Why carbon offsets are important in travel

Travel is our passion, but it is also a privilege future generations should be able to enjoy. Air travel is one of the fastest growing contributors to global carbon emissions. A single trip can easily match 50% of a typical household's greenhouse gas (carbon) emissions for an entire year, making it a major contributor to climate change. 

Unlike for other forms of travel, we do not have good environmentally sustainable flight options (yet).  But by doing something now, the travel we love will be possible for our children too. 

 

What can you do about it?

The amount of carbon dioxide (CO2) and other greenhouse gases released into our atmosphere by your flight can be calculated based on flight distance and routing to produce a per seat emission number. By contributing a small portion of your total trip cost to projects that will prevent an equal amount of greenhouse gases to enter the atmosphere, you can mitigate the climate impact of your flight. This is called Carbon Offsetting.

Where will the money go?

Your money will be used in a variety of international projects which will reduce emissions of greenhouse gases.  Without your investment these projects would not have occurred.

Why Offsetters?

We chose to partner with Offsetters, Canada’s leading carbon offset provider.   All of Offsetters'projects are verified by third parties as generating real, additional and permanent reductions in the amount of CO2 released into the atmosphere.

So what will it cost?

Offsetting your emissions is easy and achievable. It forms a small portion of your total holiday cost. Use the table below for a reference. 

Destination	Offset Contribution	Cost as % of holiday
Latin America & Europe	$54	2 %
Middle East & Asia	$76	1-2½ %
Africa & Australia	$90	1½-2½ %
Feel Good	$33	1½ %
Polar Regions	$180	2 %

  

Note prices may vary somewhat where governments add taxes in their jurisdictions

Why we do not ride elephants

We are happy to share with you we will no longer offer elephant rides to travellers.

Seeing wild animals on holiday should be a once in a lifetime experience. But the demand for elephant rides, lion and tiger selfies and more is forcing iconic wild animals into a lifetime of misery. Sadly it is these iconic animals that often suffer the most at the hands of a cruel and relentless industry.

More than 2,000 elephants are trapped at cruel tourist attractions where they are undergoing great physical and mental trauma to be forced into interacting with people.  Watch this animation and learn about their lives as entertainers.

Our decision is based on an extensive research project by experts from Canadian animal charity WSPA to assess the welfare of captive elephants (and other wildlife) at entertainment venues in Asia and Africa.

Asian elephants are highly endangered and tourism demand has led to the establishment of venues where elephants are forced to do unnatural performances. The demand from travellers is adding to the number of endangered elephants being poached from the wild.

In both Asia and Africa animals are taken from their mothers, their spirit is broken, and they endure cruel and stressful ‘training’ to make them tolerate being ridden.

Clearly this is not something anyone will want to be involved in.

With your help we can stop these cruel practices.

Elephants are best seen in the wild, like here in Periyar, India