On the 5th July 1841, Thomas Cook arranged for the rail company between Leicester and Loughborough to charge one shilling per person that included rail tickets and food for this train journey. Cook was paid a share of the fares actually charged to the passengers, as the railway tickets, being legal contracts between company and passenger, could not have been issued at his own price. During the following three summers he planned and conducted outings for temperance societies and Sunday-school children. In 1844 the Midland Counties Railway Company agreed to make a permanent arrangement with him provided he found the passengers. This success led him to start his own business running rail excursions for pleasure, taking a percentage of the railway tickets.

On the 4th August 1845 he arranged accommodation for a party to travel from Leicester to Liverpool. Four years later, he planned his first excursion abroad, when he took a group from Leicester to Calais to coincide with the Paris Exhibition. The following year he started his 'grand circular tours' of Europe. During the 1860s he took parties to Switzerland, Italy, Egypt and United States. Cook established 'inclusive independent travel', whereby the traveller went independently but his agency charged for travel, food and accommodation for a fixed period over any chosen route. Such was his success that the Scottish railway companies withdrew their support between 1862 and 1863 to try the excursion business for themselves.

With John A Mason Cook, he formed a partnership and renamed the travel agency as Thomas Cook and Son. They acquired business premises on Fleet Street, London. By this time, Cook had stopped personal tours and became an agent for foreign or domestic travel. The office also contained a shop which sold essential travel accessories including guide books, luggage, telescopes and footwear. Thomas saw his venture as both religious and social service; his son provided the commercial expertise that allowed the company to expand. In accordance with his beliefs, he and his wife also ran a small temperance hotel above the office. Their business model was refined by the introduction of the 'hotel coupon' in 1866. Detachable coupons in a counterfoil book were issued to the traveller. These were valid for either a restaurant meal or an overnight hotel stay provided they were on Cook's list.

In 1865, the agency organised tours of the United States, picking up passengers from several departure points. John Mason Cook lead the excursion which included tours of several Civil War battlefields. A round the world tour started in 1872, which for 200 guineas, included a steamship across the Atlantic, a stage coach across America, a paddle steamer to Japan, and an overland journey across China and India, lasting 222 days.In 1874, Thomas Cook introduced 'circular notes', a product that later became better known by American Express's brand, "travellers cheques".

Thomas Cook retired in 1879. He moved back to Leicestershire and lived quietly until his death. The firm's growth was consolidated by John Mason Cook and his two sons, especially by its involvement with military transport and postal services for Britain and Egypt during the 1880s when Cook began organising tours to the Middle East. By 1888, the company had established offices around the world, including three in Australia and one in Auckland, New Zealand, and in 1890, the company sold over 3.25 million tickets.

1934   The Hayes Wharf Cartage Company is taken over by the Big Four railway companies.

1948   British Transport Commission formed on the nationalisation of the railways.

- Railway Executive

- Hotels Executive

- Docks & Inland Waterways Executive

- Road Passenger Executive

- Road Haulage Executive

- London Transport Executive

1948   The British Transport Commission’s Road Haulage Executive included brands such as Pickfords, Wordie, Carter Paterson, and Hays Wharf Cartage. These later formed the basis of British Road Services.

In 1953 the public operating company BRS (Pickfords) Limited is established.

1962   The British Transport Commission is abolished.

                        - Railway Executive > British Railways Board

                        - Hotels Executive > British Transport Hotels

                        - Docks & Inland Waterways Executive is split

                                                - Docks > British Transport Docks Board

                                                - Inland Waterways > British Waterways Board

                        - Road Passenger Executive > Transport Holding Company

                        - Road Haulage Executive > British Road Services

                        - London Transport Executive > London Transport Board

A Transport Holding Company was established for BRS, the Tilling (Buses) Group, Scottish Buses, Road Freight Shipping Services, Thomas Cook and Sons Ltd. There were also a number of other companies contained within the Holding Company that had joint bus services with local authorities.

1964   The BTC’s Road Haulage Executive becomes British Road Services after the break of up the British Transport Commission. Thomas Cook is now in control of the Transport Holding Company.

1969   British Road Services becomes the National Freight Corporation as a global logistics & moving services company.

1969   Freightliner Ltd is transferred from British Rail to the National Freight Corporation and becomes their Freightliner Division. The Sundries Division of British Rail is also transferred to the National Freight Corporation to become their National Freight Carriers division.

The NFC, composed of Freightliners Ltd, (which had been operating since 1965) and National Carriers Ltd (NCL), was to take over the total assets of BR's collection and delivery service, the subsidiary companies within the Transport Holding Company, and BRS. On 1st January 1969, NCL Ltd and Freightliners Ltd joined the NFC which by 1975 controlled approximately 60 companies, nearly 1,000 depots and 25,000 vehicles.

In 1971 a nationalised asset was also lost when the NFC sold the Atlantic Steam Navigation Company; the British Railways Board was interested in acquiring the company, but the Government had other ideas and sold it to European Ferries.

In 1972 Thomas Cook was privatised and sold for £22.5 million to a consortium comprising the Midland Bank, the Automobile Association and Trust House Forte Ltd. Subsequently, Midland Bank acquired sole control during 1977. However, since US banking laws prohibited any national banks from owning travel agencies, the US operations were sold to Dun & Bradstreet in 1975.