How We Got Here
Since our founding, we have promoted small groups and less-visited destinations where we used local companies and supported local initiatives where possible. But in recent years, our passively responsible travel style has become increasingly led by intention and purpose. When global travel was restricted in 2020 and 2021, our founder Rahul found a deeper passion for responsible travel which led to him earning a Professional Certificate in Sustainable Tourism from the GSTC (Global Sustainable Tourism Council) and ultimately relaunching the business. We became members of GSTC and Responsible Travel and as travel picked up and the team grew, we now have the capacity to hone in on committing part of our operations to focusing on responsible travel as implemented in our tours, partners, and future goals as seen below.
Our Pillars
Community & Culture
At the heart of what we do and the places we go are the communities and cultures that can be found there; without them, these places would not be what they are. As regular travellers, the interactions we have in these places and the incredible kindness and generosity of people to share their homes and preserve that which may otherwise disappear never ceases to amaze us.
We firmly believe that the people who make these places so special should also benefit from our presence. We aim to positively engage communities by using local guides, locally-owned lodgings, shops, and eateries, and doing our best to ensure that the benefits of our tours reach as widely as possible into the localities where they operate.
Climate & Conservation
Earth’s natural world and wildlife are some of the best reasons why we travel as each destination is a little pocket where beautiful and fascinating wild wonders can be found. However, it must be recognised that many of these environments and species are under threat from many factors and if we want to maintain the privilege to see them, we have to put in the work to help conserve and protect them from further harm. Travel the Unknown recognises our part in this, including the increasing impact of flying to our destinations, and we’re currently working to better understand our operations and take actions to further contribute to making these environments places we can continue to visit.
What We're Working On
MeasureWe are currently undertaking an analysis of our most popular group tours in which we’re taking stock of every type of transport, accommodation, business, wildlife interaction, and other elements involved so that we can gain a new perspective of our operations to start making changes toward the more responsible. This work is actively expanding our knowledge so that we can more easily implement sustainable options for tailormade trips.
Collaborate
With intentional sustainability comes intentional connections, and we’re working to create new partnerships that will make our trips better and find projects that will widen our positive impact in the communities and environments we visit. We are also hoping to increase mutual learning and teaching with our destination partners through remote workshops so that both sides can better understand the challenges, strengths, and opportunities at the destination, industry, and client level.
Closer to Home
Since 2020, our team has moved to a fully remote set-up in which the costs of running an office and getting there and back are negated. We also hope to introduce paid staff volunteer days to grow our own connection to our local communities and how they also need to be supported.
Understand Our Impact
We are now putting together an action plan for how we will begin creating our first official impact report on the places we visit as well as our relationships with our local partners. This means that you, our readers and travellers, will be given a more transparent look into how we are addressing the climate crisis and how we are impacting the destinations we visit.
