costa Rica launched and 18 e-biking adventures listed.
  • 2026 solo-travel content and 28 cycling holidays strengthen demand capture from independent travelers.
  • Gresham House Ventures' £5m investment funds automation, new destinations, and international expansion.

What critics are saying

  • Single-acquirer dependence forced Gr4vy adoption on 2026-07-09, showing payments fragility.
  • No recent profitability disclosure; £11.8m raised across eight rounds signals capital dependence.
  • Travel disruption or host cancellations trigger refunds, date changes, or credits, crushing cash flow.

What makes Much Better Adventures unique

  • Curated, solo-friendly adventure marketplace spans 200-plus multi-day trips across six continents.
  • Local guides, support vehicles, and expert logistics remove planning friction for travelers.
  • Sustainable tourism positioning and conservation-linked revenue create a brand moat with value-seeking adventurers.

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Funding

Total Funding

$11.8M

Below

Industry Average

Funded Over

8 Rounds

Growth Equity VC funding comparison data is currently unavailable. We're working to provide this information soon!
Growth Equity VC Funding Comparison
Coming Soon

Benefits

Health Insurance

Parental Leave

Flexible Work Hours

Remote Work Options

Paid Holidays

Company Social Events

Employee Discounts

Home Office Stipend

Life Insurance

Growth & Insights and Company News

Headcount

6 month growth

1%

1 year growth

1%

2 year growth

1%
Gr4vy
Jul 9th, 2026
Much Better Adventures selects Gr4vy to orchestrate payments and support global marketplace growth.

Much Better Adventures selects Gr4vy to orchestrate payments and support global marketplace growth. Gr4vy. Much Better Adventures has chosen Gr4vy's payment orchestration platform to improve performance, expand payment choice, and support international expansion As travel marketplaces expand internationally, handling payments across different regions, providers, and local payment methods is becoming harder to manage within a single setup. Against this backdrop, Much Better Adventures, the adventure travel marketplace connecting travelers with expert-led outdoor experiences worldwide, has selected Gr4vy, the cloud-based payment orchestration platform, to modernize its payment infrastructure and support its next phase of expansion. Operating across Europe, Africa, Asia, and the Americas, Much Better Adventures offers more than 200 curated, multi-day experiences. The platform focuses on community-led travel while supporting sustainable tourism and local economies. As the business scaled, its reliance on a single acquirer limited flexibility, slowed the rollout of new payment methods, and added operational complexity. "Travel platforms are under increasing pressure to deliver both performance and resilience at scale," said John Lunn, Founder and CEO of Gr4vy. "What Much Better Adventures is doing reflects a broader shift. Payments aren't just an operational layer anymore; they play a direct role in growth. Orchestration lets teams test providers, make changes quickly, and scale without reworking their stack." With Gr4vy, Much Better Adventures moves to a multi-provider model and takes control of its payment strategy. With a single integration, the platform can dynamically route transactions, connect to multiple payment providers, and introduce new payment methods without additional development. For customers, this reduces failed transactions and makes checkout faster and more consistent when booking across regions. Gr4vy also enables Much Better Adventures to expand its payment offering with Pay by Bank and Buy Now, Pay Later (BNPL) options such as Klarna. By aligning payment methods with local preferences, the company expects to improve authorization rates and conversion, while giving travelers more choice, familiar ways to pay, and greater flexibility when planning their next adventure. "As a marketplace built on connecting travelers with local experts around the world, the checkout experience is a critical part of the journey," said Guy Bowden, CTO and Co-Founder at Much Better Adventures. "We needed a solution that could support our global growth while giving our customers more choice, flexibility, and confidence at the point of payment. With Gr4vy, we can deliver a smoother booking experience and adapt quickly to the needs of different markets." Alongside this flexibility, Gr4vy's unified 3D Secure (3DS) orchestration enables dynamic authentication across providers, helping reduce fraud without adding friction at checkout. It also simplifies operations by giving the finance team a single consolidated view of settlements, removing the need for manual, multi-provider reporting. Vaulting capabilities further support more flexible booking models, including add-ons and installment payments, helping increase revenue per customer. Gr4vy continues to give businesses the flexibility to manage payments on their own terms. This partnership points to a wider shift among travel and marketplace platforms toward taking ownership of their payment infrastructure to better manage complexity and scale across markets.

