The travel industry for too long has commoditized people and just filled seats with whoever was willing to pay. Large travel consortiums and brokers trying hard to sound exclusive and elite have treated travelers like we’re just another butt in just another seat.
Too often, travelers have been corralled into crowded destinations, contributing to the exploitation of natural wonders, landmarks, cities and cultures. In short, the system has turned tourists into vultures.
A virus has brought the travel industry to a stand-still. But it has been stagnant for too long before that. We demand better.
- We are building a movement that will change the way we talk about travel.
- The travel industry must adapt in the post-pandemic world—not just for profit, but for new sustainability.
- Travelers are going to be more intentional about where we go next.
- We want to see a travel industry that truly knows its customers and is capable of discerning (and not just blindly selling) destinations.
- Intentional travel can be good for the environment and supported sustainably.
- We can put an end to many of the destructive cycles of cultural exploitation that Big Tourism may have intentionally or carelessly created.
- We will advance intentional and mindful travel wherever welcomed, and create a demand for it where it doesn’t exist yet.
- We believe that every traveler can be an [influencer] when they are the right traveler, in the right place, at the right time, NO MATTER their race, gender, nationality, religion, sexual orientation, creed, caste, language, or ability.
- We will unlock the power of true human connections between travelers and tour guides/local experts.
- We will energize and inspire tour guides and local experts because they KNOW we are positively impacting each other’s lives.
We:
- Don’t go because some social media idols told us we had to
- Don’t go because it was the best bargain we could find
- Don’t go if we know we are going to feel like cattle being herded from one overcrowded, overrated place to the next
- Don’t go if the trip is exploitative – of the land, the destination, the wildlife, or its people
- Don’t go if the industry isn’t taking safety seriously for travelers and everyone involved in their supply chain
- Don’t go if the trip isn’t right for us, right now
- Don’t go if we wont be known for who we are
We are a principled class of travelers that will pursue, chase, see, and taste everything the world has to offer without trampling all over it, without crushing it under our feet, without making every place we visit a little bit worse.