Armed with a Treasure Trails map and a sense of adventure, Experience Travel Group’s inquisitive employees have been unearthing London’s hidden secrets – and all for a good cause.

Since the easing of lockdown in England, each ETG employee has joined family or friends in exploring the capital city and raising funds for Share the Wonder, a charity that organises days out for underprivileged children in Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam.

Having set a target of £1,000 – which would enable 50 children to enjoy an incredible day out – the team at the London-based tour operator has surpassed that by raising almost £1,200.

Over the course of the month, almost no part of London has been left undiscovered as Shoreditch, Stratford, Bloomsbury, South Kensington, Southwark, ‘Little Venice’, Primrose Hill and Covent Garden were all tackled on foot – using the Treasure Trails maps to unearth London’s secret places.

As well as satisfying the ‘curious traveller’, the team’s fundraising efforts will support children in destinations offered by the Asia travel specialists.

ETG managing director Sam Clark, who discovered Primrose Hill with his godson and two children, said: “We’ve all been cooped up for so long that the end of lockdown was a chance to get out and go explore.

“We decided to make it a bit more fun by partnering with Treasure Trails and also raising some money for a charity that means a lot to us.

“All of the ETG team were up for it and each took on their own part of the city and shared their adventure with the team. It’s been a lot of fun, great for team bonding, while also seeing us pass our initial target of £1,000 is amazing.”

Ameer Varani, founder of Share the Wonder, said: “We were extremely honoured to partner with ETG on this exciting initiative.

“At Share The Wonder, we believe that every child should have the opportunity to experience the eye-opening and inspiring wonders of travel, no matter where they come from or their background. We work towards this vision by organising fun and educational day trips for underprivileged children in Southeast Asia.

“We are extremely thankful for the contribution to help create opportunities for children in Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam to have memorable experiences of their own!”

Aaron Hutchens, General Manager at Treasure Trails, said: “We are delighted to have worked with ETG to help their team and their families get out and explore London in a completely new way this spring. Switching off from our everyday lives, and immersing ourselves in an adventure is what we love to do and our Trails have proved extremely popular during the pandemic as they are one of the few stress-free activities which can still be done.”