20 Sustainable Travel Companies and Destinations

You've probably heard the term 'sustainable travel,' but what does that mean? Sustainable companies are those that work to maintain travel or tourism through efforts that protect and encourage the growth of natural and cultural environments. With more travelers interested in eco-conscious and responsible travel, we want to highlight some great travel companies that have extensive sustainability practices in place.

Intrepid Travel has a long history of being a sustainable tour company. They've been carbon neutral since 2010 and do everything they can to reduce their footprint on trips -- from educating travelers on cultural and environmental issues to eating local foods and taking local transportation. They are the first and only tour operator in the world with verified science-based climate targets and recently announced that they've amended and added itineraries with low carbon outputs. This involves removing flights under 90 minutes from their top 50 trips (when possible) by the end of 2022 and adding more cycling and walking tours. This B Corp company also focuses on diversity and inclusion through various initiatives and ensures that the local community is a centerpiece of their trips.

Ker & Downey Africa is passionate about helping visitors explore Africa through a sustainable lens. The company helps travelers book fully built-out conservation safari trips, like a Rhino Safari & Conservation Experience in South Africa or the Liuwa Plain & Kafue National Park Safari. In addition to working with suppliers that support responsible travel, Ker & Downey partners with lodges that focus on wildlife conservation and allow guests to participate in conservation projects. And if a guest prefers, Ker & Downey Africa can book activities or safari lodges run by locals or suggest an eco-focused property that encourages guests to limit their consumption of natural resources.

Colombia is a great destination for a sustainable trip. The South American country was a founding member of the Future of Tourism Coalition, which has a goal to make travel and tourism more responsible. Right now, Colombia has 27 sustainable landmarks (certified by the Colombian Ministry of Trade, Industry, and Tourism) like Cartagena's Walled City and La Macarena.

In 2020, Colombia proposed an amendment to their General Law of Tourism to make sustainability the core focus of their tourism. The amendment would provide incentives to organizations and companies that are sustainable and dole out infractions on companies that do not comply with the country's sustainable tourism efforts. We also love their Sustainable Tourism Policy which requires tourism providers and destinations in the country to officially register to meet certain sustainability rules.

Element Hotels are a portfolio of green hotels under the Marriott brand. Hotels under this brand name have electric vehicle charging stations and are built and designed with recycled materials. Bathrooms have in-shower dispensers to reduce plastic bottle waste and low-flow fixtures to limit water waste. Some hotels have their own sustainable programs and offerings. For instance, the Element Omaha Midtown Crossing offers free rental bikes so guests can explore the city by a sustainable method -- cycling.

The Meritage Collection has partnered with One Tree Planted to plant a tree for every night booked during the entire month of April. They're projecting that this will result in 10,000 trees planted in California forests which will go toward the effort of rebuilding the forests devastated by the 2020 fire season.

Not only that, but through their Clean the World partnership, the hotel group sends gently-used toiletries to recycling centers to be sanitized and distributed worldwide. The company estimates that they'll divert 4.5 tons of waste through the program.

Belize does a lot to protect its natural resources and lands -- which is good because over 70 percent of the country is forested! The government passed a plastic ban in 2019 and through various conservation efforts (like passing a law in 2018 that banned offshore drilling), the Belize Barrier Reef was removed from the UNESCO World Heritage 'danger list.' For a traveler who wants to see what Belize has to offer, it's not hard to find a sustainable hotel like the Lodge at Chaa Creek or an eco-tour like Stressless Eco Friendly Tours.

MSC Cruises was honored with an award in the Maritime Industry category by the North American Marine Environment Protection Association (NAMEPA) at the 2020 Marine Environment Protection Awards. The award came after the cruise line started phasing out single-use plastics across their fleet and began construction on MSC World Europe, the first of up to 9 ships that will be LNG-powered vessels. MSC Cruise Vessels are outfitted with some of the newest environmentally-friendly systems like advanced water treatment systems and products to reduce fuel consumption. The company hopes to reduce the fleet's carbon emissions by 40 percent by 2030. They've already achieved a 28 percent decrease.

You may not have heard of Palau, but this nation of islands in Oceania is a true leader in sustainable tourism. The tourism board is working to become the first carbon-neutral tourism destination. They're most notable for becoming the first nation to require visitors to sign a passport pledge that requires them to behave in an environmentally conscious manner. By signing the pledge, tourists agree to not collect marine life for souveneirs, touch or step on coral, litter, or feed marine life. Other great sustainable laws of Palau include banning reef-toxic sunscreens and tour operators from using single-use plastics.

In 2020, JetBlue became the first U.S. airline to commit to achieving carbon neutrality on all domestic flights. This move didn't come without years of effort. For instance, JetBlue acquired 85 new Airbus A320s that improve fuel economy by 15 percent. They've also outfitted their in-service fleet with Sharklets, wingtip devices that reduce emissions by up to four percent. In addition to using electric ground vehicles for baggage loading, the airline donates and repurposes electronics and fabrics, recycles food waste into compost, and built a blue potato farm in Terminal 5 at JFK Airport.

Finland does a great job when it comes to being a sustainable tourist destination. Travelers should look for the Sustainable Travel Finland label before booking a hotel or tour in Finland. Those with this label have undergone a sustainability program and have met certain requirements that ensure they're sustainable. It also doesn't hurt that the country has the cleanest air in the world, super clear lakes, and that 80 percent of the land is still forest. If you visit Helsinki, you'll surely experience some sustainable practices like a public transportation system that runs on electricity created by water and wind.

