Our Story

What we do

We relieve you of your travel worries. Our friendly guides ensure you don’t miss-out on the fascinating facts. Our carefully-crafted routes take you to both the classic sights and lesser-known locations. And our business model reduces your journey's environmental impact. It sounds good, doesn’t it? Find out more about our award-winning experiences below.

How we started Why small groups?

How we deliver travel experiences you’ll love

Let Stories Be Your Guide

Our driver-guides are storytellers who take you beyond the 'must-sees'. Join them on our small-group tours and together find and share stories that bring facts to life, turning spaces into places you'll never forget.

Explore the Small Way

Take the scenic route on our 16-seat mini-coaches. There's no track too small, too trodden, or too obscure. No getting lost. And no worries about sampling the local tipple either.

Make It Your Journey

Itineraries join the dots between landmarks and the lesser-known. You decide the rest. What to see, where to eat, when to skip a museum and read by a river. There's time to wander and satisfy your curiosity.

Support Local Communities

You stay in locally-owned accommodation and visit both popular and unfamiliar attractions, boosting the local economies. And for every ton of carbon we use, we donate £10 to environmental and community projects through our responsible travel initiative.

A tour bus driving along a scenic coastal road with mountains and ocean in the background, showcasing UK's natural beauty.

Why we only travel in small groups

We’re going to be honest with you. A long time ago we tried larger coaches. In theory, it would have been good for our bank accounts. But in the end, we stopped using them because of three simple reasons.

Firstly, we received worse customer feedback. It turned out you guys preferred mini-coaches and didn’t appreciate trampling over a peaceful forest with 20, 30 or 40 other people.
Secondly, we found it harder to give back to the local communities. It’s not as easy to stop at that local bakery when you need to bring 30 other friends with you.
And thirdly, the big buses made it hard to go down the small roads that lead to your favourite hidden-away local treasures.

So, we went back to our 16 seat mini-coaches. And we won’t ever go back to big ones. Because we’re never going to value anything more than your enjoyment, our environment, and the world’s best-kept secrets.

A Rabbie’s Tours guide smiles while talking to guests in a scenic UK landscape, with mountains and greenery in the background.

How we started

Robin Worsnop started our tour company in 1993. All he had was an old sherpa van and a few people telling him it would never work.

Robin likes to think he started the company because he ‘saw a gap in the market’, ‘wanted to create an ethical way to travel’, and ‘knew what independent travellers wanted’. But we know the truth. He simply wanted to spend his time travelling around gorgeous places, discovering his homeland, and enjoying a dram with friendly faces from around the globe. He could have carried on doing this forever. But there was a gap in the market, he had created an ethical way to travel, and he showed people a really, really good time.

So, people started to talk about Robin’s quirky tours. Robin had to hire more people, buy more mini-coaches, start working with spreadsheets, and concentrate on building the company so more people could live his dream.

Now we have award-winning small-group tours departing from all over the UK & Europe.

Sadly, Robin is too busy to see all these beautiful places as much as our guides. But he’s happy others are now seeing the places he loved in the way he loved seeing them. Throughout his journey, Robin has been guided by his vision to make the world a better place through travel.

Our name

**Rabbie’s**

/ˈræb.iːz/

**Pronunciation:**

- First syllable: rab — rhymes with cab or tab, short and crisp.

- Second syllable: eez — sounds like the letter E followed by a soft z, similar to seas or keys.

**Origin:**

The name "Rabbie’s" is a nod to the affectionate Scottish nickname for the poet Robert Burns, often called "Rabbie Burns." It's a name steeped in Scottish culture and heritage. Burns told the tallest tales. He roved all over the land. He loved nature. And he was never afraid to indulge in a bit of the local tipple. He embodies the things we’re passionate about. Our guides are poets, our routes are inspiring, and we’re not scared to have a little fun while we explore our beautiful planet.

When saying the name, imagine the lilting, friendly tones of Scotland. It's simple, yet brimming with character—just like the experiences we offer.