Intrepid Travel is committed to ethical and sustainable travel. Their trips allow travellers to gain more insight into destinations and cultures visited so you can gain a true appreciation for what makes these places special.
The Intrepid Travel Story
Intrepid Travel offers authentic adventures that combine exploration with giving back, creating experiences to suit almost every budget, comfort grade and level of physical activity. Their small group adventure tours cater for every adventure traveler’s desires and provide genuine travel memories with responsibility and social good.
Intrepid’s local leaders are at the core of every destination they explore, providing invaluable knowledge of local culture and knowing of all those hidden gems that will make your trip an experience worth remembering.
Intrepid leaders are carefully selected locals who possess extensive travel expertise. They’ll show you all of the undiscovered bars and galleries not featured in guidebooks – giving a true authentic insight into local cultures!
Intrepid Foundation provides travelers with a way to support local initiatives addressing sustainable development, child protection, environmental conservation, education and healthcare in local communities they visit with Intrepid tours. You’ll get an up-close view of how your travel donations make an impactful difference on Intrepid’s tours themselves.
Empowering Local Communities
Empowering local communities is central to Intrepid Travel’s Vision for the Future, including equipping travellers to make responsible travel choices and creating opportunities for locals to earn income through sustainable tourism experiences.
Intrepid’s partnership with ActionAid Myanmar is an example of such a partnership; through it, a community lodge was opened in Myaing village to promote sustainable tourism and hospitality skills training among members of the local community, as well as to empower women financially through an affordable loan fund managed by Self Help Groups in Myaing village.
This initiative is in response to customer feedback and forms part of Intrepid’s “closer to home” programme. Dubbed ‘Intrepid Retreats”, these tours give travelers a taste of local culture while giving them time and flexibility for exploration at their own pace.
The Intrepid Foundation
Intrepid Foundation is the non-profit arm of Intrepid Travel, an industry leader in sustainable travel. Donations raised from travelers taking tours with Intrepid are then used to support projects in local communities worldwide.
The foundation provides funding to projects supporting disabled people, restoring forests and strengthening local communities. Furthermore, it helps research and conservation efforts aimed at protecting both Antarctica and the environment.
Intrepid is the world’s largest B Corp certified travel company and one of Fast Company’s Most Innovative Companies of 2019. A leader in social good, Intrepid has set their sights on creating an even larger impactful global community impact by adopting new goals and revitalising existing purpose statements that continue to strengthen global communities.
Intrepid’s mission is to inspire travel that allows people to have authentic, responsible and life-altering adventures while simultaneously minimizing environmental impact. Since their founding, this has been at the core of Intrepid’s vision and investment plans.
Environmentally Conscious Adventures
Intrepid Travel is dedicated to offering travelers authentic adventures while protecting the environments and wildlife they explore. Their new purpose statement outlines their global vision: they wish to empower communities, protect the planet and deliver more equitable adventures for all travellers.
The Intrepid Foundation fulfills this mission by supporting projects in areas such as healthcare, education and community development; environmental protection; wildlife preservation and habitat restoration; disaster relief efforts and encouraging climate action worldwide.
There are various ways you can make your trip sustainable and eco-friendly, from choosing an organic farm to walking, bicycling or taking public transit rather than flying or driving. If you do require vehicle use, make sure that it has low carbon emissions such as an economy car.
Intrepid Travel has also developed several other ways to assist travellers in having a positive environmental impact, including being B Corp certified and carbon neutral tour company, supporting communities by helping reduce carbon footprint.
Supporting Cultural Diversity
Intrepid Travel is one of the leading tour operators when it comes to ethical travel, offering trips that provide travelers with authentic experiences while supporting local communities.
As part of their vision for Intrepid Foundation, they strive to do good work and have a positive impact on communities worldwide. To this end, the company recently unveiled new global trips that focus on wildlife conservation, environmental support, disability aid, preservation of indigenous and minority cultural traditions as well as gender equality, empowerment and training and education programs.
They continue to construct Intrepid Spirit Centers at military bases across the U.S., which serve as satellites of the National Intrepid Center of Excellence (NICoE). Through IFHF’s efforts, ten centers are open and operating across the country and over $100 million has been raised towards this program so far.
Carbon-Neutral Travel
Travel is one of the biggest sources of greenhouse gas emissions, so it is vitally important that travelers take steps to mitigate their impact. By selecting sustainable travel experiences and offsetting carbon emissions, you can help preserve our planet for future travelers.
Reduce emissions by flying less frequently and opting for greener modes of transport such as trains. Trains tend to be much more eco-friendly than cars or planes for reaching your destination.
If flying is required for your journey, try booking nonstop flights that arrive as close to their final destinations as possible. When possible, purchase offsets for flights taken as well as staying in hotels with sustainable practices in place.
Responsible Wildlife Experiences
Intrepid has been an innovator in responsible wildlife tourism since 2014 when they became the first travel company to ban elephant rides following an assessment by World Animal Protection of captive elephants at tourist venues where Intrepid supported.
Carbon offsetting and reforestation projects in Patagonia are also promoted, while efforts are taken to support grassroots conservation projects in communities they visit.
Intrepid is known for their dedication to animal welfare, being a partner of World Animal Protection. Additionally, travelers can download an animal welfare policy toolkit from Intrepid’s website free of charge.
Promoting Gender Equality
Gender equality is one of the core values at Intrepid Travel, which has made empowering local communities one of its primary missions. They’ve made it their goal to double the number of female tour leaders over four years – so far this commitment has proven fruitful!
Intrepid is committed to dismantling gender stereotypes and breaking down barriers through its Women’s Expeditions trips, launched last year in Morocco, Jordan and Iran and popular among female travelers looking for unique cultural-rich travel experiences that might not be available through traditional tours.
Intrepid is taking steps towards gender equality with two new women-only itineraries this year to Pakistan and Nepal, led by local women who can share their experience of visiting these countries while understanding their cultural values.
Sustainable Travel Tips & Insights
No matter if this is your inaugural eco-travel experience or not, there are various steps that you can take to reduce your impact on both the environment and local communities you visit.
One effective strategy to begin greening your lifestyle is reducing energy use in transport and hotel room spaces.
Choose eco-conscious tour operators, travel company and hotel when booking your next holiday – many have carbon offsetting programs available to them.
Selecting accommodations within the local community, dining locally and supporting small businesses that contribute to its economy will not only reduce your environmental footprint but also enhance the trip experience and help you gain insight into its culture and community.
In Conclusion
Intrepid Travel has established itself as a leader in ethical and sustainable travel. Their commitment to empowering local communities, promoting gender equality, supporting cultural diversity, and responsible wildlife experiences is truly remarkable. They are dedicated to protecting the environments and wildlife they explore, and their new purpose statement outlines their global vision: to empower communities, protect the planet and deliver more equitable adventures for all travelers.
Whether you’re a first-time eco-traveler or a seasoned one, there are various steps that you can take to reduce your impact on both the environment and local communities you visit. Choose environmentally conscious tour operators, travel companies and hotels when booking your next holiday, and select accommodations within the local community, dine locally, and support small businesses that contribute to the local economy. By doing so, you will not only reduce your environmental footprint but also enhance your travel experience and gain insight into the local culture and community. With Intrepid Travel, you can experience authenticity and responsibility while creating memories that will last a lifetime.