9 People Changing the Face of Responsible Travel in 2019

Responsible travel is bigger than ever before. Travellers now want meaningful holidays that make a real positive difference in the world and travel companies have started to take note. The industry has seen a rise in the demand for ecotourism to be taken seriously. It’s now no longer enough for destinations to attract tourists without having a sustainable plan in place. Even the number of tourists taking flights this year has dropped due to increasing environmental concerns.

Perhaps inspired by high-profile environmental campaigns led by activists including 16-year-old Greta Thumburg and Sir David Attenborough, this trend is starting to affect the way we travel and what we expect from the experience. On that note, meet the 9 pioneers changing the face of responsible travel for the better in 2019: 

1. Sue Coppard, WWOOF 

Name: Sue Coppard

Profession: Founder of WWOOF (Worldwide Opportunities on Organic Farms)

Story: Sue Coppard is the founder of WWOOF,  a network of organisations that facilitate homestays on organic farms all over the world. Sue spent her childhood visiting her aunt and uncle’s farm near Uxbridge. She collected many fond memories of the countryside she grew to miss while working as a secretary in London in 1971. Longing to incorporate the rural world into her city life, Sue arranged for two other people and herself to go on a trial working weekend at a biodynamic farm at Emerson College in Sussex. The weekend was a huge success and the idea gained rapid momentum. WWOOF has now expanded to become a vast international network with over 100 countries involved. Sue has since taken a step back but she continues to be immensely proud of what the organisation has become. 

READ MORE: How to Travel the World with WWOOF

2. Bruce Poon Tip, G Adventures 

Name: Bruce Poon Tip 

Profession: Founder of G Adventures 

Story: Bruce Poon Tip is the founder of the award-winning small group travel company and social enterprise, G Adventures. After a backpacking trip around Asia in 1990, Bruce was inspired to set up a tour operator that connected travellers with local people in the countries they visit. Since launching G Adventures, Bruce has gained support for over 50 community development projects globally, with more to come by 2020. In 2003, he founded the Planterra Foundation, a nonprofit that works to distribute money from tourism into poorer communities around the world. His first book Looptail: How One Company Changed the World by Reinventing Business (published 2013) became a New York Times bestseller and was the first business book to be endorsed by the Dalai Lama.  

READ MORE: 10 of the Best Tour Operators in the World

3. Sally Guillaume, Undiscovered Mountains 

Name: Sally Guillaume

Profession: Founder and Director of Undiscovered Mountains 

Story: Sally Guillaume qualified as a science teacher with outdoor education before retraining as a journalist and working for the BBC. Her passion for the Southern French Alps led her to set up Undiscovered Mountains, an adventure tour operator specialising in year-round trips and activity holidays in the Alps. Sally is a keen advocate for responsible and sustainable tourism. Since launching Undiscovered Mountains 15 years ago, she has built up a strong relationship with local experts and tour guides to ensure that money made from tourism is invested into the local economy.

READ MORE: How to Pick the ULTIMATE Ethical Travel Activity

4. Justin Francis, Responsible Travel 

Name: Justin Francis

Profession: CEO and Co-Founder of Responsible Travel 

Story: After quitting his job at a prestigious advertising agency to embark on a nine-month trip around Africa, Justin Francis became interested in how travel opened up a deeper understanding of cultural awareness. In 1997, he took a job at The Body Shop where he met the founder, Anita Roddick, who taught him that a business should judge itself by how it treats the poor and the weak. Inspired, Justin went back to university to earn a Masters in Tourism Conservation and Sustainable Development at the University of Greenwich. He launched Responsible Travel with one of his professors, Harold Goodwin in April 2001. Justin has also written for various publications, including The i News, Huffington Post, Metro and The Independent. 

