Essential Travel is one of the UK's leading online travel essentials providers. Since 2001, over five million British travellers have enjoyed peace of mind - travelling with the company's fully comprehensive, competitively priced travel insurance policies - and priority access to the most sought after airport car parks, hotels and lounges in the UK. EssentialTravel.co.uk also offers excellent rates on car hire and car hire excess insurance.
EssentialTravel.co.uk was the result of a dynamic merger between Essential Travel, co-founded by Stuart Bensusan, Richard Hannan and Philip Jordan, and Online Essentials, owned by Simon Purnell and Stephen Smith. The two teams saw the opportunity that the internet presented to bring great value travel essentials straight to the consumer in an easily accessible format.
Essentialtravel.co.uk's aim was to provide customers with a quick and easy web platform to book a full range of travel extras or 'essentials'. Another goal was to provide the travel industry with a 'white label' solution to embed into their own holiday websites to help increase ancillary sales.
Quickly developing a reputation for innovation and fairness for the consumer, EssentialTravel.co.uk built one of the UK's first online quote-comparison engines. The company continues to monitor the market closely to ensure it only offers the most reliable, comprehensive, good-value products, all available instantly through the secure and easy to navigate website.
In March 2010, EssentialTravel.co.uk became part of Thomas Cook, the second-largest leisure travel group in the UK. Comprehensive travel insurance policies are now underwritten by White Horse Insurance Ireland Ltd.
EssentialTravel.co.uk receives constant recognition for its modern approach and high standards in the industry.
In 2008, Real Business magazine declared it one of the Top 100 fastest growing companies in the UK and 2009 saw EssentialTravel.co.uk win Best Travel Insurance Website at the Travolution awards. EssentialTravel.co.uk received the Best Travel Add Ons Website Award at the 2010 TravelMole Web Awards, and was nominated for Best UK Airport Accommodation and/or Parking Provider at the British Travel Awards. In 2012 EssentialTravel.co.uk took silver at the prestigious British Travel Awards and is a nominee for the Globe Travel Awards 2013.