and no one will care about what they have never experienced.”
- David Attenborough -
As we all know, international travel and tourism was brought to its knees during the Covid pandemic. For many of us this was a traumatic period, but rather than focusing on the negatives, we all witnessed the images of places and communities recovering from overtourism. It was a wake-up call to the travel industry and travellers alike that the way we travel and the experiences we choose have to change.
Travel The Unknown was set up in 2007 with the main purpose of taking our clients off the beaten track, alleviating pressure off over-crowded places and providing much-needed income for poorer communities in other regions. However, we know there is always room for improvement, which is why we are extremely serious about not just talking about sustainability but genuinely building it at the heart of our business and all our tours.
We will never seek to preach sustainable travel to our clients. Travel should always be fun, engaging, immersive, enlightening, educational, and allow us to introspect and confront our own preconceptions of people and places. We can achieve all of this and be responsible travellers at the same time.
Please read on for more information about our sustainable travel journey.
GSTC Membership
As founder of Travel The Unknown and to drive change within our business and along our supply chain, I took it upon myself to enhance my own knowledge and commitment to sustainable tourism. I was accredited with the Professional Certificate in Sustainable Tourism by the Global Sustainable Tourism Council (GSTC) - the world-leading authority on sustainable tourism. It has given me an in-depth understanding of how to develop and implement viable sustainable tourism solutions. Travel The Unknown are now also members of the GSTC, which means we will contribute to and stay abreast of the latest developments in sustainable tourism.
Support our oceans
Whilst we appreciate and applaud the responsible tree-planting initiatives around the world, we would like to focus our attention on perhaps one of the most neglected yet critical parts of the earth’s ecosystem - the oceans. Inspired by my young son’s fascination with marine life I was left awestruck by the importance of our oceans, which:- Generate most of the oxygen we breathe;
- Absorb massive amounts of carbon;
- Regulate our climate;
- Help feed us;
- Generate clean energy;
- Create millions of jobs worldwide;
- Offer a natural stockpile of medicines;
- Contain incredible biodiversity;
- Hold 97% of our planet’s water.
Despite humanity’s obvious dependency on our oceans, we sadly continue to dump our waste into them, fill them with plastic and toxins, engage in illegal and unregulated fishing, using crude and cruel methods, such as bottom trawling, which leave behind devastation to the seafloor and sea life, much of which may never recover.
This is why each trip you book with Travel The Unknown will include a donation to reputable organisations supporting ocean and marine conservation.
In time, we will also be developing responsible marine-themed wildlife trips, allowing you to get up close to some of the world’s most incredible sea creatures in some of the most pristine waters on the planet.