READ MORE: Top 10 Responsible Travel Books to Inspire Your Wanderlust

5. Charlie Marchant, Charlie On Travel 

Name: Charlie Marchant

Profession: Founder of Charlie On Travel

Story: Charlie Marchant is a blogger, freelance writer and public speaker. She set up her first travel blog while living as an expat in Taiwan before launching Charlie On Travel in 2013. Her travel blog offers sustainable travel advice as well as travel guides and responsible travel inspiration. Charlie has visited more than 32 countries and runs her blog alongside her partner, Luke Nicholson. Charlie and Luke’s passion is slow travel; they enjoy taking the time to experience local culture in the countries they visit and often house sit along the way. Both Charlie and Luke work as full-time remote-working digital marketers and Charlie On Travel is a passion-project that has seen them work with brands including Lonely Planet, Expedia and TripAdvisor. 

READ MORE: No-Fly Holidays: London to Barcelona by Bus (Review)

6. Jeff Greenwald, Ethical Traveler

Name: Jeff Greenwald 

Profession: Co-Founder and Executive Director of Ethical Traveler

Story: Jeff Greenwald is an activist, award-winning author of six travel books and co-founder of Ethical Traveler, a nonprofit organisation that harnesses the economic power of tourism to protect human rights and the environment. He started his career in journalism in 1979 while reporting on his experience as a water engineer at the Khao-I-Dang refugee camp on the Thai/Cambodian border. He has since travelled the world covering stories on poverty, human rights, prison labour and conservation. He was inspired to launch Ethical Traveler in 2003, following a debate about the need for a travellers’ alliance that addresses global issues. He has since been joined by a team committed to helping travellers make a positive difference around the world. 

READ MORE: What Is Carbon Offsetting and Does It Really Work?

7. Irene Lane, Greenloons 

Name: Irene Lane

Profession: Founder and President of Greenloons 

Story: Irene Lane is the founder and president of responsible travel company, Greenloons. She started a career in the corporate world before launching Greenloons in 2010 while completing her Certificate in Sustainable Tourism Management. Irene was inspired to launch Greenloons after discovering that there was a lot of misinformation about ecotourism and very little transparency about the industry. Irene’s website not only educates travellers about ecotourism but it also provides them with safe, educational and fun holiday packages by certified or accredited tour operators. Since Greenloons began, Irene has gained a long list of repeat clients and expanding partnerships. She has also given talks about the value and challenges of ecotourism for organisations such as the Adventure Travel Trade Association the United States Department of States and George Washington University. 

READ MORE: 7 Ways To Be an Ethical Traveller

8. Saskia Griep, Better Places Travel

Name: Sakia Griep

Profession: CEO and Co-Founder of Better Places Travel 

Story: Saskia Griep is a Dutch anthropologist and co-founder of responsible tour operator, Better Places Travel. Passionate about wanting to make a positive impact on the planet through travel, Saskia teamed up with Freek ten Broeke to launch Better Places Travel in the Netherlands in 2014. Demand grew and they opened up to the international market, offering tours to Latin America, Asia, Africa and the Middle East. Since its foundation, Better Places Travel has seen more than 14,000 trips booked through the organisation and Saskia is particularly proud of the company’s 9.5 rating on Trustpilot. It is also the first travel organisation in the Netherlands to have a B Corp certification for its work in tackling international social and environmental issues. 

READ MORE: Drink Here: Europe’s Top 5 Most Sustainable Cocktail Bars

9. Linda McCormick, Verdemode 

Name: Linda McCormick

Profession: Founder of Verdemode (previously Eco Traveller Guide) 

Story: Linda McCormick is a UK-based blogger, freelance writer, editor and content marketer. Her passion for sustainability and responsible travel led her to launch her eco-travel blog, Eco Traveller Guide, which she ran for 8 years. In early 2019, she made the decision to rebrand to incorporate a wider range of sustainable lifestyle topics to go alongside her travel content. Keen to create a sustainability guide for the every day as well as travel, Linda relaunched her website under a new name, Verdemode. Her blog has a dedicated readership and has been featured in the likes of The Sydney Morning Herald, Traveller, The Global Mail and Hotelier Magazine. 

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