What is SusTravel?
SusTravel is like organic food - free of artificial colouring, tastier, authentic, real. Travel that is better for you as well as the Earth, and in the long run for all of us.
These ideas currently meet in what is variously called Green, Responsible, Fair Trade, Ethical or Sustainable Tourism (or ditto Travel). A confusing profusion of names about as inspiring as my careers advisor at school so we decided to coin our own, SusTravel, with the accent on sustainability and the accumulated wisdom of well-informed travellers.
Some are quick to tell us that’s a contradiction in terms. That getting away from it all just brings it all closer. The money you
spend, the waste you leave, the energy you expend to get away from - all has an effect on the world you get away to, the world we all live in. But that doesn't mean we should all stay home, put the travel bug back in its box. We think that's impossible. We happen to think it's an opportunity.
Sus Travel challenges mainstream attitudes towards tourism, questions the impact of mass travel and proves that 'responsible' doesn't mean 'boring', 'ecofriendly' doesn’t necessarily mean 'don’t', and the alternative needn’t be a compromise.
We'll tell you not just where to go for that 'different' experience, but how to go so that your going can make a difference. Tourism is a HUGE industry - 10.7% of the world's GDP and 1 in every 12 jobs - which takes people and money to places where there is often little of either. Consumer Choice may be a rhetorical illusion in the supermarket aisle, but out there in the Real World... It's better than that.
Better for you: The natural beauty and culture of a place are the fundamental attractions for visitors - the Tourism Industry needs to work to preserve both to give the unique experience you want from your journey.
Better for the people: Help maintain the character of a place you enjoy by using businesses that sustain the heritage, architecture, cuisine and local way of life, that train and employ local people, buy local supplies and use local services.
Better for the places: Choose companies whose accommodation or product minimises pollution and waste, avoids unnecessary energy consumption and water usage, and intrudes the minimum on the landscape.
Better even for business: Sus Travel destinations are known by word of mouth, they keep their original attractions literally for ever and are more cost effective to run in the first place.
This isn’t a pie in the somehow jet-free sky - it’s the fastest growing part of the Travel sector. The travel industry is changing. More and more people are searching for those unforgettable experiences that go that one step further. That’s where we come in. AND YOU?
Sus Travel doesn't just provide an image of the perfect world, it takes you there.
Sus Travel - is knowing, and doing - and knowing that what you're doing can make a difference for everyone. Call it what you will. Just come with us...
