Sustainable Travel (and why you should care!)
I happen to have G Adventures on my mind. That’s because I chose the company for my private group next May to hike the Inca Trail to Macchu Pichu. Bruce Poon Tip was a young man when he founded the company (back then it was GAP Adventures, but some other company decided he couldn’t use that name!). 27 years later it has guaranteed departures for all 650 different itineraries, no single supplements, and each year carries 150 thousand travelers from 127 countries to places all over the planet.
G divides adventurers by travel styles…psychographics, not age determines where you fit. They rate the trip by physical demand and comfort levels. But the thing that separates them from many tour operators is in the way they support local communities by not just giving back; they are dedicated to social and economic change for the places they visit.
Straight from the brochure titled “The World’s Greatest Small Group Experiences”.
“Your planet is incredible. When you travel with G Adventures, you don’t just connect with its fascinating places and amazing people. You become part of a global community of curious travellers dedicated to social and economic change.”
G has a goal…to raise $5 million to establish 50 new G Adventures for Good projects by 2020. They developed a set of international guidelines called The Indigenous Tourism Guidelines with their non-profit organization Planeterra and the George Washington University’s International Institute of Tourism Studies. This establishes “good practices for tour operators to engage respectfully with Indigenous communities around the world”.
Should you be so inclined, you may visit www.gadventures.com/50-in-5 to donate. With each trip you go on with G, a small portion of your money will go to Planeterra to support local businesses…from the tiniest villages to the largest of cities! Here’s a fact you will love: For every $1 spent locally, there is an economic stimulus of $8. And 83% of their supplier management staff are local. 91% of the “on-tour” hotels, restaurants and tour providers are owned by local people. And 97% of the on-tour suppliers employ sustainability practices in their operations.
I am a traveler who believes that we have both a right and a duty to explore this beautiful planet with eyes and hearts wide open! In the process of exploring, the world becomes smaller and our differences less important. In the end, we are all human beings who want health, love, and happiness. Bruce says it well. “Travel can and should be a force of good.”
Make your next adventure a life-altering experience, not just a collection of cities to check off your bucket list. Your world is waiting to embrace you, and for you to embrace it!
Peace and Love, Bobbie
