Ethical companies exist all over the world - from London to Lagos - and it's our mission to make them the heart of the multi-billion dollar global travel industry. Luxury hotels with robust environmentally friendly practices and Michelin-starred restaurants that provide work experience for the underprivileged. Bakeries that help prisoners gain work experience while serving their sentence and high end furniture shops where all the goods are made from recycled materials. Whatever type of traveller you are, luxury or budget, we offer you the experience you want with the added benefit of making a positive impact.
​Three weeks ago, I climbed Mount Kilimanjaro with my partner. It took me 6 nights and 7 days and while it was a hard feat for me, what I went through was nothing compared to the porters who supported us on the journey. Each morning, they would serve us breakfast - surprisingly delicious given we were on a mountain with no kitchen! My partner and I, along with our guide, would then set off with our day packs only. Our porters would pack everything else - chairs and table we ate on, the mattresses, our 15kg duffel bags, all the tents, cooking equipment, their own equipment, and the list goes on. Carrying all that weight they would somehow overtake us on the way, running to get to the next camp and set-up our eating and sleeping tents, hours before our arrival. They did this every day...for 7 days. For this trip, we paid $2,700 each. I discovered when I arrived that some of the porters make as little as $2 a day, are often only allowed 1 meal a day and rarely have the right equipment, clothes or shoes for the climb. Some passed me on the mountain wearing only tennis shoes. I knew that these conditions existed and that it was important to select the right company. After weeks of research, I came across a company called Fair Travel (http://www.fairtravel.com/). It provides a range of tourist activities in Tanzania, but most importantly, it provides benefits to the wider community through fair pay for its guide and porters.
This is the type of company I want my dollars to support - the ones that make a positive impact in the community. This was my inspiration to launch JourneyKind.
So what do we mean by 'ethical travel'? Our definition is whatever it means to you. We give you a range of topics - sustainable food, supporting local communities, environmentally friendly and more - to select from, and you decide which ones are important to you. We then suggest services and experiences to match.