This post details four ways to choose an ethical travel company when you are planning your weekend trips and vacations.
When planning your next vacation, choosing an ethical travel company may not be the first thing on your mind. But for those of us who are lucky enough to be able to roam freely around the world, we have a responsibility to give something back.
The tourism industry has a monumental impact on both the environment and local communities around the world. Aviation is responsible for around 2.5% of all carbon dioxide emissions, and over-tourism is notorious for the eradication and natural habitats and the eradication of small, rural communities.
It is perfectly possible to enjoy an ethical vacation, with as minimal negative impact as possible. One of the best ways to accomplish this goal is to work with a travel company that has its heart in the right place. But how do you know whether a company is ethical?
Some organizations make bold claims about offsetting their carbon footprint or looking after their local guides, but in some cases, this is all just smoke and mirrors.
To help you find out which providers are making a difference, here are four tips for choosing an ethical travel company.
Read their environmental policy
Every single company in the tourism industry has a responsibility to reduce their impact on the environment, particularly if they run overseas trips relying on plane travel.
Many firms use carbon offsetting schemes that enable them to calculate the emissions they are responsible for and donate some money to a project that will counteract them, such as a reforestation effort. Make sure you do some research and find out their environmental policy before you book a trip.
Find out their community support practices
If the firm operates in remote rural areas or employs in-country guides, make sure they are giving back to the local community. Many humanitarian travel organizations do great work in this area.
Still, some providers are notorious for paying local guides a pittance for their hard work leading groups and carrying excessive kits in mountain environments. Find out what they are doing to actively avoid the exploitation of local communities.
Ask for proof that they are an Ethical Travel Company
The company website might talk about all the great things the travel provider is doing to help the environment and local areas, but you want to have all the information available. Ideally, you should look for facts and figures that show in detail the positive impact they have had.
If they are a relatively new company, it might be hard to source this data, but you should get in touch with the organization to find out more details about their practices.
Speak to the owner
When speaking on the phone or via email to a travel company, you will normally liaise with a customer service representative who may not be completely clued in as to the ethical practices of the business.
If you have not received sufficient information to help you make your decision, ask to speak to the owner. If they have nothing to hide, this shouldn’t be a problem.
*This is a contributed post, all images owned by jetsetandforget, unsplash.com, pexels.com and pixabay.com