"Adventurers": 15 Years of an Odessa-Based Tour OperatorAdvertisement

In 2011, “The Adventurers” started out with affordable youth trips around Ukraine and later grew into a tourism project featuring group tours, festivals, extreme activities, and city events. According to the founders, tens of thousands of Odessa residents have used its services over the past 15 years. Company founder Igor Bocharov explained why the Carpathians have become the main destination for “The Adventurers” today, how their group tours are organized, and what has changed since the start of the full-scale war.

- Igor, if someone is hearing about “The Adventurers” for the first time, what should they know?

- My name is Igor Bocharov. Together with my brother Artem, we founded “The Adventurers” in Odesa in 2011. Today, it’s a travel company that operates both as a travel agency and as a tour operator: we design and organize group tour itineraries ourselves. At the same time, the concept of a “travel project” resonates more with us, because historically, we’ve done more than just tours. We’ve organized festivals, extreme sports trips, city events, music festivals, and guided tours. In other words, tourism has always been our foundation, but many other activities have sprung up around it.

- What is currently the main focus for your travel company?

- The Carpathians. First and foremost, Dragobrat; second is Bukovel. Moreover, the Carpathians have long since ceased to be exclusively a winter destination for us. In the summer, it’s all about the mountains, walks, hikes, nature, and rafting. In the winter, skiing is, of course, the main attraction.

In addition to the Carpathians, the tour operator organizes trips to other regions of Ukraine. Over the years, we’ve traveled to Lviv, Uzhhorod, Mukachevo, Lutsk, Poltava, and many other cities.

In 2026, domestic tourism and the Carpathians will be the cornerstone of our work.

- What exactly does a tourist get when they book a tour like this?

- Most importantly, they don’t have to put together a trip from a dozen separate parts on their own. The tour company handles transportation, transfers, accommodations, and guides. The base price of our current tours includes lodging, necessary transfers, a tour guide, and breakfast; some programs also include dinner and a photo session.

There’s also a cost-saving aspect. Groups get discounted rates on transportation, hotels, and services, so an organized tour is often cheaper than a similar trip planned independently. This is especially true when it comes to the complex logistics of traveling to the Carpathians.

- Group tours are often associated with a strict schedule. Is that the case with you as well?

- We try to avoid that. The average group size right now is about 30 people. Usually, two tour guides work with the group. One focuses more on technical matters: travel, transfers, the hotel, and organization. The other focuses on the people within the group—helping them get to know each other and organizing shared leisure activities.

That said, socializing is optional. If someone wants to meet others, the conditions are in place for that. If they want to spend some time alone, no one forces them to participate in group activities. By the way, solo travelers regularly join our tours without bringing their own group.

Over the past 15 years, many groups of friends, couples, and eventually families have formed on our tours.

- Why does Dragobrat hold a special place in the history of “The Adventurers”?

- We started actively organizing ski tours about two years after founding the travel company. First came Slavske, then Dragobrat and Bukovel. In Dragobrat, we felt there wasn’t enough for tourists to do after skiing, so we started developing leisure activities ourselves: we organized parties and concerts, opened venues, and created other forms of entertainment. Some of this infrastructure eventually became independent.

- And which of the travel company’s projects were the most unusual?

- There were plenty of experiments over 15 years. We did rope jumping, rafting, diving, paintball, hot-air balloon rides, and camping trips. We hosted festivals, including Canyon Fest, which drew about 500 participants.

We also did a lot right in Odesa itself. For example, we managed to reach an agreement with the port and arrange access to the Odesa Lighthouse. People were taken by bus through the restricted area, and then they walked along the lighthouse trail. Over the years, thousands of Odesa residents have taken part in such excursions. Once, we even hosted a DJ set at the lighthouse. For about five years, “Vodychka”—parties on a ship—was also a thing. There were rides on a retro tram, lectures, and other city events.

That’s why the term “tourism project” has stuck, even though today the core of “The Adventurers” is a travel agency and tour operator.

- So how did it all start 15 years ago?

- It was much more modest. In 2011, one of us was a student and could buy train tickets at a student discount. We came up with the idea of affordable trips around Ukraine for young people. The first tour took place on February 14: about 30 people traveled to Lviv for a chocolate festival. The cost was 190 hryvnias. We’ve considered February 14 the project’s birthday ever since.

At first, the travel company was called “Ukraine Inna.” In 2014, due to the political context, we decided to drop that name and became “The Adventurers.”

- How big did the project ultimately grow?

- During our busiest years, the team consisted of over 40 people, and the number of tours and events could reach about a hundred per year. During peak periods, we served about 3,000 people a year. Based on our client base and records, we estimate that the total number of Odessa residents who have used “The Adventurers’” services over the past 15 years is approximately 40,000–60,000.

- Has the war significantly changed the travel company?

- Yes. Even after the quarantine, international tours haven’t resumed. Due to the full-scale war, boat trips, lighthouse tours, and hot-air balloon flights have been suspended. We’ve also stopped offering some of the other activities we used to provide. However, our main tourism focus remains the same: we continue to take groups from Odesa to the Carpathians and other safe regions of Ukraine, and we’re gradually bringing back rafting.

- How can I find and book a trip right now?

- We publish our current destinations and dates online. Tour bookings with our travel agency are made through the website avanturisty.com.ua. There, you can view specific itineraries and select the trip you want.

Олена Болган