RESPONSIBLE TRAVEL

RESPONSIBLE TRAVEL

Protecting the lands we explore

At International Adventure Guides we believe in responsible travel/tourism and design our trips around this principle, but what does it mean to be ‘responsible’ when traveling? 

Responsible tourism is defined as: “Tourism that maximizes the benefits to local communities, minimizes negative social or environmental impacts, and helps local people conserve fragile cultures and habitats.”

-Center for Responsible Travel (CREST)

A big part of responsible tourism is avoiding areas that are already overrun with crowds and visiting lesser known areas instead.  Visiting off-the-beaten path locations not only helps to lessen the impact of overuse it also provides a more enjoyable and more authentic experience. 

Of course there are still some sites that are still “must see” locations so we plan our visits for off-peak hours to minimize our impact.

Another aspect of responsible tourism is investing in the local economy and we fully support this idea in both word and action.  Whenever possible we use destination based airlines, locally owned hotels or regional chains, and work with local vendors for transportation and other services.  As such the vast majority of every dollar you spend on our trips contributes to the local economy. 

Respect for local culture is not only an important aspect of responsible tourism, for us it’s also an integral part of our itineraries as we try to educate our guests on local culture and customs, providing for intimate local cultural experiences along the way.  This is especially true when working with the Inuit community in Greenland or the Sami people of Scandinavia. 

On the wilderness portion of our adventures we both follow and educate our guests on the principles of the Leave No Trace ethos and are careful to minimize our impact on the environment.  We believe that helping people explore and enjoy nature in a responsible manner will lead to more people committed to protecting nature and battling climate change.

We believe there is an explorer within us all and that a connection to nature is in our genes and look forward to guiding you on a true bucket list adventure that allows you to responsibly explore the world.

#LiveToExplore