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The world’s biggest carbon-neutral travel company and six others to consider
By Lee Tulloch
There are many ways to travel but an increasing number of us want to do it with consideration for the people who inhabit the places we visit, for their cultures and for the natural environments in which they live and prosper, and we want to do it while limiting the carbon footprint we make when getting there.
But how do we find companies that we can trust to align with our values? Fortunately, this is getting easier as more companies take up the challenge to be carbon-neutral in their operations and strive to make positive social impact on the destinations they visit.
These are seven of the best, from a small family run business in New Zealand’s Fjordland to the world’s biggest carbon-neutral travel company.
World Expeditions, Australia
World Expeditions in Halong Bay, Vietnam.Credit: Richard I’Anson
This Australian owned and operated tour company started in 1975 with trekking expeditions to Nepal and has since been a trailblazer in responsible tourism. The adventure company now offers guided tours in 100 countries with Eco-Comfort Camps in the Everest and Annapurna regions of Nepal the company’s signature experience. All the adventures are 100 per cent carbon offset with real exploration, genuine cultural exchange, and respect for the environment and First Nations people as core principles. The Regenerative 2030 Project aims to integrate ‘regenerative’ projects, such empowering farmers in the remote Himalayan regions, into every one of the company’s global operations by 2030, raising funds through the World Expeditions Foundation.
RealNZ, New Zealand
Milford Sound, New ZealandCredit: RealNZ
Founded in New Zealand’s Fjordland in 1984 by conservation activists Les and Olive Hutchins, this tour company operates cruises, ski and farm tours, whitewater rafting, horse treks, and wildlife encounters in the remote wilderness of Milford Sound and around Queenstown. For its overnight and Lake Whakatipu cruises, The Hutchins family restored the steamship TSS Earnshaw, which is the only hand-fired passenger-carrying ship in the Southern Hemisphere. At the start of overnight cruise season, the Les Hutchins Foundation Cruise-For-A-Cause is held and is a fundraiser for a number of conservation and community initiatives, as well as frequent conservation expeditions, there is also an annual charity ball. realnz.com
Byway, Europe
Switzerland’s Landwasser railway.Credit: iStock
Want to travel around Europe without catching a plane? The vision at Byway is to make flight-free travel mainstream by creating custom-made travel and accommodation packages powered by trains, bikes, buses and ferries. Travellers build their own trips via the website and are sent customised itineraries with every aspect included, from luggage transfer to accommodation, with an emphasis on local and sustainable activities. There’s a concierge service for special requests and the trip is supported along the way by a team accessible through WhatsApp. Byway has a European focus, with sustainable multi-trips throughout Austria, Belgium, Croatia, France, Germany, Italy, Netherlands, Portugal, Spain, Switzerland, Sweden and the UK. byway.travel
Up Norway, Norway
Pulpit Rock, Norway.Credit: Alamy
This travel curator focuses on off-the-beaten track tours that are designed to have a net positive impact on society and nature, with an emphasis on keeping cultural heritage alive. Drawing on local expertise, Up Norway will create bespoke digital itineraries or offer pre-designed small group tours that always have an interesting twist, such as the 10-day Tracing Norway’s Super Women, a 12-day adventure on the Arctic Circle Express Train or The Discovery Route – Norway’s Most Sustainable Journey. Seventy-two per cent of clients’ dollars go directly to local business partners and the CO2 of all guests is offset mostly through investment in forestry. upnorway.com
Pura Adventure, Latin America
Iguazu Falls on the border of Brazil and Argentina.Credit: iStock
This active holiday specialist, which creates bespoke journeys to Spain, Portugal and Latin America, has an ambitious carbon mitigation program, which offsets one carbon mile for every kilometre travelled by a client from leaving home to back again. One per cent of revenue is donated to development projects such as funding a rural community in Nicaragua. Starting with Patagonia holidays 23 years ago, the company operates with specialist knowledge and local connections throughout Latin America, Europe, the Galapagos and Antarctica without the crowds, allowing guests to experience iconic destinations such as Iguazu Falls, the Amazon rainforest, the Atacama Desert and the walking trails of Spain’s Pyrenees in unique ways. pura-aventura.com
Much Better Adventures, UK
Martian Domes in Wadi Rum desert, Jordan.
This outdoor adventure company was founded with the core value of protecting the world’s wild places. Short trips are the company’s specialty and include off-the-beaten-track adventures such as rafting and kayaking in Albania or sleeping under “Martian” tented domes in Jordan. The company donates at least 80 per cent of the cost of each trip to local economies and to the families of guides whose livelihood was badly affected by the pandemic. In 2021, the brand became the first international travel company to add carbon footprint labels to all its trips, enabling customers to compare their personal impact when choosing their holiday. muchbetteradventures.com
Intrepid, Australia
Intrepid in Peru.Credit: Intrepid
A list of global leaders in sustainable travel isn’t complete without the world’s biggest carbon-neutral travel company, Intrepid, which has operated for over 30 years, and from modest beginnings now offers over 1,000 small-group, immersive tours in over 100 countries, working with local NGOs to provide sustainable livelihoods for communities through the not-for-profit Intrepid Foundation. In 2020, Intrepid devised a plan to combat the climate change emergency, from setting science-based targets to reduce carbon emissions, offsetting carbon emissions for flights booked with them, switching to 100 per cent renewable energy by 2025 in its many offices, and on its tours by 2030. Tours include special Women’s Expeditions to Peru, India, Morocco and Nepal. intredipdtravel.com
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