25 Travel Companies Doing Good Things For The World

by Alex Temblador
Last updated:: 7:00 AM ET, Wed July 29, 2020

PHOTO: Airport worker hands a traveler a Share Your Love voucher. (photo via HMSHost)

JetBlue Airbus A320. (photo via csfotoimages/iStock Editorial/Getty Images Plus)

PHOTO: Woman admiring Hagia Sophia during the Turkey Women's Expedition with Intrepid Travel. (photo via Intrepid Travel)

Hurtigruten MS Roald Amundsen. (photo via Hurtigruten)

PHOTO: Sitting on stairs using a laptop. (photo via UberImages /iStock / Getty Images Plus)

Choice Hotels headquarters. (Courtesy Choice Hotels)

Scarlet Lady. (photo via Virgin Voyages)

PHOTO: A hiker enjoying the view from a mountain peak in Nepal. (photo via den-belitsky/iStock/Getty Images Plus)

A woman handbiking in the countryside. (photo via Wheel the World)

A young boy does homework. (photo via E+ / fstop123) (E+ / fstop123)

WestJet Boeing 787 Dreamliner (WestJet Media License)

kids in towels with water toys in hands running on beach (Photo via LightFieldStudios / iStock / Getty Images Plus)

A Southwest Airlines Boeing 737 MAX. (photo via Eli Wilson/iStock Editorial/Getty Images Plus)

PHOTO: Excited woman on laptop. (Photo via fizkes / iStock / Getty Images Plus)

Delta Air Lines Boeing 767. (photo via Sjo/iStock Unreleased)

The North Face is an outdoor travel brand. (photo via Alex Temblador)

PHOTO: Rapti River, Chitwan, Nepal (photo by Janeen Christoff)

Más de 1,000 propiedades de Hyatt desplegarán la plataforma de mensajería de Medallia Zingle. /Photo via: GoodLifeStudio/iStock/Getty Images Plus).

PHOTO: Young man with a world globe in his hands. (photo courtesy of nito100/ iStock/Getty Images Plus)

Service bell at a hotel front desk. (photo via Ekaterina Molchanova/iStock/Getty Images Plus)

PHOTO: Travelers take a tea break with a local woman in Petra, Jordan. (photo courtesy of G Adventures)

Himalayan Kingdom of Bhutan (photo via Owl-Lightbox / iStock / Getty Images Plus)

American Airlines flight prepares to land at Las Vegas' McCarran International Airport. (photo via Michael Valdez/iStock Unreleased)

Couple out for a forest hike. (photo via E+ / svetikd)

PHOTO: Downtown Lexington, Kentucky (Photo via volgariver / iStock / Getty Images Plus) (volgariver/iStock/Getty Images Plus)

Natural Habitat Adventures offered a Zero Waste itinerary in 2019. (photo via Natural Habitat Adventures)

Positive Impacts

1/26

The world can seem like a bleak place at times-especially of late, which is why we want to tell you about these amazing travel companies and the good things they are doing. From fighting social issues to saving the environment, we're cheering these travel companies on and hoping others follow suit.

JetBlue Offsets Domestic Carbon Emissions

2/26

This year, JetBlue became the first major U.S. airline to offset carbon dioxide emissions on domestic flights. They announced the environmentally-friendly initiative in January and began the program in July. The carrier will also begin testing sustainable fuel on flights from San Francisco International Airport this year.

Intrepid Travel Leads in Gender Equality

3/26

Intrepid Travel has been a responsible tourism leader in terms of animal rights, porter rights, environmental-friendly practices, and diversity initiatives, however, they are perhaps most impressive for their work on gender equality. In 2017, they had a goal to double their female leaders. They reached that goal in 2019 and now have about 342 female leaders globally. The tour company also added two women to their Board of Directors, making it a 60:40 gender ratio.

Other efforts include launching Women's Expeditions to countries where women have not had equal economic opportunities, working with local women to become tour guides and porters (even fighting the local governments to make this possible!), reporting on the gender pay gap, and working with supply chains to reduce gender inequality.

Hurtigruten's Hybrid Ships

4/26

Hurtigruten aims to be a different type of cruise: one that protects the environment. The company became the first cruise liner to have a hybrid electric-powered expedition ship, the MS Roald Amundsen, which launched earlier this year. They have another hybrid ship, the MS Fridtjof Nansen, set to launch this year as well. The environmentally-friendly and sustainable power sources of these two ships will do a lot to protect the oceans.

