Our Story
Throughout our 30-year history, the Odyssey teams ethos has stayed much the same. We will always be a small, boutique gang of professional travel lovers, committed to creating memories for our clients. We will never be a glossy corporate giant, and nor do we want to be. Our itineraries are all expertly hand-crafted off the back of our own travel experiences, and tailored to your tastes.
Before we get to know you though, you probably want a bit of background on us
In 1988 founder Marc Harris left Cambridge University with a degree in economics and set off to the city to begin his career in finance.
It was during these years he earnt the nickname Holiday Harris - a testament to his devotion to both industries. Having visited most corners of the globe by his late 20s, Marc became a defacto travel agent amongst his family and friends.
So in a natural - albeit extreme - step, in 1988 Mark flung off his shiny shoes, hung up his shirt and tie, and with a friend, the only guide book to Africa he could find, and a glimmer of an idea to set up a travel company, he boarded a flight to Cape Town.
The two of them, along with a Land Rover they bought for £5000 upon landing, set off on a fact (and fun) finding mission that would end up in Uganda a year later. The journey took them through Africa's wildest places, and they camped in the early versions of safari camps along the way. Marc had visited Tanzania several times before, but it was on this trip, as he admired the endless plains of the Serengeti National Park from a rickety camping chair that he fell in love.
When he arrived back home to Putney in 1999, Marc did three things. He ate a Bacon sandwich. He then created the first Tanzania Tourist Board's website. Then, full of momentum, he set his sight on Tanzania Odyssey, which would become one of the UK's very first online safari tour operators.
For a few years, Marc enjoyed sending clients to, and exploring, Tanzania and Zanzibar. When he wasn't goggling at cheetahs in The Serengeti or reclining on Nungwi beach with a Pina Colada, he was working from home in London.
When he arrived back home to Putney in 1999, Marc did three things. He ate a Bacon sandwich. He then created the first Tanzania Tourist Board's website. Then, full of momentum, he set his sight on Tanzania Odyssey, which would become one of the UK's very first online safari tour operators.
In 2002, Africa Odyssey moved over the Thames from Marc's house in Putney to an office in Fulham. From then, the company grew steadily for eight years.
In 2002, Africa Odyssey moved over the Thames from Marc's house in Putney to an office in Fulham. From then, the company grew steadily for eight years.
In 2008, Marc was appointed the director of the African Travel and Tourism Association (ATTA)
In 2010, fresh from a motorbiking trip in the Himalayas and armed with an anthropology degree and a few years working at an adventure company, M.D. Ted Archdale joined Africa Odyssey. Over the next decade, the pair expanded into a small team.
In 2015, we couldn't resist growing two more legs: Asia Odyssey and South America Odyssey, but whilst our knowledge grew, our team stayed small (as it always will). And then came Odyssey Travels: the umbrella company for all our favourite adventures. Although we remain Africa experts at our heart, Odyssey Travels showcases out personal favourite worldwide spots beyond the continent where it all started.
In 2022, Ted took over as Managing Director of Odyssey Travels. Marc sold the company to his small team of employees, making it an EOT. You know, like John Lewis. And here we are.
Meet the team
Ted Archdale
With a BA in Anthropology and years of travel ling, most notably across India on a Royal Enfield motorcycle, Ted joined the Africa Odyssey team in 2010. Ted has a real love for exploration, which enhances all our client experiences, and has proved to have an uncanny intuition for what transforms a hol iday from a good time to an unforgetta ble experience.
Marc Harris
Following years of travelling and exploring, Marc started organising safaris for clients in the late 1990s. Specialising in the then lesser-known safari regions, he set up Tanzania Odyssey. His perfectionism and unrivalled zest for world experiences makes him a sturdy helmsman for all your Odysseys. Formerly judge of The Good Safari Guide and director of the African Travel and Tourism Association (ATTA), he is one of the most respected safari consultants in the world.
Dave Fuller
As well as being a Tanzania, Botswana, Namibia, Zimbabwe and Zambia specialist, Dave heads up our Asia Odyssey arm, having spent years exploring Southeast Asia, India and China. Asia is where Daves heart lies, and he can often be found tucking into a steaming bowl of ramen down a side street in Tokyo. Though it hurts to say it, he is probably the most travelled of us all, and 20 years in the travel industry has helped Dave turn itinerary planning into an art form.
Sam hanks
Sam specialises in all things East Africa, from the gorillas of Bwindi Impenetrable Forest in Uganda to the mighty elephant tuskers of Amboseli. He is also a wildlife photographer and published writer, with a special place in his heart for South Africa. The Greater Kruger, where he once worked as a guide, is his home-away-from-home. With a sense of adventure pulsing in his blood, were sure there will be plenty more destinations explored in the coming years.
George Hannan
Always having had love for wildlife and conservation, George has worked in travel since leaving university and this passion shines through everything he does. Having travelled extensively his whole life, he is a particular specialist in the Serengeti. We’re fairly sure he knows several of the great migration’s wildebeest by name. George joined Africa Odyssey in 2015 as a consultant and worked tirelessly designing some of our most brilliant itineraries.
Johnny Ogilvie
Its safe to say Johnnys first trip to Latin America in 2005 had its impact on him. After working on a conservation programme in an Ecuador cloud forest for three months, he embarked on an adventure through Peru, Argentina and Brazil. Johnny then settled into ten years as a South America travel expert, before finding his home at Odyssey Travels in 2018. Now, he heads up South America Odyssey from Quito, where he also works as an Advisor to the Ecuadorian Minister of Tourism. Not a bad set-up