Kind Traveler is a booking site that integrates responsible travel into their platform. It's designed like this: you choose a hotel and destination through their platform and a ten-dollar nightly donation (included in your booking) goes to a local charity. While some charity donations go to social and cultural charities, others focus on environmental efforts. Through their giving model, 470 trees have been planted in U.S. national forests and 155 individuals received toolsets for compost bins. And that's just the tip of the iceberg! Travelers can even choose hotels based on a sustainability rating.

G Adventures is a leader among tour companies when it comes to sustainable practices. Through a plastics partnership, G Adventures is reducing their plastic use on tours. In partnership with Sustainable Travel International and Planeterra Foundation, G Adventures created what's called a 'Ripple Score.' A higher Ripple Score for a tour, means that a significant amount of money that you pay toward that tour stays in the local community.

For travelers who want to learn how to travel more sustainably, G Adventures offers a 30-minute Travel Better online training course. Those who complete it receive a certificate from Sustainable Travel International.

Cruise lines aren't particularly known for being sustainable, but Hurtigruten is and has been for years. Hurtigruten is building the first hybrid-electric powered cruise ships, which may not come as a surprise, since they were the first major travel company to remove plastics from their ships and hotels. The company has reduced its carbon footprint by receiving 80 percent of its food and drinks from Norweigan suppliers. The cruise line expects to reduce food waste by 20 percent this year. Conservation and sustainability are cornerstones to the Hurtigruten cruise experience and every guest returns home with a better understanding of such topics.

Preferred Hotel Group launched a new brand called, Beyond Green this month. Through Beyond Green, guests can book hotels, resorts, and lodges that are sustainable. The website spells out how each property is sustainable. For instance, Carneros Resort and Spa is constructed from recyclable materials, has a water conservation program, grows much of their food on-site in the garden and composts food waste. All hotels in the Beyond Green portfolio go through a rigorous vetting process that measures their sustainability by the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. They must also agree to an on-site evaluation that looks at 50 different sustainability indicators every two years.

Puerto Rico has committed to having all of its electricity met by renewable energy by 2050. A ban on coal power plants will begin in 2028 and the country will ramp up its solar efforts through things like removing solar taxation. For travelers, the country has a wealth of sustainable offerings when it comes to hotels and activities. Many properties have removed single-use plastics or have initiatives to conserve the ocean or rainforest. Whether it's a cultural tour or an eco hike, visitors to Puerto Rico have an overwhelming number of sustainable tour options.

In 2018, Hawaii became the first state to ban sunscreens that were harmful to reefs. The law went into effect on the first day of 2021. It's a move to help protect the marine life surrounding Hawaii, and yet, it's not the only sustainable measure the state has taken. For instance, Honolulu banned single use plastic items like bags, utensils, and straws. Eco-tourism is a big aspect of Hawaii tourism whether it be coffee or farm tours, farm-to-table efforts, or hotels and resorts with their own sustainable practices.

Take Hyatt Regency Maui Resort & Spa as an example. It was the first resort in Hawaii (and first large-scale beach resort in the world) to be awarded the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) TRUE Waste Precertification. During their two-year renovation, they donated 1,716 tons of furniture to local charities and businesses and recycled 750 tons of metal. The resort has a massive number of recyclable and renewable practices in place and is a shining example among the Hawaiian hospitality industry.

This South American country has a wealth of outdoor and sustainable offerings, and yet, it hasn't quite taken the international stage as such. Guyana was recently named the Best in Ecotourism by ITB Global Travel Trade Fair and Best in Sustainable Tourism by the Latin American Travel Association. The country's tourism focuses on local communities such as through community-owned eco-lodges like Rewa Eco-Lodge. With so many outdoor adventures and a tourism board that highlights indigenous communities, it should definitely be your next sustainable trip.

This month, United Airlines announced the launch of the Eco-Skies Alliance program which brings over a dozen global corporations together to purchase 3.4 million gallons of sustainable aviation fuel in 2021. In doing this, they'll eliminate appx. 31,000 metric tons of greenhouse gas emissions.

At the end of last year, the airline committed to reaching 100 percent carbon neutrality by 2050. (They'd previously committed to a 50 percent reduction by 2050) To achieve this goal, United Airlines has invested in an atmospheric carbon-capture technology that's predicted to capture and store millions of metric tons of CO2 each year.

Book Different is the ultimate booking platform for the eco-conscious traveler. All accomodations on their site have been certified by ecolabels (organizations that certify hotels as environmentally-friendly/sustainable) as a sustainable property under four different categories: management, employee treatment, promoting local culture and community, and environmental initiatives. Of course, each hotel ranks differently in terms of sustainability so the most sustainable hotels (those with four hearts) are at the top of a search.

Responsible Travel sells small group and tailor-made trips, and they're well known for their sustainability efforts. They've committed to a 55 percent reduction in CO2 per passenger by 2030 through changes in their supply chain. They've also promised to deliver a net gain in biodiversity (or restore nature) by reducing and mitigating their negative impacts on the environment. The company promotes travelers doing their part in eco-conscious travel which is why they offer flight-free and low-carbon trips on their website.