In an era where environmental consciousness is paramount, the travel industry is evolving to meet the demands of eco-conscious travellers. At Plotpackers, we understand the importance of sustainable tourism and are committed to providing affordable, adventurous, and ethical group trips for travellers. That said, we also understand that inherently, travel is not sustainable. Therefore, we want to open up a conversation where progress, transparency, and awareness are celebrated in an industry where perfection is not possible.
Understanding Your Carbon Footprint
Every time you travel, you contribute to your carbon footprint, which is the total amount of greenhouse gases emitted directly or indirectly by your activities. This includes transportation, accommodation, and even the food you consume. By understanding your carbon footprint, you can make informed choices that help reduce your environmental impact. This is why we include a carbon footprint tag on all products, so you can understand what your emissions are per tour, and how this varies between trips. The carbon tag includes emissions produced as a result of all included elements of your tour.
How to Travel Responsibly with Plotpackers
You’ll notice that Plotpackers offers a variety of environmentally responsible tours across the world, and a key driver in why our emissions are much lower than other companies is that we do not operate domestic flights, and instead opt for shared, overland transport options. This is such an important part of our strategy, and we also think that it gives you an opportunity to truly travel through a country as opposed to over it.
Additional key hallmarks of a Plotpackers tour includes
Carbon Offset Programs:
Let’s be clear – carbon offsetting is the travel industry’s favourite greenwashing tool. It is not the solution, it’s a last resort. The real progress when it comes to environmentally responsible travel centres on carbon reduction, and as a company this is our main priority. We then offset what we can’t reduce through trusted, verified organisations to offset the carbon footprint of your tour, and we spread the impact evenly across different programmes, such as renewable energy and reforestation programmes, ensuring that our efforts are as impactful as possible.
Eco-Conscious Travel:
Our itineraries include eco-friendly accommodations wherever possible and local transportation options that minimise environmental impact. We prioritise staying in places that practice sustainable tourism and support local communities. We also operate a majority local supply chain, which reduces economic leakage (in fact, 57% of our total revenue in 2024 went directly into local economies), and also means that we’re empowering locals who will do a better job of looking after their own land than some large international corporation.
Conscious Travel Practices:
We encourage our travellers to adopt sustainable travel practices, such as reducing waste, conserving water, and respecting local cultures. Our guides provide tips on how to travel responsibly and we also embed them into written itineraries and resources, ensuring that your adventures are both enjoyable and environmentally friendly.
The Environmental Impact of Tourism
Tourism can have a significant environmental impact, from habitat destruction to increased waste, and contributes to an estimated 9-11% of annual GHG emissions. However, by choosing responsible travel, you can help mitigate these effects.
Plotpackers in Peru
We thought it would be useful to pull in a case study of how our tours work in practise, so you can fully understand our mission. In Peru, we centre our operations on responsible travel by:
– Using an all female local guide team.
– Travelling through Peru, visiting Paracas, Huacachina and Puno instead of simply flying from Lima to Cusco (aka, the tourist hotspots).
– Using shared, comfortable transport, meaning that we have minimised our impact without compromising the customer experience.
– Local supply chain paid above-average rates, ensuring that all parties are well supported and compensated.
– Community immersion: by travelling with locals, Plotpackers customers have a unique opportunity to really experience Peru.
Plotpackers in Ecuador
Plotpackers Ecuador is an eco-conscious traveller’s dream. From the Andes to the Amazon Jungle, we truly have it all covered!
And we are proud to partner with the only ecolodge in the Ecuadorian Amazon that:
– was built upon a naturally open area to eliminate deforestation risks.
– uses solar powered electricity for just 2 hours a day (the rest of the time, there’s no electricity).
– promotes a plant-based diet with some of the most sensational meals you’ll ever experience.
– uses an advanced bio-digester system for waste management that provides the community with safe compost for local agriculture and reforestation efforts.
Join the Movement
By choosing to travel with Plotpackers, you are not only embarking on an adventure but also joining a movement towards sustainable tourism. We invite you to explore our trip calendar and discover the adventures waiting for you. Sign up for our mailing list to stay updated on our latest trips and eco-conscious travel tips!
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