TourRadar Offers Free Course to Potential BIPOC Travel Writers

5/26

TourRadar may specialize in multi-day tours but they're doing their part to tackle the lack of diverse representation in travel writing. Sahar Aman, the editor of TourRadar's magazine, Days to Come Magazine, worked with her team to create a free online course called, Travel Writing 101. It was only made available to aspiring BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, and people of color) travel writers who sign up in July. Some of these writers may also receive an editorial mentorship with Aman's team and opportunities to publish in the Days to Come Magazine.

Choice Hotels is Working to Increase Diverse Hotel Ownership

6/26

In 2019, Choice Hotels announced they awarded six franchises to African American women in an effort to diversify hotel ownership. This was part of their Diversity Ownership Initiative which offers an Incentive Program to underrepresented people interested in hotel franchising. Those who participate in the Diversity Ownership Initiative can receive upwards of $125,000 to $200,000 in incentives, depending on the Choice Hotels brand.

Virgin Voyage's 'Scarlet Lady' is Carbon Neutral

7/26

Virgin Voyage has something to celebrate. Their first ship, the Scarlet Lady (which launched in February 2020) was designed to allow Virgin Voyages to be the first cruise line to achieve carbon neutrality on the very first day of operations.

The ship is outfitted with technology to reduce environmental impact like a catalytic converter to reduce nitrogen oxide, hydro-dynamic hull design to reduce fuel consumption, and Climeon technology that collects and converts heat created by the ship's engines into electricity. The Scarlet Lady is the first of four high-tech ships that will continue this cruise line's commitment to carbon neutrality.

GOOD Travel

8/26

With a name like GOOD Travel, you can expect 'good' things. The main goal of GOOD Travel is "to ensure that tourism has a positive impact on the local community, economy and environment." They do this through planning trips, from beginning to end, and ensuring that all elements of the trip are 'good' and responsible. Plus, they offset the carbon emissions of all their GOOD guides and donate to local, vetted charities.

Wheel The World

9/26

Not everyone has an equal opportunity to travel the world, but Wheel the World wants to change that. The company's mission is to provide tours and experiences for people with physical disabilities, making sure that their entire trip is accessible, including hotels, transportation, and activities. They currently offer 30 travel destinations through their platform.

Hotel Con Corazon is Sending Kids to School

10/26

Hotel Con Corazon is a social impact accommodation that uses funds from bookings to help local children obtain an education. They have two properties in Latin America-Oaxaca, Mexico, and Granada, Nicaragua, with plans for another hotel in Costa Rica. With these properties, Hotel Con Corazon has invested $308,000 in local education, helped 700 children finish school, offers tutoring programs and internships, and provides scholarships.

WestJet Committed to Increasing Women in Aviation

11/26

Gender inclusivity is lacking in many areas of travel, especially aviation. WestJet is aiming to change that. The airline has the third-highest percentage of female pilots in North America, which puts them above the industry average. However, the airline knows it needs to do more to bring women into the flight deck, in technical positions, and in the boardroom.

In 2020, the company made a commitment to reduce the gender gap in the leadership team, launched a Women in Leadership Program to grow their pool of female managers, and is partnering with Elevate Aviation, which is committed to gender balance in aviation through a supportive network.

Responsible Travel's Trip for Trip

12/26

Responsible Travel is a tour company that recognizes the need to make a positive impact through travel. Their Trip for Trip Program allows travelers who book with Responsible Travel to choose to send a child or young person with disadvantages on a day trip (at no additional cost). The company does this by putting 1 percent of their sales toward this program. Since starting the program, the company (and those who book with them) has been able to send 3,500 children on day trips.

Airlines Combating Sexual Harassment and Assault

13/26

Some airlines have made a small but significant adjustment to encourage people to report sexual harassment and assault on commercial flights. In 2019, Alaska Airlines began asking passengers to report sexual harassment during their in-flight announcements. They were followed by Southwest Airlines, this year, who welcomed the reporting of 'unwelcome behavior' during their announcements. Though airlines have a ways to go in making flights completely safe for travelers, creating an open environment for reporting and making travelers aware of what to look out for is a great first step.

Kind Traveler

14/26

Kind Traveler is one of the most impressive and socially-conscious hotel booking platforms. When travelers book a hotel through Kind Traveler, they agree to a $10 nightly donation to a local charity. They are then awarded exclusive deals and discounts and can rest assured their travel dollars are going to help the local community. Through the platform, travelers have provided meals to 2,600 in-need individuals, rescued 77 animals from illegal circuses, provided 1,000 immunization shots to low-income or homeless people, planted 470 trees in U.S. forests affected by fires, and so much more.

Delta Helps People with Autism and Disabilities Fly More Comfortably

15/26

Delta is working to make air travel more comfortable for people with autism and other disabilities through their Taking Flight tours. Currently available at the Atlanta and Minneapolis airports, the program invites participants with disabilities to a two-hour tour through the airport so they grow more comfortable with the check-in process, boarding, screening, and in-flight experience.

