I was in my 30s and working as a fundraising consultant when I first came across Lee on Match.com in 2012.
Im adventurous by nature and his profile stood out. All his pictures were taken in exotic locations, and the fact that he was a photojournalist piqued my interest.
It turned out we only lived a few streets away from one another, so we met nearby and spent the whole evening trading travel tales.
A few glasses of wine in, I mentioned to Lee that I had a business idea Id been turning over in my mind.
I never planned to talk about it on a first date, but somehow the stage was set that night and it came pouring out.
At that point in my life, all my friends were starting to settle down and start families.
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I still craved adventure – the kind of crazy, exciting travel that jangles at your soul – but I couldnt find people to share it with.
I tried joining an organised group tour and it left me feeling flat. There was no one like me; everyone was in their 20s and wanted to party the whole time.
I realised there was a huge gap in the market to bring together solo travellers in their 30s and 40s.
My vision was to create unique adventures that captured all the thrill of backpacking with boutique hotels in the mix.
Lee happened to be in the same situation as me. In his early 30s, his friends were also peeling off to begin family life while he still adored travelling.
He instantly recognised the value of my idea and we started brainstorming our first adventure products that very evening. It was the first step on the journey towards our business, Flash Pack.
Some of our earliest dates involved going to trade shows – not your average setting for romance but it had to be done.
We quickly became inseparable so, in one sense, it felt like the most normal thing in the world to be researching a business together.
At the same time, it was risky, as we knew that we were putting a good relationship on the line if we werent able to make it work.
We had a lot of discussions about our ambitions, happiness and values.
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Our first challenge came when we planned a pilot trip to Sierra Leone, four months after we met. It was the hardest travelling I had done in ages.
We ran out of money in a cash-only economy and almost ended up homeless one night in Freetown. But we were also let loose in a beautiful country with unspoiled beaches and the friendliest people.
Even though it was tough, we had the time of our lives. It was a pivotal moment that proved how much we had in common, including a love for travel.
In January 2014, 13 months after our first date, Flash Pack went live.
The first year was difficult. We both have strong personalities, so we disagreed over how to do things. We had taken on a lot of financial risk with the business and also buying a flat together, which inevitably caused stress.
If Flash Pack failed, we were in trouble as we had both given up our careers.
We worked 80-hour weeks and made a lot of sacrifices, neglecting friends, family and our personal lives. And yet – slowly, magically – our gamble paid off.
That gut feeling we had about solo travellers in their 30s and 40s turned out to be right.
We began to build up a movement of like-minded people searching for challenge and escapism, just as we had been. Our trips became a way for travellers to connect with other, mostly single, professionals and share adventures together. In an age of screen addiction, we made the group dynamic a priority, fuelling friendships all over the world.
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Four years in, and we are now a multi-million pound business with 300% year-on-year growth and over 130,000 Flashpackers in more than 15 countries worldwide.
Like any start-up, we still have peaks and troughs. Its hard to lift each other up when things go wrong. But the highs are intoxicating and theres no better feeling than sharing it with your partner… and we also found time to get married along the way.
Im always interested in people who take risks in their lives.
You have to be passionate about your choices; even if youre scared, push past your fear and refuse to accept things that make you unhappy.
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