Responsible Travel
Change the world just by having the time of your life.
We have always believed in the life-changing power of travel, but for that power to exist we need to travel the right way. Since the very beginning, G Adventures’ vision for travelling responsibly has meant giving back as much — if not more — than what you take away. Yes, travel should be incredibly fun (have you been on one of our tours?), but we also believe travel needs to be a force for good. For you, for local communities around the world, and for the world itself — we call it “community tourism.” See how we do it below.
G for Good
A lot of companies use “sustainability” or “sustainable travel” to talk about exploring the world in a better way, but we’ve never been ones to follow in others’ footsteps or borrow out-dated ideas. Our commitment to making travel a force for good is different — so we call it G for Good.
It stands for all of the social, environmental, and ethical good we create as a business which helps to fuel community tourism. Which is… you ask? It means our tours are built on meaningful relationships with local communities and directly benefit the people and places we visit. Today, our definition of community tourism means that the communities we positively impact ripples far beyond these destinations, to include our employees, supplier and agent partners, small business owners, customers, social followers, and travellers like you.
G for Good is what makes us, us. With your help, we can make travel the force for good we’ve known it can be since our company was established over three decades ago.
Click here to read our Responsible Travel Policy in full.
Acting Responsibly
Our efforts to protect and conserve our world fall under two approaches. The first, Acting Responsibly, is our commitment to improve the sustainability of our own operations. You can’t create change without taking action — so that’s what we’ve done. If you want to make sure your next trip follows these guidelines, all you have to do is travel with us!
Animal Welfare
G Adventures recognizes the importance of animal welfare. That’s why we have worked with experts from World Animal Protection, The Jane Goodall Institute and The World Cetacean Alliance to draw up a robust policy, which builds on the ABTA Global Welfare Guidelines for Animals in Tourism and puts the needs of animals first. We want to ensure that all animals featured on our tours are treated humanely.
Child Welfare
It is critical that no child is ever harmed as a result of tourism. Travellers have the power and responsibility to make a true impact in the communities they visit, and that’s why we actively work to ensure child welfare is protected in the places we operate. We were also the first global travel company to achieve Friend’s International ChildSafe certification.
Respecting local cultures
Connecting curious travellers with Indigenous communities is an essential part of our identity at G Adventures. We are committed to respecting the rights, history, and culture of Indigenous people while ensuring that tourism supports their well-being.
Plastics Partnership Project
Plastic pollution is a huge global problem. G Adventures is working with our partners to eliminate as much single-use plastic on our tours as possible.
Traveller Conduct Policy
We believe travel should be a respectful, safe, and enjoyable experience for everyone. We’re a community of diverse individuals united by a profound respect for, and enthusiastic belief in, our values and each other. This unique combination of respect and enthusiasm prevents us from losing sight of what matters most – community, people, cultural exchange and inclusivity – and reminds us that creating happiness is a privilege we all share together. That’s why we have the Traveller Conduct Policy. This set of guidelines is designed to help establish a sense of safety, security, and happiness for all on any of our tours. This is inclusive of not only our travellers but also our staff members, partner suppliers, and the local people and cultures in the destinations we visit.
Creating Positive Impact
Creating Positive Impact is our second approach to responsible travel. These initiatives focus on leaving the right impact in the places you visit with us.
Planterra
Established in 2003, Planeterra is our non-profit partner dedicated to ensuring communities touched by tourism benefit from the opportunities it provides. They help empower local people to develop their communities, conserve their cultures, and create humane and supportive systems for their endeavours.
Planeterra Projects
Our mission has always been a simple one — to help people thrive through solutions, not handouts. We do this by providing the resources and opportunities for local people in the areas we serve to develop and strengthen their communities with projects supported by Planeterra. Then, our network of travellers provide these communities with the long-term income to make these solutions sustainable.
Ripple Score
You deserve to see exactly what we mean when we say we’re changing lives through travel. Now you can. On a scale of one to 100, this score shows you how much of your money spent in destination goes towards using local services on your tour. The higher the Ripple Score, the more money that is staying in the local community. Look for it on your trip itinerary.
G Values Fund
Our CEOs are the best tour leaders the world has to offer. The G Values Fund helps them further provide amazing experiences to our travellers with low interest loans that bring their travel business ideas to life.
Additional Responsible Travel Commitments
Our Modern Slavery Statement
G Adventures is committed to understanding all potential modern slavery risks related to our business and to putting steps into place to ensure there is no slavery or human trafficking in our operations.