Look behind the brochure
Here at responsibletravel.com we pride ourselves on being a bit different and not just because we have worms living in our office (we have a wormery to compost our tea bags and apple cores). We also think our trips are a bit different too and to make sure that everyone knows about it, each trip has a making a difference section on the page.
Traditional holiday brochures and websites tell you all about your holiday (of course we do this - and very prettily too!) but nothing about the impact of your holiday on the environment, local people and cultures. We believe that the future of tourism lies in curious travellers who want to know more about the places they are visiting, and about how their holiday has been designed to improve the benefits of tourism to local people and environments.
Our 'look behind the brochure' scheme means that you can do this for every one of the 3200+ holidays on our site. We screen every tour company and hotel on the site against our criteria for Responsible Travel. We then publish their overall Responsible Tourism policies AND the specifics of how every trip 'makes a difference' on each and every holiday page.
We’ve picked out some of the best bits from the making a difference sections on the site so we can share them with you here-
"We continue to post plastic rubbish, where the manufacturing address is visible, back to the manufacturer with a letter outlining where it was found and the dangers it could cause wildlife, in the hope that they and their customers may become more environmentally informed and aware." Find out more about this day tour in New Zealand here.
We stay in family run hotels, with the hotel we use in Antigua being a non-profit hotel, with all proceeds going to Safe Passage – a charity helping street children and families living in the dump in Guatemala City.
Find out more about this family holiday to Central America here.
"We are primarily a conservation education medium, using orphaned wildlife. This is spread to the local community, schools and the under-privileged through our sponsorship. We believe that responsible conservation comes from responsible education." Check out this accommodation in South Africa here.
"We generate 95% of our electricity using solar, wind mills & bio gas and our aim is to reach 100%. Up to 60% of the water need is met through harvested rain water." Take a look at this India accommodation here.
"We recycle old clothes and books by donating them to less well off hostels and teach the children we sponsor to help other children by managing small projects to meet the needs of children less well off than themselves." Take a look at this volunteer teaching in Nepal trip here.
If you arrive by train or coach we will collect you in our eco friendly Toyota Prius, just one of our on going contributions to reduce our overall impact to the environment.
Take a look at this Cairngorms bed and breakfast here.
We also publish warts and all travellers reviews on their holiday experiences and responsible travel on the site. Every review is sent back to the operator of the holiday to help them improve their practices. We monitor these reviews very carefully and if a company is found to have misrepresented its practices we seek an explanation and if necessary remove them from the site.
Our guide was very aware of littering and even removed rubbish we came across as we walked through the nature reserve and desert. He pulled over a rubbish truck one morning to tell them to go back and clean up properly which I was very impressed with.
Read the rest of this Petra & Wadi Rum holiday review here.
Only 25% of the companies that approach us to market their holidays end up meeting all our criteria and joining the site. Over the years we've removed 17 companies because we've not been able to be confident about their responsible tourism practices.
Now you know a little more about responsibletravel.com and what makes us different, why not find yourself a great holiday and see what you can do to make a difference.
Check out all our holidays here
Check out our holiday reviews from other travellers here
Traditional holiday brochures and websites tell you all about your holiday (of course we do this - and very prettily too!) but nothing about the impact of your holiday on the environment, local people and cultures. We believe that the future of tourism lies in curious travellers who want to know more about the places they are visiting, and about how their holiday has been designed to improve the benefits of tourism to local people and environments. Our 'look behind the brochure' scheme means that you can do this for every one of the 3200+ holidays on our site. We screen every tour company and hotel on the site against our criteria for Responsible Travel. We then publish their overall Responsible Tourism policies AND the specifics of how every trip 'makes a difference' on each and every holiday page.
We’ve picked out some of the best bits from the making a difference sections on the site so we can share them with you here-
"We continue to post plastic rubbish, where the manufacturing address is visible, back to the manufacturer with a letter outlining where it was found and the dangers it could cause wildlife, in the hope that they and their customers may become more environmentally informed and aware." Find out more about this day tour in New Zealand here.
We stay in family run hotels, with the hotel we use in Antigua being a non-profit hotel, with all proceeds going to Safe Passage – a charity helping street children and families living in the dump in Guatemala City. Find out more about this family holiday to Central America here.
"We are primarily a conservation education medium, using orphaned wildlife. This is spread to the local community, schools and the under-privileged through our sponsorship. We believe that responsible conservation comes from responsible education." Check out this accommodation in South Africa here. "We generate 95% of our electricity using solar, wind mills & bio gas and our aim is to reach 100%. Up to 60% of the water need is met through harvested rain water." Take a look at this India accommodation here.
"We recycle old clothes and books by donating them to less well off hostels and teach the children we sponsor to help other children by managing small projects to meet the needs of children less well off than themselves." Take a look at this volunteer teaching in Nepal trip here.
If you arrive by train or coach we will collect you in our eco friendly Toyota Prius, just one of our on going contributions to reduce our overall impact to the environment. Take a look at this Cairngorms bed and breakfast here.
We also publish warts and all travellers reviews on their holiday experiences and responsible travel on the site. Every review is sent back to the operator of the holiday to help them improve their practices. We monitor these reviews very carefully and if a company is found to have misrepresented its practices we seek an explanation and if necessary remove them from the site.
Our guide was very aware of littering and even removed rubbish we came across as we walked through the nature reserve and desert. He pulled over a rubbish truck one morning to tell them to go back and clean up properly which I was very impressed with.Read the rest of this Petra & Wadi Rum holiday review here.
Only 25% of the companies that approach us to market their holidays end up meeting all our criteria and joining the site. Over the years we've removed 17 companies because we've not been able to be confident about their responsible tourism practices.
Now you know a little more about responsibletravel.com and what makes us different, why not find yourself a great holiday and see what you can do to make a difference.
Check out all our holidays here Check out our holiday reviews from other travellers here