Sustainability expert and travel writer based in London.
Nightingales are synonymous with their beautiful song, but with populations declining in Britain, fewer people have the privilege of hearing it. That’s why folk musician Sam Lee is inviting listeners deep into the woods, after dark, to experience a unique musical collaboration – before it’s too late.
When local people are in charge of creating and delivering travel experiences, amazing things happen. Which is why responsibly-minded travellers are learning that they’re not just tourists, they’re guests.
The beauty of a biodiverse natural world is enriching for us as travellers – and also key to tackling the climate emergency. Holly Tuppen and Juliet Kinsman explore how we help look after the health of our planet by travelling better, and in a way that supports conservation and in turn, brings down carbon emissions
Imagine sharing your skill set with locals while on vacation—and learning from them at the same time. These travel experiences empower everyone involved.
Travel experiences that empower rather than simply finance can uplift, upskill, and provide a voice. Here are some operators and hotels that consider the long-term impact on both visitors and the community.
These holiday firms walk the talk when it comes to minimising their carbon footprints and promoting biodiversity.
These sustainable stays offer the chance to share mountain views with bears, sleep easy in a low-carbon hotel and wellness experiences
Long before Covid-19 brought global travel to a screeching halt, the problems associated with large numbers of people moving around the planet were becoming obvious.
Published last month, Sustainable Travel: The Essential Guide to Positive-Impact Adventures (White Lion Publishing), by Holly Tuppen, is a guide written for travellers wishing to minimise the harm they do as they negotiate the world’s ethical and climate-related challenges. Below are a few of the concerns that are addressed within its pages.
Sustainable travel is not one genre of travel, nor is it a set of criteria; it is a mindset that can be applied to every trip. Having a positive impact could mean being more discerning about where we go, favouring destinations with strong environmental credentials, and places that put locals first.
Is group travel with a global tour operator compatible with supporting local economies? Sustainable travel journalist Holly Tuppen investigates on Intrepid’s new premium trip in Morocco.
There’s been a lot of talk through the pandemic of travel ‘coming back better’. More people seem to have had a genuine realisation about the devastating effects of our travel habits – namely, the impact of over-tourism, ‘thoughtless’ travel and the frequency of flying. The fact that many of us have had to ‘pause’ our exploring for over a year, has meant that we have been able to actually witness some of the world’s beauty spots without the presence of swarms of tourists, and seen how the inherent wildlife in these places have flourished without us being there. In short, when travel resumes again, there’s hope that tourists will give more thought about their impact on the planet.
But how many of us actually know what this means in reality? Do we really understand how we can effectively put this desire into practice?
Before the pandemic hit, back when you could whizz over to the Med for thirty quid, thousands of climate-conscious travellers took a no-fly pledge. Spurred on by evidence that the climate emergency is a terrifying reality, from wildfires in California to drought in Australia, the movement soon swept into the consciousness of a panicked aviation industry. As Ed Bastian, CEO of Delta Air Lines, pointed out at an investor day in 2019: “Environmental stewardship is the existential threat to our future ability to grow.”
With the collapse of biodiversity in the UK, progressive conservationists are now regenerating entire landscapes rather than single species. For a reconnecting rural break, here are our native-habitat heroes.
While travel’s on hold, enlightened destinations are looking towards more responsible forms of tourism. We look at those vowing to build back better…
Holidaying on home turf, albeit a little forced upon us recently, has never seemed so appealing. Nor – largely as a result of the pandemic – has it been so sought after; watching a growing wave of interest sweep across the UK’s best cities and beautiful landscapes, the travel industry is racing to curate exceptional staycation experiences.
Amid all the challenges, last year’s forced pause sent some hopeful ripples across the travel industry. Talk of renewed purpose, going slow and regenerative travel – the kind that does good, rather than merely less harm – spread among tour operators and across destinations. Although travel has ground to a halt once more, with Britons currently banned from entering many countries - and even other counties - these ripples will help us to travel better once we can.
A journey into Chile’s ancestral heartland, the perfect place to go a little slower
The country's Lake District offers labyrinthine waterways, roads less travelled, and a chance to get to know the Mapuche people
The world’s largest adventure travel company first acknowledged the elephant in the room — travel’s hefty carbon footprint — in 2005. An initial inkling that the climate emergency needed to be tackled head-on, rather than brushed to one side, led to Intrepid becoming the world’s largest carbon-neutral travel company in 2010 and a founding signatory of Tourism Declares in 2020. It doesn’t stop there; this year Intrepid is the first tour operator to submit science-based carbon reduction targets.
To understand more about Intrepid’s carbon management journey, and how the industry can better collaborate, we chatted to Dr Susanne Etti, Environmental Impact Specialist for Intrepid Travel.
Holidaying on home turf, albeit a little forced upon us recently, has never seemed so appealing. Nor – largely as a result of the pandemic – has it been so sought after; watching a growing wave of interest sweep across the UK’s best cities and beautiful landscapes, the travel industry is racing to curate exceptional staycation experiences.
It’s not hard to see why. From the intricate islets of western Scotland to the creative Mecca of St Ives, there is so much to see, smell, taste and feel on our impossibly varied little island, it could easily fill a lifetime of adventures.
The Long Run was born out of the need for greater collaboration between conservation-minded tourism businesses, and a desire to embed sustainability into the heart of business operations. Founded by Jochen Zeitz in 2009, the not-for-profit organisation is a collection of lodges, affiliates and partners that demonstrate the utmost commitment to safeguarding fragile ecosystems and empowering communities. Collectively, over 40 global members protect 23.5 million acres of biodiversity and improve the lives of 750,000 people.
