In the mid-1980s, Ellingham and three fellow editors, John Fisher, Jack Holland and Martin Dunford, bought the Rough Guides titles from Routledge and set-up as an independent publisher.

With detailed cultural and historical coverage, a contemporary journalistic approach, extensive maps, and practical advice, the guides gained a following among travellers seeking authentic experiences.

At the same time, the company expanded to cover a broader range of topics, with an early guide to the Internet selling over four million copies.

The deal offered free online access to the full text of The Rough Guide to the USA via the World Beat section of HotWired.

Covering countries, cities and regions, books in the main Rough Guides series provide travellers with practical area-by-area information, with maps, recommendations, and cultural and historical contexts.

Rough Guides’ Staycation series covers UK destinations in a pocket format, with a focus on walking and driving routes.

[6] Allowing travellers to plan and book personalised trips, this platform receives more than six million visitors a year, with the trip-booking service covering more than 80 destinations, supported by over 60 local experts.

In 2022, Amy Hopkins, Rough Guides’ Head of Content, won a PPA Professional Publishers Association Newcomer of the Year Award.