Goals

To develop environmental awareness and good practice in our employees, local suppliers and clients.

To reduce the environmental impact of the activities of both ourselves and our clients by conserving energy, limiting pollution and encouraging understanding and respect for the customs and cultures of local people and their wildlife.

Strategy

Trips Worldwide will strive to achieve these goals by:

• Taking account of environmental issues in commercial decision-making.
• Using recycled or environmentally friendly paper for all brochures, leaflets and letterheads. Recycling paper and other office waste where possible and conserving energy use within our office.
• Encouraging our clients to return unwanted brochures for use within the office and for other clients.
• Using locally owned hotels and local modes of transport where feasible. Promoting the use and purchase of local products and facilities so that the immediate economy will benefit from our business.
• Working with local suppliers, conservation groups and indigenous communities to increase awareness and encourage protection of the environment, wildlife and host cultures.
• Promoting understanding and respect of all local cultures, wildlife and environmental issues to our staff and our clients. Trips Worldwide provides clients with detailed destination fact sheets and travel tips which include the Friends of Conservation Traveller’s Code to encourage minimal impact on countries visited.
• Supporting organisations concerned for the environment and indigenous people such as World Land Trust, Friends of Conservation and Tourism Concern.

Responsible Tourism Partners

Projects

Friends of Belize - the long-term conservation of Belize's wildlife and natural resources. The WLT has also extended its support to Belize Audubon Society - the country's foremost membership organisation helping wildlife, as well as other conservation initiatives.

Fundación Jocotoco, Ecuador - established in 1998 by Dr. Nigel Simpson and Dr. Robert Ridgely, with a small handful of their colleagues, through a love and concern for conservation. His main objective was to protect land of critical importance to conserve Ecuador's many rare and endemic birds, as well as its overall biodiversity. To accomplish this, land is being purchased and managed as private reserves, with the support and involvement of local communities.

The Patagonian Steppe Project, Argentina – this is an important habitat for many threatened and endemic species. Most of it is at risk of desertification through overgrazing, and many areas show signs of serious erosion. Currently none of the coastal Steppe is protected in national parks or nature reserves. The proposal to purchase and establish a nature reserve will set a precedent and provide a model for future efforts to conserve this unique biotope. It will provide facilities for ecotourism and education, and will provide a valuable resource for the local communities. The project is expected to become sustainable and self-financing, once the capital investment in the land is completed. The WLT and its partner, the Fundación Patagonia Natural believe that this project will act as a stimulus to generate similar, locally funded projects.

Charities we support

Belize

Ecuador

Peru

Trips Worldwide and Friends of Conservation are collaborating to help offset carbon emissions, released into the earth’s atmosphere during air travel.

Carbon dioxide is the most significant greenhouse gas, which is contributing to global warming. Flying is the most carbon intensive way to travel. Aviation at present accounts for 3 % of greenhouse gases. Trips and Friends of Conservation are working together to select suitable projects that help local communities, protect biodiversity and reduce carbon in the atmosphere.

Friends of Conservation is a registered charity and if your are a UK tax payer Friends of Conservation can reclaim the tax from the Treasury, meaning that after administrative costs are covered £1.15 is donated for every pound you contribute.

I want to offset the carbon which my flight will put into the atmosphere>