Plan Your Trip
Traveling ethically touches every aspect of your trip – from what you pack, to the tours you take, to where you stay.
When we sit down to plan a trip, these are the organizations and companies we look to.
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ETHICAL TOUR COMPANIES
Here are some companies that run tours worldwide with a commitment to ethical travel practices:
Check out some more ideas here.
Google is also your friend! Small, locally-owned tour groups aren’t likely to have massive ad budgets, so you may have to do some digging in order to find them (don’t worry, it will be worth it!).
Plug in some key search terms like “ethical tourism” “sustainable travel” or “locally owned tours” alongside your destination (for example: “ethical travel Kenya”). Make sure to keep scrolling past the first few big hits to get to the good stuff.
On safari with Blue Sky Society, who run tours that benefit wildlife conservation.
DAY TRIPS & SOCIAL IMPACT TOURS
These tour companies and organizations help you give back to local communities and make genuine connections wherever you go. Some offer full vacation packages, while others run day trips run by and supporting locals. When we’re planning a trip we always check their websites to see what these folks have going in our destination
Tours By Locals - You can search this site to connect with local guides all over the world.
Urban Adventures - A “global community of thousands of foodies, history buffs, street art fanatics, beer connoisseurs, wine lovers and active adventurers” who lead day tours about these passions in cities worldwide.
Traveling Spoon - Book a private meal or cooking class with the best home cooks in their homes around the world.
Context Travel - All of their tours are led by local experts (scholars and specialists in various fields, including art history, archaeology, cuisine, architecture, history, and theology) and limited to 10 participants. Tours are designed to foster meaningful conversation and understanding, and their guides are united by a passion for sharing their knowledge and taking you into the lives, histories, and stories of their city.
We loved our day tour with Urban Adventures to respectfully meet women of Kenya’s Maasai tribe and learn about their way of life.
ETHICAL ACCOMMODATIONS:
Skip the massive international hotel chains! We do our best to stay at places that are locally owned, so that our tourism dollars stay in the local community and help it thrive.
Homestay.com - Booking a homestay with a local family is a great opportunity for genuine cultural exchange and community support.
EcoBnB - Eco-friendly accommodations all over the world.
Vaolo - search for local hosts and impact-minded travel experiences curated by explorers around the world.
AirBnB - This can be tricky because in some communities AirBnB has caused rising housing prices and harmed local residents (read more about this). But in the less tourist-heavy places we tend to visit, we love it because it gets us away from giant chain hotels and lets us get to know local hosts.
PACKING SUSTAINABLY
These are our favorite sustainable travel and clothing brands, and the essentials that can always be found in our day packs to help us reduce waste when we’re on the road.
>> Clothing
REI - Our first stop for camping and hiking equipment. They’re very committed to environmental stewardship and promoting equity and inclusion in the outdoors community.
Outdoor Research - Outdoor Research is serious about its commitment to environmental and social responsibility. For example: We’ve sent Aaron’s favorite rain coat back to them to be repaired multiple times over several years – they always fix it and send it back to us for free, so we’re not wastefully buying new gear when what we have can be repaired and re-used!
Cotopaxi - In addition to making awesome outdoor and travel gear, Cotopaxi uses a portion of their profits to fund vetted nonprofits that help eradicate poverty. Their products are created under fair and sustainable working conditions, and they’re also B Corp Certified (a designation for companies focused on using the power of business as a force for social, environmental, and economic good). We wear our Cotopaxi fleeces everywhere!
Summersalt - Emily’s favorite (sustainably made!) swimsuits. They’re made from recycled textiles and the price won’t break the bank.
Rothys - Super comfy, stylish, washable shoes made from recylcled materials. Emily wears these everywhere.
Encircled - Encircled makes super comfy, versatile clothes that are perfect for travel. And they’re 100% committed to sustainability – from producing all their clothes locally in Toronto to reduce their carbon footprint, to using sustainable fabrics and recyclable shipping materials. (Emily wears their dressy sweatpants on every flight and packs this dress everywhere because you can wear it 8+ different ways, from a fancy dress to an infinity scarf.)
>> Sustainable Travel Essentials
Hydro Flask - We love that our Hydro Flask water bottles mean we can skip using wasteful plastic bottles (plus they keep our drinks hot or cold all day long!)
Reusable eating utensils - A set like this is always in our day packs or carry-on bags.
Large carry-on bag - We do our best to travel carry-on only, which means we each bring one large carry-on bag and one smaller backpack. Aaron loves his Patagonia duffel bag (which can also be worn as a backpack) and I’m a fan of Tortuga backpacks.
Daypack/small carry-on - We love Cotopaxi’s tough, colorful packs with lots of pockets.
Reef safe sunscreen - Did you know that the chemicals in many sunscreens are harmful to coral reefs? We love Raw Elements sunscreen because it’s reef safe, biodegradable, and water resistant. Emily uses their tinted facial moisturizer most days.
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