The founders of ARRIVAL are opening up about the highs, lows and near-misses behind the travel platform’s rapid rise, with a new four-part documentary series charting its creation from concept to commercial launch.
Titled ARRIVAL – an origin story, the series follows Jack Steele and Matt Ford – better known as comedy duo The Inspired Unemployed – as they build the platform from a notebook idea into one of Australia’s most talked-about travel startups.
The first episode launched on 5 May on The Inspired Unemployed and ARRIVAL’s YouTube channels, with the remaining three episodes set to roll out weekly.
The Inspired Unemployed
Behind the build
The documentary tracks the pair through the early stages of developing the business, including assembling a team, trialling trips, securing partnerships and scaling the platform.
It also captures the operational realities behind launching a travel company, including moments where the project almost failed.
“We wanted to document the whole thing properly from the start because we knew it was going to be a wild ride,” said co-founder Jack Steele. “And it was. This is the real version of how ARRIVAL got built.”
Since launching in 2025, ARRIVAL has sent thousands of Australians on trips across destinations including Vietnam, Japan, Kazakhstan and Nepal.
The platform has also secured partnerships as the exclusive travel partner for Tomorrowland Thailand and Snow Machine.
Last week, ARRIVAL also partnered with Liam Moore to lead an Everest Base Camp trip, which sold out within two days.
Spotlight on the wider team
Ford said the documentary was designed to highlight the broader group of people involved in bringing the platform to life.
“There are a lot of people who built this with us that most people have never heard of,” said co-founder Matt Ford. “This documentary is as much about them as it is about us.”
Main image: The Inspired Unemployed