The Root Adventures Path to Sustainable Transformation
Sustainability Embodied, Not Outsourced
The need to make all aspects of life more sustainable is more apparent than ever. Admirable strides have been made within the travel industry, particularly with our local operators adopting sustainable practices and local and national governments protecting these natural resources. However, we believe international travel planners have relied too heavily on “outsourcing sustainability.” This focus misses the most important element: long-term behavior and lifestyle change.
Many operators and agencies strive for transformational travel. At Root Adventures, transformational travel is at the heart of what we do, and we’ve woven sustainability into the transformations we enable.
Actions That Set Us Apart
$50 Subsidy for any pre-trip gear repair
Full reimbursement for public transit to your local airport
Anti-bucket list slow travel itineraries
Packing guides that minimize the need to buy new gear
All gear rentals included in the trip price
Forest bathing
Meditation
The transformation begins as soon as a client registers for their trip. We are the first travel company in the world to provide subsidies for clients to repair their existing gear. In supporting their local cobbler, tailor, or gear shop, our clients begin to redefine their relationship with material items. When departure day arrives, we also reimburse clients who take public transportation to the airport. Again, promoting these experiences at home ensures that the behavioral transformation and sustainability awakening doesn’t remain limited to “vacation mode.”
In destination, all the standard best practices are followed, from getting off the beaten path to vetting our local operators. However, in our decades of experience in the industry, we’ve found that this awareness, even inspiration from incredible and fragile ecosystems, fails to result in meaningful changes back home.
what we don’t do:
Carbon Offset Credits: We believe carbon credits are, at best, of little value at best when implemented correctly. Typically, the projects can even be detrimental! Worse, they enable an “easy out” to assuage our carbon emissions guilt. We believe they are an obstacle to true progress.
Bucket-List Itineraries: Travel is a crucial source of funds and incentive to protect precious areas. Unfortunately, Over Tourism is a serious threat to fragile sites - think insufficient infrastructure (eroded trails and overflowing toilets!) and overwhelmed locals.
Multi-Stop Flights: It’s tempting to bounce from destination to destination thanks to cheap flights. However, we believe the travel experience is enhanced by slowing down and fully embracing one location.
In an industry where outsourcing of sustainability via carbon credits is the default, at Root Adventures we tailor our entire client experience, from trip preparation to in-destination experiences to post-trip debriefings, to ensure lasting transformation.
Just as we continually strive to improve the experience of our travelers, we are constantly enhancing our sustainability program based on research, local efforts in the communities we visit, and new tools. Not only do we want to operate as culturally and environmentally sustainably as possible, but we want to inspire others in the industry to follow our lead.
We're happy to share our experiences and resources as you develop your own sustainability program. Contact Dave, our Director of Operations to learn more.