Responsible Travel
Our long-term mission is to make sustainable travel the norm and to encourage all holidaymakers, regardless of how they travel, to make earth-conscious travel decisions every time. We aim to help re-mould an industry for the long-term benefit of local people, the environment, wildlife and travellers alike. We are committed to sustainable tourism and protecting and preserving biodiversity, conserving wildlife and empowering native communities around the globe.
GoKo Travels was founded with the central aim to offer value driven adventure tours, luxury holidays and tailor-made experiences that directly and responsibly help increase avenues for conservation and lower the environmental impact tourism has on local communities, natural environments and cultures.
We take our responsibilities to the environment, local communities, customers, partners and employees very seriously, and therefore promise to only work with guides, companies and vendors who share the same values.
While there is no global accreditation scheme for responsible tourism and environmental travel, it is up to everyone within the industry to be conscientious individuals. As such, GoKo Travels attempts to make it easier by building responsible travel fundamentals into each and every one of our trips. What's more, not only is every trip carbon neutralised as standard, but GoKo Travels also donate 3% of every sale to our charity, GoKo Earth Preservation. The GoKo Earth Preservation directly funds projects and provides assets that have the real ability to protect our oceans, preserve threatened habitats and safeguard endangered species globally.
By prioritising sustainable practices in the management of our trips and everyday business, and by adopting an environmentally responsible approach in everything that we do, GoKo hopes to inspire meaningful innovation to create a healthier world.
1. Our Style of Travel Involves:
- All of our holidays aid local communities, support environmental/conservation projects and the protection of endangered species and habitats.
- We offer true, authentic travel experiences that promotes cross-cultural understanding, respect and education.
- Wherever possible, we only travel by foot, bike, kayak, horse or boat and only promote "off the beaten track" adventures that are best explored with the help and guidance from local leaders that are native to the lands.
- Promote mutually enriching encounters and meaningful connections between our guests and indigenous people, allowing for a deeper understanding of local cultures and any social or environmental issues
- When other forms of travel are necessary, we aim to use local public transport wherever possible.
- Supporting the use of sustainable accommodation options and eco-lodges.
- Buying locally produced food and drink from small-scale businesses and local communities when possible.
- Spreading the economic benefits of travel by partnering with a wider range of local suppliers and supporting incredible charity organisations.
- Avoiding the exploitation of the vulnerable – including (but not limited to) - women, children and endangered species.
2. Economic Responsibility:
- On our adventure holidays, all of our guides and accommodation providers are local to the area.
- We prioritise the sale of sustainable hotels, ecolodges and local accommodation providers; local restaurants that use local products and/or homegrown food; and local/public transportation services that will directly put revenues back into the economy.
- While our eco-stays put the planet first by using responsible designs and eco-technology, our accommodation-only getaways remain sustainable through the help of our carbon balancing and GoKo Earth Preservation Foundation initiatives.
- For all activities, we do not import foreign guides or instructors. Instead, we intentionally use local guides and instructors who have obtained the relevant qualifications in their country of residence.
- By working with local partners who hire local people that are passionate about their country and the activities provided, we can ensure a high-quality service time and time again.
- We encourage our travellers to purchase from local suppliers and use local service providers, as well as supporting social enterprises, local trade, locally produced goods etc.
- We will work actively with suppliers to improve the fuel efficiency of vehicles utilised on each trip.
- We issue each of our suppliers with our “Code of Conduct” to influence our supply chain to operate in a more sustainable way, and do not engage in any form of bribery, corruption or fraudulent activities.
3. Environmental Responsibility:
- Our list of adventure activities mainly includes those which have a minimum impact on the environment, such as walking, rafting, camping, cycling, eco-stays etc.
- We respect and support local conservation projects by following local guidelines and ensuring our clients are made aware of any specific guidelines that may affect them.
- We make sure that all our guides are fully trained in environmental sustainability and will educate our clients about the habitat during specific types of activities. E.g., minimise waste pollution and encourage recycling and the reuse of materials
- We don’t print brochures and keep paper use to a minimum in the office preferring electronic distribution as our main means of communication with clients.
- We do our best to minimise pollution through carbon offsetting all of our trips/tours sold.
- We minimise our business travel and use alterative sustainable options, as well as offsetting all of our in house operations and emissions.
4. Relationship with Our Partners:
We make sure our local partners match our vision and positively promote responsible tourism (social, environmental and economic) in each one of your tours/holidays. As such, the partners we work alongside must always be transparent in their policies for responsible tourism at a company level and on a trip-by-trip basis.
We have a strong commitment in preserving the environment, supporting local communities, protecting the vulnerable and giving back to the places we travel. All our trip leaders, suppliers and staff are trained on these principles, and are core to us delivering sustainable, experience-rich travel.
