Intrepid Travel continues to push toward more sustainable tourism offerings, and the tour operator is focusing on creating more human-powered experiences and trips for its responsibly minded travelers.
Intrepid reduces its impact by incorporating activities and inclusions that generate less environmental impact such as walking and camping. The company has been carbon neutral since 2010, and it offsets each of its more than 1,000 trips by investing in renewable energy projects that include wind power initiatives in India, Mexico, Turkey and the U.S., a solar farm in Mauritius, reforestation programs in Kenya and Australia and water filter initiatives in Cambodia.
"It's not enough for tour operators to simply offset emissions. As a purpose-led business, Intrepid Travel has always been committed to developing tours that are low impact through a handful of ways, such as limiting the number of travelers on our trips," says Leigh Barnes, chief purpose officer for Intrepid Travel.
Barnes went on to note that it's important to reduce the impact on a destination, even if tourism brings prosperity.
"Tourism, as beneficial as it can be to local economies, can also be a source of strain on a destination when not done responsibly, which is why we're continuing to focus on expanding our human-powered experiences," said Barnes.
Obviously, there is always some disruption to the environment but achieving a balance is key.
"It's nearly impossible to eliminate all vehicle transportation and activities that require machine power from our trips, but it's important for us to minimize our output whenever possible and continue to make more considered choices," added Barnes. "With these majority human-powered experiences, we're not only ensuring a lower environmental impact; we're also inspiring travelers to rely on their own energy, mindset and power to see the world in a whole new light."
Low-impact journeys from Intrepid include the Kruger Walking Safari, Walking with Berber Nomads in Morocco and Footsteps of the Afar in Djibouti. The tour operator has also introduced new cycling journeys in Bali and Jordan and multi-active trips in Peru, Vietnam and Costa Rica that include biking, climbing, hiking, kayaking and snorkeling.
"It's nearly impossible to eliminate all vehicle transportation and activities that require machine power from our trips, but it's important for us to minimize our output whenever possible and continue to make more considered choices," said Barnes. "With these majority human-powered experiences, we're not only ensuring a lower environmental impact; we're also inspiring travelers to rely on their own energy, mindset and power to see the world in a whole new light.
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