Travel
Visit Ol Pejeta Conservancy in Kenya
On Trafalgar’s ‘Wonders of Kenya’ trip, guests learn firsthand from the rangers at Ol Pejeta Conservancy about its endangered wildlife and ecosystem conservation efforts. Ol Peteja is home to 2 of the world’s last remaining northern white rhinos and is a sanctuary for over 110 critically endangered black rhinos. This experience directly advances UN Global Goal 15: Life on Land through its significant contribution to anti-poaching initiatives.
Visit Sheroes Café in India
On Insight Vacations’ ‘Classical India with Nepal’ trip, guests can visit the Sheroes (She Heroes) Café, supporting and run by acid attack survivor women. Sheroes Café is so much more than a great local hangout. Not only does the organization actively empower women and girls through community investment and provide secure employment for vulnerable women, it also raises awareness of the prevalence of acid attack cases in India. The experience directly advances UN Global Goal 5: Gender Equality, aimed at empowering all women and girls.
Go on a Refugee Voices Walking Tour in Berlin
Contiki’s Berlin Refugee Voices Walking Tour is included on its ‘Berlin to Budapest by Train’ itinerary. Refugee Voices is a social enterprise made of a team of activists turned guides who organize walking tours around Berlin to explain the human story and root causes behind the headlines of the refugee crises and why so many are forced to flee. The experience directly advances UN Global Goal 10: Reduced Inequalities by employing refugees in Berlin, an underrepresented population.
Meet the Incredible Women of Iraq Al-Amir in Jordan
On Uniworld’s ‘Splendors of Egypt & the Nile Jordan Extension’ river cruise, guests will visit the Iraq Al-Amir Women’s Cooperative, managed and run by local women. This former TreadRight project provides employment and training to more than 150 women from nearby villages. The experience directly advances UN Global Goals 4 & 5: Quality Education & Gender Equality by empowering local women and girls.
Visit Stonehenge in England
On Evan Evans’ ‘Windsor Castle, Stonehenge & Bath’ trip, guests will visit and learn about this prehistoric monument. The site’s Visitor Centre is not connected to a main water supply. Instead, water is drawn from a borehole. The centre employs a number of methods to preserve this precious natural resource and thereby directly advances UN Global Goal 6: Clean Water & Sanitation.
Visit the Chobe Game Lodge in Botswana
On African Travel, Inc.’s ‘Chobe, Valley of the Elephants’ trip, guests take part in an eco-safari with an all-female guiding team. More than 65% of the staff are women, including the all-female team of professionally qualified guides – a successful initiative aimed at increasing the number of qualified female guides within the Botswana guiding fraternity, which is usually male dominated. This experience advances UN Global Goal 10: Reduced Inequalities through its employment of women.
Explore the Pudakul Aboriginal Cultural Experience in Australia
Pudakul is a 100% Aboriginal owned and operated family business which offers cultural and nature-based experiences. On AAT Kings’ ‘Northern Territory Explorer’ trip, guests engage with local Aboriginal people, and learn about the local environment and wildlife. This experience directly advances UN Global Goal 10: Reduced Inequalities by actively recruiting people from underrepresented populations and educating guests on Aboriginal culture.
Visit Shamwari Game Reserve in South Africa
On Lion World Travel’s ‘Tented Safari in Style’ trip, guests will visit the Shamwari Wildlife Rehabilitation Center, which is dedicated to caring for sick, injured or orphaned animals, and in doing so are able to learn about the plight faced by at-risk wild in the region, and the organization’s conservation and anti-poaching efforts. Through its work to protect and conserve wildlife and their habitat, this experience directly advances UN Global Goal 15: Life on Land.
Visit Giant’s Causeway in Northern Ireland
On Brendan Vacations’ ‘Northern Dream’ trip, guests can stand on the shoulders of the past and sink into stories from a guide who channels the spirit of the seanchaí on this walking tour of the majestic Giant’s Causeway. With a backdrop of craggy castles and jutting landscapes, the Giant’s Causeway is nature at its wildest. This experience directly advances UN Global Goal 11: Sustainable Cities and Communities through its educational and preservation efforts to protect natural and built heritage sites.
Fruit, vegetables, hand-made trinkets and treasures, explore the sights and delights of Chinchero Sunday Market with a local guide. During this MAKE TRAVEL MATTER® Experience, learn (and taste!) the importance of market life to Peruvians and the types of local fruit and veggies, including Peruvian potatoes, with more than 4,000 varieties across the country.
Join a MAKE TRAVEL MATTER® Experience as you meet the ladies of Pink City Rickshaw who will take you on a tour of Jaipur. Hear their stories from growing up in the slums to becoming part of this unique initiative where they have become shareholders in their own company.
See Historic Rock Art in South Africa
Bushmans Kloof Wilderness Reserve & Wellness Retreat, part of the Red Carnation Hotels Collection, is the custodian of over 130 unique rock art sites, some as old as 10,000 years. Guests can view the sites on the reserve and learn about how Bushmans Kloof has been dedicated to protecting these extraordinary treasures. This experience directly advances UN Global Goal 11: Sustainable Cities & Communities, by protecting natural and built heritage.
Checklist
Our sustainable travel checklist for every journey.
- Choose companies that have a commitment to responsible travel and to minimizing the footprint of their offices and operations.
- The Travel Corporation’s 5-year sustainability strategy How We Tread Right addresses our collective impact on our planet, its people and wildlife through 11 goals tied to the UN Global Goals. Learn how you can get involved.
- Request your travel documents be sent to you electronically rather than printed and mailed to reduce paper waste.
- Consider travelling during shoulder seasons, or to less popular areas.
- Fly direct; take-off and landing are the most fuel intensive portions of the flight.
- Consider airlines that are investing in sustainable aviation fuels.
- Pack reusables such as a water bottle or personal water filter and reusable shopping bag
- Bring toiletries in reusable bottles
- Pack light; the heavier the plane, the more greenhouse gases it emits
- Learn local greetings and customs before you go!
- Refuse single-use plastic and recycle when this cannot be avoided
- Shop and eat locally to support the community
- Purchase locally made souvenirs and pay a fair price
- Avoid any purchase of wildlife products such as ivory
- Do not ride animals that ought not be ridden
- Research wildlife venues and be sure they adhere to reputable animal welfare guidelines
- Honor local customs, immerse yourself in the local culture and listen intentionally to local community members
- Walk, bike or use public transportation when possible
- Take shorter showers (avoid baths)
- Turn of all lights, heat/AC, and TV when you leave your room
- When in use, keep AC at a moderate temperature
- Adhere to hotel linen reuse programs to reduce water and energy consumption
- Visit a local farmer’s market and meet the growers of your food, or try a farm-to-table meal
- Seek out experiences that are owned by or employ underrepresented communities
- Share your experiences with friends and family