To ensure the above is maintained, we evaluate how prospective partners treat their staff and local suppliers choose partners who support community and conservation projects, look at their waste management and energy sourcing practices, and the ways in which they try to minimise their environmental impact.
What's more, not only are all our sustainability practices transparent, we intend to invest in relevant training each year, and constructively share feedback with all our partners and suppliers.
5. Sustainability At Home & In Operations:
Not only is every trip carbon neutralised as standard, but we are committed to reducing the our in-house business emissions also. Each year, we will be offsetting all the emissions we create throughout our operations and business practices. However, it’s not just offsetting that is important to us. We have taken steps in all areas of our business to become a more environmentally responsible:
- We monitor our environmental performance and set objectives and targets for improvement on a yearly basis.
- We examine our operations annually and where possible implement new strategies to reduce the overall impact of our operations on the environment.
- We maintain an internal management structure for environmental issues, which includes hiring a Sustainability Officer.
Book with Confidence
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Full Flexibility
Free date changes and cancellations up to 45-days before departure on the majority of our holidays
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Your Money is Safe
Full financial Protection on all of our bookings so you can travel with piece of mind.
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COVID-19 Commitment
Full refund given if you have to cancel the trip due to any COVID-19 related issues or international restrictions.
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Travelling Safely
When you travel with us you can be confident that all of our holidays meet COVID-19 safety regulations.
Our Partners:
Our passion for curating tailor-made itineraries is already here, therefore, in order for us meet our sustainability initiatives, we have partnered with some of the industry’s leading charities. Through these partnerships, GoKo is able to:
- Support the purchase of our very own GoKo Rainforest reserve, preserving biodiversity and protecting endangered species in the world's most important habitat.
- Defend, conserve, and protect the future of our oceans and its marine wildlife from illegal exploitation and habitat destruction.
- Help create new national parks, support local economies, empower native communities, and put healthy landscapes into permanent protection
1. Sea Shepherd
Sea Shepherd is a direct-action marine conversation organisation. Their mission is to defend, conserve and protect the world’s oceans from illegal exploitation and environmental destruction. Thanks to their passionate volunteers, Sea Shepherd run campaigns that really matter, on ship and through direct intervention. As a result, Sea Shepherd now has the biggest independent navy on the planet – solely aimed at protecting the ocean. Using innovative tactics, Sea Shepherd investigate, document, and take action when necessary to expose and confront illegal activities on the high seas. By safeguarding the biodiversity of our delicately balanced ocean ecosystems, Sea Shepherd works to ensure their survival for future generations.
What’s more, Sea Shepherd work closely together with governments and law enforcement agencies around the world to tackle and chase down illegal fishing in sovereign waters. What’s even more impressive, when there is nobody else willing to step forward, the Sea Shepherd team will raise their flag and move into uncharted waters to defend, conserve, and protect!
2. World Land Trust
World Land Trust (WTL) is an organisation that protects the world’s most biologically significant and threatened habitats acre by acre, with David Attenborough becoming their charity patron in 2003 (alongside Steve Backshall and Chris Packham). By working with WLT, we aim to buy and preserve rainforest reserves in Educator (one of the most biodiverse countries on our planet) and to 'carbon offset’ (or what they have dubbed 'carbon balanced') all our unavoidable emissions. As such, all of our carbon offsetting costs will be supporting their REDD+ (United Nations-backed) and VSC & CCBA gold standard projects in Guatemala (see more about Guatemala here).
To ensure their projects are genuine, all WLT projects are validated by two independent bodies - The Climate Community and Biodiversity Standard (CCBS) and the Verified Carbon Standard (VSC).
Looking to Carbon Offset?
Although all of our GoKo holidays promise to warm your hearts, we don’t want it to contribute to warming the planet.
Upon request, we can help you go Carbon Neutral. Thanks for our contacts, we can support a 3-step carbon offset scheme to calculate and neutralise your holiday footprint, allowing you to travel conscious free. This covers every step of the journey where you travel with us, from international flights to hotel heating, transport, food and more.
If requested, the GoKo Carbon Offsetting scheme does not focus on just planting trees, but rather the purchasing, persevering and protecting standing forests from deforestation and degradation - helping revive forests back to full health and avoiding the release of stored carbon. This also enables the regeneration of degraded habitats, which gradually re-absorb atmospheric CO2.
Why GoKo Travels?
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Sustainability Guaranteed
A holiday with GoKo Travels aids in preserving biodiversity, conserving wildlife and supporting local communities.
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Local Experts
When travelling with us, our fully qualified local guides, staff and leaders work with us to organise all logistics, meet international travel standards and endeavour to keep you safe.
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Complete Flexibility
Free date changes and cancellations up to 45 days before departure on the majority of our holidays and adventures.
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Exceptional Support
Experience exceptional expert support from start to finish with a designated travel manager and in-country team leader.