After years of building a brand out of piss-takes, parody, and painfully relatable Aussie humour, Jack Steele and Matt Ford — aka The Inspired Unemployed — have done something unexpected: they’ve launched a travel company. And no, it’s not a satirical tourism ad or a niche Instagram stunt. ARRIVAL is real, it’s global, and it’s kind of genius.
Billed as a curated travel brand for those chasing real experiences, not just content for the ’gram, ARRIVAL sits somewhere between a backpacker’s fever dream and a luxury retreat gone rogue. Think surfing in Costa Rica, climbing Kilimanjaro, motorcycle tours across Kyrgyzstan, or sleeping in a van under Icelandic glaciers.
The idea didn’t come from a boardroom — it came from trying to plan a mate’s birthday.
“I feel like I’m always the friend organising the trips and birthdays,” says Steele. “So I just thought, wouldn’t it be great if there was a travel app where your mates could put in their preferences and dates and it would package it up and tell you what to book.”
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That turned into two years of testing trips, linking up with heavy-hitters in the travel world, and eventually building a fully-fledged platform. ARRIVAL launches today with more than 50 bookable experiences across the globe — most priced between $1,000 and $5,000 AUD — with more to roll out in the coming months.
“ARRIVAL has been years in the making,” Steele adds. “To test out these experiences and build this brand, we’ve gone skiing in Hakuba, desert camping in Morocco, and surfing in The Mentawais. We’ve now built something we’re really proud of, and something so different to what’s on the market. People are going to love it.”
The offerings range from three-day escapes to multi-week odysseys, and while there’s a strong lean into adventure and experiences, there’s also room for culture and wellness: local guides, nature immersion, and even meditation-focused escapes. You can even tack on flights or weave a package into a longer trip.
“We’ve had the time of our lives trialling everything,” Ford says. “We’re so excited that it’s out in the world now. For us, travel is all about new experiences, moments that make your heart race, and collecting a few funny stories to bring home at the end. That’s at the centre of ARRIVAL.”
To actually bring it to life, the pair enlisted industry veteran Quentin Nolan, the mind behind global ski fest Snow Machine and founder of MountainWatch, as co-founder and CEO. He’s the kind of operator who once sold ski trips via MySpace and now sends 20,000 people around the world each year.
“I started selling ski trips on MySpace over 20 years ago, so there’s something that feels full circle about working with the boys and building ARRIVAL,” Nolan says. “What we’ve created isn’t just another booking platform — it’s about curating real experiences for people who want to experience something different.”
ARRIVAL’s also roped in Trent Ellen (ex-Luxury Escapes, TripADeal) as GM, locking in some serious travel industry credentials while keeping the Inspired Unemployed tone intact — a little ridiculous, but surprisingly well-executed.
For now, here’s just a taste of what you can book:
Sri Lanka Tuk Tuk Challenge, Sri Lanka – $3,999
Kilimanjaro Machame Route, Tanzania – $3,999
Everest Base Camp Arrival Takeover, Nepal – $3,499
Amalfi Chartered Yacht and Rock Climb, Italy – $2,999
Xanadu Resort Surf and Yoga Women’s Takeover, Indonesia – $2,299
Machu Picchu, Inca, Rainbow Mountain and the Amazon, Peru – $3,499
Awera Resort Mentawai Surf Takeover, Indonesia – $3,999
Kyrgyzstan Motorcycle Tour, Kyrgyzstan – $5,399
Hoi An to Hanoi, Vietnam’s Untold Trail, Vietnam – $1,199
Surf & Yoga Escape in the Costa Rican Jungle, Costa Rica – $999
Campfire Nights: Canadian Rockies Adventure, Canada – $3,299
Moroccan Surf-ari Aourir & Atlas Mountains, Morocco – $1,600
Rio Carnival, Brazil – $4,899
Japan Free Ride – Annupuri, Niseko / Hokkaido, Japan – $6,699
Trekking through the Dolomites, Italy – $1,999
Balkan Rally, Austria – $5,299
Iceland Vanlife: From Volcanoes to Glaciers, Iceland – $3,499
If it all sounds a bit too good to be true, that might just be the point. ARRIVAL isn’t for tourists. It’s for people who want to live their trips, not just take photos of them. And if nothing else, it proves Steele and Ford are more than just the internet’s favourite bogan philosophers.
They might still make you laugh — but they also might just send you on the trip of a lifetime.
Explore more at arrival.com.au.
