When TravelPlus was launched by its founder Simon Charles Ward in 1996, the web had been worldwide for only five years. There were fewer than 350,000 websites. Amazon, Internet Explorer and eBay (then called Auctionweb) were just a year old. It would be another two years before anyone had heard of Google and five years before the first podcast and the founding of Wickipedia. Today people can Google more than 100 million websites, with the number growing by the second.
TravelPlus has also changed. But its founder’s main aim of keeping frequent travellers abreast of the latest trends remains. TravelPlus began as a direct-response advertising insert – the first to be aimed specifically at frequent business travellers – bound into publications such as The Economist, Time, and British Airways and British Midland in-flight magazines.
It quickly built a loyal readership, with copies being sent direct to frequent flyers who had requested a personal issue. Based on feed back from readers, TravelPlus Direct included editorial copy for the first time in May 1999. The inserts were phased out and the publication was mailed direct to the travellers.
The Magazine underwent a total redesign in September 2000 and regular features covering subjects such as technology, destinations and reviews were introduced and the TravelPlus website was launched designed to support the magazine.
But 2005 was the year when TravelPlus had most to celebrate. It adopted a new compact format as was voted Best Consumer Publication of the Year Covering Business Travel by Carlson Wagonlit, one of the world’s biggest travel management companies.
Then in 2007 TravelPlus became the first European travel publication to adopt an online page turning digital format whilst phasing out the printed version. Today TravelPlus is an established modern online brand offering the frequent traveller a fresh, professional, compact and impartial look at the world of travel and tourism.
Our reputation as a well-informed publication has enabled us to build strong ties with the travel world. We had a long association with the prestigious OAG Airline of the Year awards until they ended and have been a media sponsor of the Low Cost Airline Congress. TravelPlus led the way in January 2003 when we celebrated the centenary of flight by publishing a special supplement in conjunction with the Royal Aeronautical Society. Other milestones have been the publication of the first ever business guide for the Star Alliance airline partnership and the launch of the Airline Amenity Bag Awards.
We have come a long way in a short time –just like frequent travel, which has undergone massive changes too.
