Take A Journey With… Darren Burn – Founder of Out Of Office

Darren founded the company after realising travelling the world as an LGBTQ+ person is not always easy. He wanted to ensure that other travellers had access to people who could help them successfully navigate the world in the safest way possible.

Out Of Office is now the biggest LGBT+ travel company in the world.

All a bit formal, that. So tell us something about you that not a lot of people know.

My Mastermind subject wouldn’t be travel, it would be the life and works of Janet Jackson. I was lucky enough to interview her a few times in my former career as a journalist and it remains one of my top life moments to this day!

Let’s get down to the nitty-gritty. Why did you start Out Of Office? What problem did you seek to solve?

The reality is that travelling the world as an LGBTQ+ person is not always easy.

We’ve grown up accustomed to reading a room as we enter it and disclosing limited amounts of information about ourselves depending on who we’re with. And as I travelled more with work as a journalist, I noticed that it just wasn’t as easy as it should be.

I wanted to ensure that other travellers (especially those who weren’t as versed in visiting all four corners of the globe) had access to a team of experts who could help them successfully navigate the world and all it has to offer in as safe a way as possible.

What would you say is the biggest motivator behind why you do what you do? And what impact does Out Of Office aim to have?

Our clients.

When we receive 5* reviews or messages from our clients telling us we perfected the trip for them, it really does make it all worthwhile.

At the end of the day, if we can give someone that little bit of additional confidence to travel, then we’re doing something right.

But even for those seasoned travellers, it’s the relationships we’ve built with properties all over the world that sets us apart. We know the hotels that are most welcoming to LGBTQ+ travellers and we absolutely capitalise on those partnerships and relationships to ensure our clients have an extra special trip.

Be honest – what has been your biggest challenge since starting Out Of Office?

I think Google has undoubtedly been the bane of my life.

For small to medium-sized businesses that don’t have mega million-pound marketing budgets, staying on top of all the ongoing changes to algorithms, PPC and SEO can be exhausting. It helps that I like and enjoy that side of the business, but I can only imagine how someone who doesn’t feel at home with it must feel.

Our other brand, TravelGay.com, saw massive dips in traffic in a Google Core Update a year or so ago. We’ve since recovered and surpassed the traffic, but every time Google releases an update, you do sit there and worry about things.

I think the next biggest challenge will be in the world of AI. Google has started showing AI snippets because it has no choice in a world where ChatGPT is set to dethrone it. But what does that mean for businesses? And what does that mean for Google’s business model too?

There’s more uncertainty now than ever before and I hope (naively I know!) we can see some stability in this area.

You were quoted as saying that you hope there will one day come a time when a company like Out Of Office doesn’t need to exist. Do you feel we’re any closer towards that than when you started the company?

Yes and no.

Countries are improving their laws all the time but there still remain large areas of the world that are essentially off-limits to LGBTQ+ travellers.

It will be really interesting to see what happens in places like Saudi Arabia over the coming years. Their human rights record is appalling, but they are determined to make tourism the big driver of their economy in a post-oil world. It remains to be seen whether they will be able to do this because they will need to improve laws for everyone, not just LGBTQ+ travellers, before people actually have a wish to visit it.

What advice would you give to other travel business owners about how to better support LGBTQ+ customers and employees?

The travel industry has always been ahead of others when it comes to LGBTQ+ inclusivity, but that hasn’t always been reflected in the culture of some bigger travel companies.

We’ve mystery shopped enough of the big players to know their staff aren’t properly trained in how to handle LGBTQ+ customers. “I’m sure it’s legal to be gay in the Maldives, we send gay people there all the time,” was something one of my team was famously told by a major high street player.

At that point, you start to worry.

Customers are being lied to, and it’s a risky business when you’re talking about people’s safety.

In terms of advice, I think it would apply more broadly. Know your customer. Listen to them and learn about them. And then do your research to find the best possible match for them.

All companies should be doing this anyway, but the ones who do it best will simply find the best product for the customer. That applies not just if someone is LGBTQ+ but all round.

Tell us about one marketing approach that has worked really well for you.

Creating full end-to-end tracking.

It amazes me how many big businesses still cannot report true ROI at a granular level. We are a small business and we can track every single lead all the way from conversion in order to spot which of our Paid campaigns are profitable and which aren’t working.

Ensuring you’re reporting lead, qualified lead and sale data back to Google Ads in real time is super important. With the advent of Google AI tools like Performance Max, it’s imperative that you keep feeding the algorithm with data so it can learn and refine.

Now, think back to 10 years ago, what is one piece of advice you’d give past you?

Not a piece of advice, but a question really.

“Do you really want to start a business or would a well paid 9-5 suit you better?”

I still think I’d have opted to start a business, but I definitely rushed into it in my late 20s without thinking through just how much effort would be required. There was a beauty in that naivety, for sure, but I think a little more considered thought before starting might have helped!

Fast forward again. What do you think has been the most important strategy, value or approach that has helped you get to where you are today?

Perseverance and resilience. Something hits differently when it’s your business.

You are responsible for creating value not just for clients, but for employees too. Failure is not an option for me. When Covid hit, I think what stood me in best stead was knowing that as long as I did my best and worked as hard as I could I could never regret anything.

My dad once told me “if it’s the right decision at the time then you can have no regrets” and that’s stuck with me.

Of course, we all make mistakes and wrong decisions constantly, but it’s knowing that you did it for the right reasons at that time means you can sleep easier at night. You are on the right track as long as you learn from those mistakes.

We know that travel is ever-evolving, but what trends or strategies do you believe will be key in driving positive change in the coming years?

I think AI will be used by the general consumer more and more for inspiration.

So where does that leave us as luxury travel experts? Well, I think it presents even more opportunity.

We’ve seen it before with TripAdvisor. We go down rabbit holes as consumers and have so much information available to us that it sometimes becomes difficult to see the wood from the trees.

With that, whilst the consumer may be initially inspired by AI, I think when push comes to shove and they have to make a decision about where to go and how to have the best experience, they’ll still be turning to humans and experts to help them achieve their dream holiday.

Quick Fire

• Favourite travel destination I’ve visited: Maldives.
• Travel destination still on my bucket list: Bora Bora.
• Destination that I wouldn’t return to: Egypt.
• Most treasured travel memory: Breaking down in a camper van in the middle of the outback with no phone signal. Treasured because I lived to tell the tale!

About The Author...

Tom McLoughlin

Founder

Tom is here to steer the ship in the right direction, to ensure what we offer is best in class, and to keep clients and the team happy! Naturally, he loves to travel, but Honduras is a favourite destination after having spent a year there teaching after finishing school.