Northampton blogger's new search engine allowed him to travel abroad for just 2p

Duston-born Gareth O'Sullivan didn't take the usual route out of school - at just aged 21 he is the founder of cheap flight and hotel search engine Orbis Explorer.
By The Newsroom
Published 12th Aug 2018, 13:02 BST
Updated 4th Sep 2018, 20:21 BST
Gareth pictured in Bali earlier this year.Gareth pictured in Bali earlier this year.
Gareth pictured in Bali earlier this year.

After struggling to kickstart a game server and his own clothing line at 18 years old - while working full time - Gareth decided to work in his spare time, at weekends and in the evenings to make his third business venture a success.

The 21-year-old threw himself into travelling, visiting 23 countries and amassing a social media following of over 140,000 through a popular blog.

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Off the back of his adventures he has now launched Orbis Explorer, a go-to website for people wanting to hop between countries on the cheap.

Gareth pictured on his travels at the Sekumpul Waterfall in Bali.Gareth pictured on his travels at the Sekumpul Waterfall in Bali.
Gareth pictured on his travels at the Sekumpul Waterfall in Bali.

He said: "Being a frequent traveller and a travel blogger, I’ve always had a passion for the travel industry. I used to always use online travel agents but didn’t like the fact they added fees sneakily.

"A lot of other travellers I’ve spoken to also said the same, and so that’s when Orbis Explorer launched - an online search engine that queries hundreds of airlines and travel sites returning the cheapest prices for flights and hotels without adding any additional fees."

The aim of Orbis Explorer is to help other people explore the world as freely and for as little cost as possible.

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The website works by searching hundreds of airlines directly and travel sites to find the cheapest options. Orbis Explorer then receives a small percentage from its partners for helping explorers find the cheapest price.

Some of the cheapest excursions include flights to Vienna for 2p, Copenhagen for £15, Barcelona for £32 and Iceland for £72 - all of which are return flights, Gareth said.

He added: "It’s very rare you come across a bargain flight that costs 2p - that’s a return ticket too.

"The return price of 2p included a single cabin bag along with a personal item like a laptop. As soon as I had received the notification from my search engine, I immediately went to book the tickets."

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Similarly built to other search engines, Gareth's search engine is able to browse for flights with various filters, including setting a specific price range and now he's added a low fare price calendar that displays cheap prices for various months.

He added: "From the feedback we’ve received, we thought the next step would be to launch a hotel search engine, and so that’s what happened, built within the website. There are many more exciting updates coming in the future.

"Vienna, I’m looking forward to seeing you early September! Bratislava? You’ll be next, for just £24."

Related topics:NorthamptonIcelandBarcelona