Rory King is one of those rare people who gets to make a living from doing what he loves most. In his case, it is travel.
It is a passion which tens of thousands of local people are grateful he has turned into a lucrative career, as he is helping them make huge savings on their holidays.
If you are heading off to sunnier climes this summer or looking forward to a staycation, chances are Rory helped bag you a bargain on the price.
The 32-year-old from Downpatrick, Co. Down, an avid traveller who has already visited 70 countries, started sharing his travel tips and adventures online a few years ago.
His love for exploring new destinations quickly resonated with readers and he was astonished to see his following on social media soar to 20,000 within weeks.
Recognising a business opportunity, he launched Rory’s Travel Club, a membership-based service that offers exclusive travel discounts and deals.
For an annual fee of just £10, members gain access to a wide array of negotiated travel discounts in Ireland, north and south, and across the world.
The club has grown rapidly and now boasts 100,000 members, with thousands of local people packing their cases every month to enjoy a new travel adventure.
A group trip by Rory’s Travel Club members to Abu Dhabi
“I’ve always loved travelling and finding the best deals,” Rory said. “When I saw how many people were following my blog and benefiting from my tips, I knew I could turn it into something bigger. Rory’s Travel Club is all about making travel affordable and accessible for everyone.”
When Weekend caught up with Rory it wasn’t surprising to find he was out of the country.
Speaking from a cruise boat sailing on the Norwegian fjords along with club members, he explained how his business came about: “I went to England to university when I was 18 and I was lucky to spend the next 10 years living abroad.
“When I graduated, I got a job as international sales manager with a large Irish drinks company.
“In one year, I was in Fiji, Denmark, Cyprus, New Zealand, Canada and Australia.
“That job took me far and wide all over the world. I was based in New York in 2019 when I decided to share on Facebook some travel tips I had learnt along the way.
A group from Drogheda, Co. Louth, who walked the Camino with Rory’s Travel Club
“I wanted to show people how affordable travel could be. I had never really used social media much before and was surprised when a lot of the posts went viral.
“Within six months I had 30,000 followers. That got me thinking that I could set up a club and charge £10 a year and spend my time negotiating travel deals for people.
“I put out a post to see if anyone would be interested and straight away I had 30 or 40 comments from people saying ‘yes’. I took a massive risk and quit my job to set up Rory’s Travel Club in 2021.
“Fast forward three years and I have a team of seven people, including myself, all working with some of the biggest and best hotels and travel companies in the world.
“We get lots of discounts, often up to 40-50% off and members just have to take one trip and they are quids in and have got more than their tenner membership fee back.”
As well as individual holiday offers, the club also organises group tours which are popular with solo travellers.
Rory says: “We have people from every county in Ireland meeting up for the group trips, which have a daily itinerary with everyone having dinner together and days out and it is a chance for people travelling alone to make friends and memories.
Rory with his club members on group trip to Dubai
“This year club members have been to Bali, Vietnam, Boston, Dubai, Venice and many more. I am also currently on what is our second Norwegian fjord cruise. I’m happy to say so many people have also made friends through the travel club.”
A large part of the market for Rory is in local breaks and he has forged relationships with some of the biggest and best hotels in Ireland.
A prime example of the exclusive bargains on offer to members this year includes a mid-week break in the four-star Corick House Hotel & Spa in Tyrone for two people with bed and breakfast, 60 minutes in the thermal suite, a glass of prosecco on arrival and late check out for just £109.
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For those who want to go a little farther afield, the club has secured a 14-night trip to Thailand with four nights in Bangkok and 10 nights in Phuket for just £1,150 per person, including accommodation and flights.
A common theme on Rory’s social media feeds is information and tips on places to visit across Ireland, both north and south.
He explained: “There is so much beauty in Ireland and so many amazing places that I’ve never been to, and I’ve been to more than most.
“I hope to inspire people to book something new and have an experience closer to home. I have spoken to hundreds of hotels here on behalf of members.”
Rory’s dedication to his own travel goals is equally impressive. Over the past decade, he has taken 500 flights on his way to realising a dream to visit every country in the world.
With 70 countries already checked off his list, his ambition continues to drive both his personal and professional endeavours.
Rory on his travels, pictured at Interlaken, Switzerland
His favourite so far is Fiji. “When I finished uni in 2010, I volunteered to work in a school in Fiji and stayed there for the best part of a year,” he explained.
“There is limited internet on it and few shops, and it is in the middle of nowhere, but I found it to be one of the happiest places I’ve ever been in the world.
“I had studied sports science at university as I always wanted to be a PE teacher but after Fiji, I knew I wanted to travel and was lucky enough to get the job with the drinks company and continue to travel the world.
“My passion is travel and inspiring people to travel and save money at the same time. Unlike a lot of businesspeople, I am not in it to make lots of money but to simply travel and my goal is to visit every country in the world, and I believe I will do it some day.
“I am currently on a cruise in Norway with around 50 or 60 people who have never been on a cruise ship before, and they all want to go on another one. I feel extremely grateful to have enabled them to do that and I know the company is only going to get bigger and better.”
Next May he will fulfil a personal ambition when he visits Alaska on a members cruise with 50 other local people and also has his sights set on climbing Mount Kilimanjaro in Tanzania and visiting Nashville in the near future.
Rory addressing a Belfast audience on the topic Digital DNA
Travel is not in his blood, as Rory said his mum has never been on a plane and his childhood holidays were spent in Ireland, mostly at Salthill in Galway or Carlingford, Co. Louth.
He accepted that travel isn’t for everyone but is determined to inspire as many people as he can to explore the world: “Mum and Dad are real homebirds and are happy enough and yet I have been on 500 flights in the last 10 years. Each to their own.
“I am living my dream but there is a lot of work and a lot of hours. It is hard, just like any start-up company.
“I am proud of what we are doing and how many people our offers are bringing happiness to.
“I had no idea it would blow up the way it has, and we are constantly trying to evolve and improve things.
“We are happy to get discounts and pass that on to our members, who get great savings with no fees or commission on our side. It is a great position to be in as we are non-biased and can give honest opinions on things as we are not selling anything on behalf of a company.
“We put up around 1,000 offers a year so there is plenty of variety and choice.
“We recently organised a trip of flights and three nights’ accommodation in Alicante for £85 per person, something which most people could afford. You don’t have to spend thousands to enjoy travelling to new places.”
You can find out more by following Rory’s Travel Club on social media