Adventure travel specialist, Explore!, has launched a new brand catering for the 18-30 'somethings' adventure travel market.

It's called edge (hopefully its clientele will think the 1990s lowercase branding is retro cool!) and it has a portfolio of 75 small-group trips with flexible itineraries in over 40 countries.

Explore has recently noted increased demand for adventure travel experiences amongst young professionals. With little time to spare but a thirst for getting off the beaten track, some are looking for shorter 'backpacking' experiences, whilst others are looking for a social and stress-free way to explore multiple countries as part of a career break. With tour durations from four to 82 days, customers can choose whether to explore a specific place, region or whole continent.

As with Explore tours, edge trips are run by a group leader, allowing customers to relax and enjoy their travels, without having to put in months of planning ahead of their trip. Group leaders are on-hand for the highlights, but there is also plenty of free time built into the itineraries for independent exploration, be it searching souks for bargains, discovering local history, chilling out on beaches, relaxing in local bars or taking part in adrenaline-fuelled activities.

For customers with time to spare, many of edge's trips can be strung together to create a longer 'loop' trip. For example, edge's Indochina Discovery loop is made up of three separate trips and travels through four countries in one month.

Ashley Toft, Managing Director of Explore, commented "We know there are a lot of young professionals longing to re-live their backpacking days without having to take extended leave from work. Similarly, there are graduates looking to get a couple of months travelling under their belt before settling into a job, who understandably don't want to go it alone. Our groups will be made up of an average of 10 people and will use local transport, accommodation and restaurants to ensure that the communities we visit benefit from the tourism we create".