Recently Darrell Wade, Intrepid co-founder, posed the question, “Is it the end of the world as we know it?” Following on from that discussion, Darrell shares some insight into why Intrepid Travel has been determined to make changes and how we did it…
“Last week some readers thought I was taking an excessively depressing view on climate change – I hope they are right, but the reality of the science is looking very grim indeed. Other readers wanted to know why a travel company would get involved in the issue in the first place.
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Women make a huge contribution to communities around the world, yet gender inequality remains one of our planet’s most pressing issues. Intrepid has joined the fight for gender equality and this is the first in a series of stories that feature inspirational Intrepid women. Introducing Sreykloeng Ouk, Chief Accountant in Intrepid’s Siem Reap office…
“I was born in 1983, after the notorious Pol Pot Regime. Between 1979-1989 there was civil war in Cambodia, with Government and Vietnamese troops trying to bring things under control and many areas still home to Khmer Rouge troops. There was poverty everywhere and many Cambodians lived in refugee camps along the border between Thailand and Cambodia. My family was one of them.
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Intrepid’s Responsible Business Assistant, Taz Liffman, is renowned for his laid-back temperament, but when it comes to sustainable travel he’s a man on a mission. We put Taz under the spotlight to find out a little more about his travel passions…
Q: How do you describe your occupation?
A: I’m primarily responsible for reporting and calculating the carbon offsets required for purchase to ensure that Intrepid’s trips are all operating as carbon neutral.
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There’s an amazing team of women working with Intrepid around the world, and as you can imagine we’re more than a little obsessed with getting out there and exploring our planet. Amy Bolger is our Responsible Business Coordinator, so we quizzed her for responsible travel tips and asked what she loves most about her job…
Q: Can you describe your role at Intrepid in one sentence?
A: I get to work on putting into place the amazing socially and environmentally inspiring things Intrepid does, such as tackling climate change or promoting gender equality in the destinations we visit and in our workplace.
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We’re very proud to announce that Intrepid Travel has won the Preservation category of the prestigious Condé Nast Traveler World Savers Awards, with our far-reaching commitment to carbon management and low impact travel attracting the nod from the judges. The Preservation category is awarded to a travel company for, “Championing heritage, greening the planet”.
This is the fifth time that Intrepid’s Environmental Management Policy has been recognised, having previously received:
- 2011 Winner, Global Tourism Business Award, Tourism for Tomorrow Awards
- 2011 Highly Commended, Best Low Carbon Initiative, Virgin Holidays Responsible Travel Awards 2011
- 2010 Finalist The International Ecotourism Society Innovation Awards
- 2009 Budget Travel Magazine’s ‘Extra Mile Award’ for Intrepid Travel’s Carbon Offset Trips
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Ever wondered who would win a fight between Batman and Superman? Imagine then what might happen if Spiderman, the Green Hornet, Wolverine, Hans Solo, Xena and Jackie Chan all stepped into the ring.
If you said it would be the ultimate rumble, then you’d be right. But as with any tight tussle, contenders need their own fans and supporters on their side. Intrepid is stepping into the ring in the TourRadar Most Amazing Tour Competition, up against every other global tour company, and we’d love to know – are you in our corner? Will you help cheer us to victory?
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On the streets of St Petersburg every night thousands of homeless people are trying to survive freezing temperatures.
There are more than 30,000 homeless people living on the streets of St. Petersburg (by official statistics) but experts believe is more like 60-70,000. In winter the temperature ranges from minus 9 to minus 15 degrees Celsius. In conditions like these hot food becomes a necessity that ensures people’s survival on the streets, however there’s no possibility for a homeless person to cook hot food for themself. In a lot of cases, these people do not even have access to clean water.
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The Intrepid Foundation was established in 2002 to donate funds to vital grassroots projects in the regions where Intrepid Travel operates, in the areas of healthcare, education, human rights, child welfare, sustainable development and environmental and wildlife protection.
The Foundation also makes donations to several well-respected international non-government organisations (NGOs) including PLAN, Amnesty International, Medecins Sans Frontieres and Greenpeace. Plus we make one-off grants to environmental and social causes, and contribute funds to emergency appeals.
Intrepid Travel matches all donations made by travellers and staff plus pays all administration costs, so donors know that every penny or cent of their donation – and much more – is going to a good cause!
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“Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world.” Our Intrepid Bundu team in South Africa used this Nelson Mandela quote as their inspiration to invest in the local community school in Zandspruit. As their celebration of Mr Mandela’s 94th birthday on 18 July, the team decided to plant fruit trees at the primary school and then teach the children how to take care of these trees. It was a fantastic day and Intrepid’s Lorell Strydom fills us in on what it was like to be filled with the spirit of Mandela…
A bit about Zandspruit…
Zandspruit is an informal settlement in the West Rand of Johannesburg. This is like a forgotten community as it is too small (although 70,000 permanent residents!) to be recognised by the authorities. It started in 1994 just after the election, when people came to Johannesburg with a dream in their hearts for a better future – today housing and primary living conditions are still a daily struggle. This community has 2 primary schools – 1 that looks after Grade 1 to 4 and the other looks after Grade 5 to 7. There are no secondary schools, libraries, youth centres or parks and recreations areas, and a lot of children are still not getting the opportunity to be educated.
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