Walking high in the mountains of Peru was a step in the right direction for Intrepid Express winner Karen Tait. Not only did this journey help her discover a world beyond her own, but travelling with Intrepid turned some of her ideas upside down…
“For me, travelling is all about people and stories. When I heard that I had won a place on the Inca trail trip, I was of course ecstatic, but I never imagined just what a wonderful experience it would be.
We’re thrilled to announce that Intrepid Travel now has 500 carbon offset trips available in 2010!
The move comes on the back of Intrepid’s successful experiment this year with offering 38 carbon offset trips. Our reports show that there were no significant changes in booking patterns to these 38 trips in 2009, with the increased cost not discouraging travellers (on average less than 50 cents per day per traveller). These trips sold more or held steady against other small group adventures.
Bear for breakfast, langur for lunch or tiger for tea? We certainly hope these are not on YOUR dinner plate, but sadly these endangered creatures can be found on some menus in Indochina.
Fortunately we have good news that this situation is changing thanks to the work of the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) and our Intrepid Foundation partners, TRAFFIC.
Choosing a restaurant in Vietnam’s capital city just got a little easier with the help of a tiny green chef. This cheery culinary figure is turning up on posters in eateries around Hanoi as the logo for WWF and TRAFFIC’s Green Restaurant Campaign to end illegal and/or unsustainable wildlife consumption.
This November, twenty-five emergency services personnel will run 6000km down the east coast of Australia, to draw attention to the dangers of climate change and to raise funds for the development of a safe climate plan for Australia.
The Run will raise awareness and funds for not-for-profit group Safe Climate Australia, which is preparing a low carbon transition plan for Australia.
When considering supporting local events such a the Pamplona running of the bulls or bullfighting in Catalonia, as with most animal welfare matters Intrepid Travel has chosen to side with the experts at the World Society for the Protection of Animals (WSPA).
While we appreciate that events such as Pamplona’s famous bull run are steeped in tradition, it doesn’t detract from the fact that bulls are forced to run en masse down cobbled streets, which causes significant stress and risks serious injury to both the bulls and the people attending. Many of WSPA’s member societies in Spain, France and Portugal are working hard to get this cruel practice banned.
Travel tips aren’t only about where to go and what to buy - sometimes the best advice is how to behave. You can check Intrepid’s tips on how to be be a responsible traveller and here are ways to help you enjoy harmonious wildlife viewing in Africa…
Respect the ‘personal space’ of the wildlife, this is their habitat. If a visitor/vehicle causes an animal to alter its behaviour, then the visitor has invaded its space and influenced its normal behaviour. Observe nature as it occurs naturally and not as to how it responds to your presence there.
Speak quietly - do not call out, whistle or in other ways try and attract the attention of animals. Noise disturbs them and may antagonise fellow visitors.
A massive human rights violation is going largely unnoticed around the world right now; the illegal trade in children and young people for the purposes of commercial sexual exploitation (CSEC).
Human trafficking is the second largest crime (Belser, 2005) and the fastest growing criminal industry in the world (UNGIFT, 2008). With an estimated 1.8 million children entering the global sex trade each year, many of these children and young people are believed to be victims of trafficking. Human trafficking exists in every region and country the world over; from the poorest to the richest (UNICEF UK, 2003). Due to the underground dealings of the human trafficking network, the real total is expected to far exceed the 1.8 million figure.
In Australia this month, Child Wise has partnered with The Body Shop to launch the Stop the Sex Trafficking of Children and Young People campaign.
Babushka Tonya Makarova, former scientific researcher, goes out onto the street which leads to the Kremlin every Saturday and Sunday in order to earn some money. Next to her small, bright camping tent are framed photos of herself surrounded by children and clippings from newspaper articles.
All week Babushka Tonya is busy making small souvenir felt boots, then an artist decorates them and the result is no ordinary Russian memento. With the money she earns, Baba Tonya buys things that children from a nearby orphanage really need: books, fur boots, clothes and more. A pair of her felt boots cost 300 rubbles, but as Tonya says, “your money will be in the children’s hands.”
We asked Intrepid travellers to join in our anniversary celebrations and re-live their favourite trip moments. Tom Gettings won’t forget his India adventure, that was tops for real life experiences…
“Congratulations on 20 years. I wish I had discovered Intrepid earlier. It’s odd looking back on it that I have not taken that many Intrepid trips, but they provided the most memories and best travel stories. Your organisation also has a great sense of responsibility. Some of the most memorable stories came from my 2002 Unforgettable India trip.
