About us

Since 2001, we've led the way in offering locally distinctive, authentic holidays from across the globe that are better for destinations and local communities.

We're the world's first dedicated travel agent for responsible holidays. With over 300 tour operators and 600 villas, lodges, B&Bs and small hotels, you’ll find the largest selection of responsible holidays anywhere on the web.

Whether you’re after an action-packed adventure, a relaxing beach escape or a charming countryside getaway closer to home, there’s something to suit all tastes and budgets.

Read over 4,000 independent, unedited holiday reviews – and don’t forget to tell us if you’ve booked to get some great rewards! Lastly, you can read Justin's original vision for the company, and our first social & environmental impacts report




	• Justin Francis writes his MSc dissertation on establishing a portal for responsible travel after being inspired by a village elder on a visit to Kawaza village in Zambia..



	• Launch with private investors including Anita & Gordon Roddick from The Body Shop. • The first business in the world to talk about responsible travel & tourism, and the first business dedicated to promoting ‘eco, green or responsible’ holidays on one site. Publishes warts & all traveller’s reviews on their experiences and responsible travel. • In the years to follow works with 100s of tourism businesses to screen them for the site, and to help them improve their policies



	• Offers one of the first carbon offset schemes in tourism.



	• Launches The Responsible Tourism Awards. • Successfully campaigns to persuade Thomson Holidays, Thomas Cook and MyTravel to publish policies for responsible tourism. • publishes first national press supplement on responsible travel with The Observer



	• Annual holiday sales reach £4m.	£4 million



	• Annual holiday sales reach £10m. • Offers 2500 holidays from 270 tour operators - by far the biggest specialist green or eco travel business. • Launches magazine to promote the Award winners - now the largest scheme of its type globally. • Forms partnership with Conservation International to promote grass roots community tourism in developing countries.



	• Publishes first audit of responsible tourism of the UK’s biggest travel companies with The Daily Telegraph. • Awards attracted a record 1950 entries – Michael Palin says 'the responsible tourism awards are one of the most important ways that we can learn to travel better.' • Publishes 3000th traveller review and reaches 3000 holidays in 160 countries and across 250 activities. • After 2 years of planning launches a travel community www.IKnowAGreatPlace.com – "local secrets from a world of travellers". Watch our community video • Launches a vision for the Future of Tourism in a special issue of Geographical Magazine and creates www.futureoftourism.com – give us your views!



	• Publishes the 4000th independent traveller review. • Releases first social & environmental impacts (CSR) report. • Becomes one of the first travel organisations to remove CO₂ offset and sparks a debate about carbon reduction. • Starts working with TravelPledge to encourage travellers to donate to projects in holiday destinations. • Becomes the first travel agent to launch a carbon comparison flight search.



	• iknowagreaplace.com launches a brand new question and answer feature, where community members can ask and/or answer travel questions from people all over the world. • responsibletravel.com announces it has been hacked by a mysterious responsible travel crusader known as the rebellious tourist, in an attempt to put the fun back into responsible travel. See the rebellious tourist manifesto. • responsiblevacation.com launches in the US, taking UK-based sister site responsibletravel.com's 10 years of outstanding tourism experiences to a new generation of responsible travellers.

- What is responsible travel?
- How do you screen operators?
- How does the site work?
- How did the company start?
- Who are we?
- Jobs at responsibletravel.com
- Charities we support
- Press coverage
- Media centre
- Awards we've won
- Our 2009 CSR report
- Our Responsible Tourism Policy
- Our stance on tourism issues
- Local stories from around the world
- What's new on the site this month?
- Vouchers and booking gifts

responsibletravel.com Ltd is a company registered in England and Wales with the company number 03902313. We are VAT registered (number 768711985). Our registered address is Pavilion House, 6 Old Steine, Brighton, East Sussex, UK. BN1 1EJ. Please note that this is our office address; we do not have a shopfront - see our contacts page if you would like to speak to someone about your holiday.