REI and The North Face Fight Harmful Advertising

16/26

In June, outdoor brands REI, The North Face, and Patagonia joined forces to start the #StopHateforProfit campaign. They suspended their ads on Facebook and Instagram to call on Facebook to make changes to the platform. Such changes included providing resources for users who experience racism on the platforms, stopping the spread of misinformation, better handling of harmful content, and providing moderators for private groups. The campaign also called on Facebook to stop taking ad revenue from companies and individuals that promote hate on their social platforms.

Community Homestay

17/26

Connecting with local community members is an essential part of travel, which is why we love Community Homestay. Travelers who book with Community Homestay are connected to local Nepali families with whom they'll stay during their trip. In addition to cultural exchange, this allows Nepali families a source of tourism revenue.

Community Homestay also offers homestay training to their families such as English language skills, loans for house and infrastructure development, and other community development projects.

Hyatt Supports LGBT+ Families

18/26

Hyatt is doing a great job when it comes to supporting the LGBT community. Like other travel companies, the hotel giant has yearly Pride initiatives, however, they take it a step further and put their Pride into practice year-round with great policies. They were the first major hotel company to offer domestic partner benefits over 20 years ago and have included sexual orientation and gender identity in their Equal Employment Opportunity policy since 2000 and 2002, respectively. Today, they offer spousal and partner benefits to their LGBTQ+ employees, as well as transgender-inclusive health insurance coverage.

Trips, Inc.

19/26

Trips, Inc. is an award-winning company that provides vacation packages and experiences for adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Their team of group leaders, planners, and chaperones escort travelers on trips to theme parks, national parks, snowy destinations, cruises, tropical destinations, and international places. Thanks to Trips, Inc. travelers with intellectual and developmental disabilities experience the independence and joy of travel.

Hotel School and The Goring

20/26

The Goring Hotel in London has a great program called Hotel School, which provides hospitality training to homeless people and others who have experienced vulnerable situations. This program is a partnership with The Passage, a homeless resource center in London, and aims to provide skills and support to individuals who take the courses. Beyond the courses, Hotel School matches students with employers and provides mentoring to graduates.

G Adventures Planterra Program

21/26

G Adventures, a popular tour company, created the Planterra Program, a non-profit program that aims to make a difference in the world. The non-profit develops projects such as culturally-focused accommodations with local communities, work with female empowerment transportation enterprises, and much more. They also assist communities who have no hospitality or tourism experience to develop authentic experiences for tourists.

Myths and Mountains' READ Program

22/26

If you're planning a trip to Asia or Southeast Asia, book with Myths and Mountains to support their READ Global program. Founded in 1991, READ Global creates community library resource and education centers for rural villagers in Nepal, India, and Bhutan. Through the program, they've been able to serve two million rural villagers with over 107 enterprises that support nearly 80 READ Centers.

American Airlines Donates Surplus Food

23/26

When travel halted in March and April, American Airlines realized they had surplus inflight service food and food from their Admiral Club lounges. They took that food to U.S. food banks, donating over 81,000 pounds of food. They have also donated 10,000 food items to the Global Food Bank Network in Hong Kong.

Getaway to Provide Free Stays to Activists

24/26

The lodging company known as Getaway is providing 100 one-night stays in their tiny cabins spread throughout nature to activists. Called "100 Nights of Rest," the initiative is focused on providing some self-care to Black Lives Matter activists. community organizers, healthcare workers, teachers, artists, or anyone else "working for change" or "fighting for the Black community." Transportation and food cost are covered too with a $200 Visa e-gift card.

VisitLEX is Feeding Those in Need

25/26

VisitLEX, the Lexington, Kentucky, Convention and Visitors Bureau, teamed up with Keeneland Racecourse and non-profit, FoodChain, to launch Nourish Lexington. The program hires displaced restaurant workers to work in available kitchen facilities so as to provide meals to locals in need during the pandemic. Nourish Lexington has hired 21 local food professionals, has distributed 80,000 meals, and has developed a model that can be rolled out nationally.

Natural Habitat Adventures Goes Zero Waste

26/26

In July 2019, Natural Habitat Adventures (NHA) created a tour that became known as the world's first Zero Waste itinerary. The tour company took travelers to Yellowstone National Park where the group diverted 99 percent of all on-trip waste. NHA encouraged guests to be eco-conscious throughout the trip-from the airport to the on-site experiences. The experience was so successful that every bit of waste produced on the trip was able to fit into a small container. NHA hopes to create more Zero Waste itineraries and showcase that tour companies can be even more sustainable.

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