Travelling Sustainably & Responsibly
Many of the tour operators, cruise lines, airlines and resorts we work with have become much greener in recent years, though travel by its nature creates a heavy carbon footprint. We believe that it is important to create an awareness of opportunities for sustainable travel, or at least ways to make travel more sustainable, and most, if not all, of our partners in travel are contributing in a variety of ways to make sustainability a reality in travel.
87 percent of global travellers say they want to travel sustainably, according to the Sustainable Travel Report released by Booking.com in 2018. No doubt that figure is higher in 2024.
While sustainability may be an aspiration, the practicality is sometimes lost if people don’t understand how they can contribute. Watch the slideshow to see just a handful of the thousands of ongoing initiatives in travel contributing to a more sustainable world.
Intrepid Travel
In 2018, Intrepid became the largest Certified B Corp in the travel sector globally.
More than just a logo, B Corp certification is a rigorous process, which recognises businesses that are a genuine force for good in the world.
Intrepid have been carbon neutral in 2010, offsetting 351,713 tonnes of carbon emissions worldwide since then.
Our friends at Kuoni have shared a few easy, simple tips to help become a responsible traveller and help make our world a better place. Find their tips below and on their website.
01
Book the most direct route possible. Most flight carbon emissions are emitted during take-off and landing.
02
Choose an eco-friendly hotel, a holiday including a local homestay or an escorted tour using local guides.
03
Take a reusable cotton bag with you, which you can take to local markets. This will help tackle plastic waste – and you can use it for the beach, too. We also recommend taking a reusable water bottle to reduce plastic waste.
04
Dress appropriately in places of worship and remove your sunglasses when talking to people, as this is often considered bad karma around the world.
05
Learn about local customs, traditions and a few words of the local language before you travel.
06
Always ask before taking portrait photos of others and avoid having your photo taken with any animals used as photo props, as this encourages captivity.
07
Remove and recycle excess packaging before you pack your suitcase to avoid simply throwing it in the bin while on holiday.
08
Support eco-friendly initiatives during your stay, such as reusing towels and turning off the air-conditioning and lights when you’re not in the room.
09
Make sure you’re buying locally-made souvenirs rather than mass-produced items that have been imported. Avoid items made from endangered animals or ivory and never take away ‘natural’ souvenirs you find, such as shells from the beach.
10
Eat in local restaurants and choose locally-branded drinks rather than imported big named brands.
11
It often feels tough, but try to avoid giving money to beggars. If a beggar earns more than someone who works for a living, this can boost the practice and cause economic problems. We would also discourage giving money to children, as this may encourage parents to stop sending their children to school.
12
You can offset your flight (or cruise) emissions at myclimate.
Tickets Travel's Sustainability Pledge
As well as other charitable donations, Tickets Travel contributes a small amount for each and every booking to The Travel Foundation, an international sustainable tourism organisation dedicated to ensuring that tourism has a positive impact on destinations. Read more about their work here.
As a small and traditional travel agency, Tickets Travel had predominantly been a paper-based business, however we achieved our pledge to become paper-free in 2023, moving to an online system. We still continue to display a selection brochures in the office for clients to browse and take home, though a full collection is available in our online brochure library which we encourage you to use.