ScanX
Jun 16th, 2026
Mach Travel promoter Amit Bhatia raises stake to 66.85% with 423,600 share acquisition

Amit Bhatia, promoter of Mach Travel Solutions Limited, has increased his stake in the company to 66.85% after acquiring 423,600 shares through open market transactions on 12 June 2026. The acquisition raised his total holding to 14,063,000 shares from 13,639,400 shares previously. The transaction was disclosed to BSE Limited on 15 June in compliance with SEBI regulations. Prior to the acquisition, the promoter group held 64.84% of the company's total share capital. The company's total voting capital remains unchanged at Rs 210,371,000. No encumbered shares, warrants or convertible securities were involved in the transaction, which strengthens the promoters' control over the travel solutions company.

Basingstoke Gazette
Nov 16th, 2025
Naturetrek from Chawton wins international tourism prizes

Naturetrek from Chawton wins international tourism prizes. A Hampshire wildlife holiday operator has been internationally recognised for its conservation work. Chawton-based Naturetrek received both a Gold Award at the International Centre for Responsible Tourism (ICRT) Europe Awards in Brussels on Thursday, October 16, and a Silver Award at the ICRT Global Awards in London, on Monday, November 3. The accolades, given ahead of the World Travel Market, highlight the company's dedication to protecting endangered species and habitats, particularly through the establishment of the Naturetrek Reserves in Italy, Scotland and Ecuador. Naturetrek, which will celebrate its 40th anniversary in 2026, has significantly ramped up its contributions to conservation causes over the years. The 2025 Annual Summit and Global Responsible Tourism Awards. (Image: Naturetrek) It has invested more than £4.3m of its own profits and raised further funds towards the purchase and establishment of several important wildlife reserves around the world. These efforts have been made in partnership with experienced local conservation partners, benefiting species, habitats and local communities. Founded by Hampshire locals David and Maryanne Mills, Naturetrek has always prioritised responsible wildlife travel. The company, run by passionate naturalists, believes ecotourism and wildlife travel can play a positive role in conservation. Besides supporting various conservation initiatives, the company is also striving to reduce its total carbon footprint annually. Kerrie at ICRT Europe Awards 2025. (Image: Naturetrek) At its Mingledown Barn headquarters in Chawton, the company is switching to a 100 per cent renewable energy tariff, reducing paper usage, and the surrounding land is being rewilded. This rewilding project, undertaken with the help of neighbours, involves planting 10,000 trees and shrubs to create a flourishing ecosystem for staff, clients, and locals. Naturetrek has also partnered with B-Corp travel planner Byway to offer clients the chance to travel to more than 50 wildlife holidays across Europe by rail and sea. The ICRT, a global non-profit network, encourages responsible tourism through advocacy, education, training and research. Its Responsible Tourism Awards, established in 2004, honour organisations that are reducing the negative impacts of tourism while enhancing its positive effects, inspiring others in the process. The awards highlight Naturetrek's ongoing commitment to sustainable tourism and conservation, recognising its role in safeguarding endangered species and habitats.

Travel and Tourism Courses
Jul 21st, 2025
Much Better Adventures Launches New E-Bike Tour Offering in Iconic Global Destinations

Much Better Adventures launches new e-bike tour offering in iconic global destinations.

PhocusWire
Dec 9th, 2024
Much Better Adventures lands £5M for technology and new destinations

Adventure travel specialist Much Better Adventures (MBA) has received a £5 million investment from Gresham House Ventures.

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