Our story

A small studio. A long list of places.

We started in 2017 with one trip, six travelers, and a stubborn belief that travel should feel like being shown around by a friend — not herded through an itinerary.

How we began

Built by travelers, for travelers.

Atlas & Co. started as a notebook — a list of guesthouses, family kitchens, and quiet roads our founders had collected across a decade of slow travel. When friends began asking us to plan their trips, the notebook turned into a studio.

Eight years later, we're still small on purpose. Every itinerary is shaped by a destination specialist who's spent real time on the ground, and every departure is built around locally-owned stays and small-group guides.

— Mara Ellison & Tomás Reyes, founders

What we value

Three quiet principles

The lines we won't cross, and the ones we keep returning to.

Travel that gives back

We work with locally-owned businesses, pay guides a fair day rate, and publish where every trip dollar goes. More of your trip stays in the place you came to see.

Honest about the trade-offs

We'll never oversell a destination. If a place is overrun, a season is wrong, or a route is closed, we say so — and suggest a different way in.

A lighter footprint

We design trips that minimize internal flights, favor trains and ferries, and stay longer in fewer places. Better for the places you visit — and a better trip.

The team

The people behind the notebook

A small group of destination specialists, all of whom have lived, worked, or spent serious time in the regions they design trips for.

Mara Ellison

Co-founder · Atlas & Africa

Mara led overland trips across East and Southern Africa for eight years before co-founding the studio.

Tomás Reyes

Co-founder · Latin America

A former food and travel writer, Tomás designs our Mexico, Peru, and Patagonia departures.

Anya Petrov

Lead · Central Asia & the Caucasus

Anya spent four years in Tbilisi and leads our Georgia, Armenia, and Silk Road programs.

Reo Tanaka

Lead · Japan & Southeast Asia

A Kyoto-based guide, Reo designs our Japan departures and our slower Bali and Vietnam loops.

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Milestones

A short timeline

2017

The first trip

Six travelers, ten days in the Faroes. The notebook starts to take shape.

2019

The studio opens

Mara and Tomás lease a small office in Edinburgh's Old Town and hire our first destination lead.

2021

Slow travel, redefined

We pause, redesign every itinerary to be train- and ferry-first, and publish our impact figures for the first time.

2023

New regions

We open Japan, the Caucasus, and Central Asia — three regions our team has spent the last two years on the ground.

2026

Today

Twelve thousand travelers later, we're still small, still in Edinburgh, and still reading the same notebook.