The Experientialist® Awards 23/24:
The Finalists

We’re proud to announce the finalists of this year’s Experientialist® Awards, our not-for-profit, philanthropy-driven awards programme to recognise and applaud the luxury brands and people from across our big and beautiful world that have delivered truly OutThere initiatives, ingenious and innovative ideas, original and dynamic campaigns, unparalleled leadership and community-first approaches in luxury and experiential travel, particularly those rooted in our core values of diversity, discovery and discernment.

A huge congratulations to all the entrants who made it to the final six of each category. There were hundreds of fabulous and worthy entries this year, which made it very hard to discern who would be honoured in our shortlists. The quality of entries was extremely high this year, alas only six brands could be shortlisted in each category. Our panel of esteemed judges worked extremely hard to take the following OutThere brands through to the finals…

Most OutThere travel brand

The six most revolutionary, mindful and forward-looking travel brands that have demonstrated unrivalled and holistic innovation, inclusivity, creativity and excellence across all aspects of their operations, linked specifically to OutThere’s core values of diversity, discovery and discernment.

Most OutThere champion

These people, through stewardship, creativity, innovation and tenacity are pushing the boundaries and redefining the status quo of luxury travel. They drive market-defining experiences, are role models for their team members and deliver excellence in personalisation, diversity and inclusion, and guest experience.

Most OutThere initiative in inclusive travel

These six travel brands are making a real difference when it comes to fostering inclusivity and intersectionality in luxury and experiential travel and are truly dedicated to personalisation, inclusivity and diversity in their work.

Most OutThere initiative in community, conservation and sustainability

Social responsibility continues to be a core pillar for many of today’s luxury travel brands, encouraging travellers to journey with purpose and not just be conscious about where they travel, but also how they travel, why and with whom. It is heartwarming to see so many brands create initiatives that foster a deep and empathetic understanding of humanity, nature and sustainable custodianship, and garner support for them from their guests, travellers and the public at large. These six projects are the best of the best social responsibility projects in community, conservation and sustainability, related to the mindblowing travel experiences that are true to OutThere’s core values.

*The winner of this category will receive the £10,000 collected from entry fees to help fund their project.

The following six categories for the Experientialist Awards shortlist celebrate the luxury travel brands, that like us, are rooted in diversity, discovery and discernment and linked to the six OutThere traveller profiles. The winner of these categories will be selected by a panel of OutThere subscribers.

The Adventurer award

The six most adventurous brands from a long list of worthy entries, these travel providers have a real sense of discovery, one that gets their customers out into the great outdoors and pushes their boundaries.

The Culturalist award

These six shortlisted brands have and celebrate “culture” at their very heart, not just limited to the Arts, but also the local community and destination that they’re in.

The Escapist award

These six escapist journeys celebrate ‘getting away from it all’, wellbeing and peace of mind, all worthy finalists from a mammoth list of entries each vying to make the Experientialist Awards shortlist.

The Hedonist award

We loved judging this “just because” category, and have shortlisted six of the most simply indulgent, mindblowing properties, brands and experiences rooted in fun and celebration.

The Insider award

These six brands are all centred around ‘being in the know’ – they’re otherwise hard-to-access journeys, but made available because of the brand’s innovation, creativity and connections.

The Sophisticate award

The most hotly contested category of these whole awards, the judges pondered, debated and reconsidered many times over as to which of the luxurious, taste-making, out-of-this-world properties, journeys and experiences they would shortlist. These are their final six.