Audley Travel
Audley Travel is firmly established amongst the elite group of travel companies who offer a genuine quality service.
Specialising in tailor-made travel to exotic and characterful destinations, our reputation has developed through a deep knowledge and interest in the countries and regions we operate in.
All of Audley's staff have either lived in or travelled extensively through these regions.
Member since: 26 Aug 2005
How the minimum criteria of the responsible travel standard was met...
Economic responsibility
- We try to always favour small locally owned accommodation such as small hotels, B&B’s and guesthouses, rather than large international chains. This ensures that as much tourist revenue as possible remains in the host country as well as providing more character for our clients.
- Our clients are given guidelines on appropriate tipping as well as behaviour, to
further ensure that guides and drivers are paid fairly. We are aware that it is
equally irresponsible to tip too much as it is to tip too little.
- We continue to recommend restaurants/shops etc which directly benefit the
community. For example, hill tribe craft shops which ensure that more of clients’
money goes back to the hill tribes and restaurants which train street children.
Environmental responsibility
- We remain committed to researching as many new community tourism projects, eco-lodges and new locally owned hotels as possible. We offset the carbon emissions from all our country specialist’s educational trips through the Friends of Conservation carbon offsetting scheme. We actively recommend our clients do the same for their own trips.
- All our ground agents are asked to keep us updated on their own responsible
tourism commitments, but also of potential community tourism projects and ecolodges
etc which we can recommend to our clients.
- We prefer to use hotels which have an environmental policy in place, regarding reusing
towels and sheets, electricity and water usage etc.
Social responsibility
- In each region that we operate in, we support at least one ethical programme such as a charity, eco-property or community project. We welcome donations from our clients and, where possible, can also organise trips to visit the charity or project in question within their itinerary.
- We have produced a set of travel guidelines called the Audley Traveller’s Code
which we hope will beneficial for both our clients and the host country concerned.
We have also introduced comprehensive client notes specific to each destination
with advice on appropriate dress, local customs etc.
Clients are asked to report on the behaviour and awareness of our agents and
local guides once they have come back from their trip.
- We prefer, where possible, to use smaller, locally owned ground agents. Not only does this ensure that it is the host community who are managing and benefiting from the local tourist industry, but we also believe that our clients will have a better trip as local agents have a much more intimate knowledge of the region.
