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Tours: Intrepid Travel’s 12 Responsible Travel Tips. For the past two decades Intrepid has maintained a commitment to responsible and sustainable travel. They work with communities by establishing local businesses, they train and use local operators and always ensure that travellers really interact with the locals in their host communities.

The guys (and gals) at Intrepid Travel know what it takes to make travel responsible yet enjoyable. They are passionate about their business and it shows in the innovative vacation choices including many for families.

The fact is that Intrepid Travel is a worldwide operator of small group adventures including family adventures in Asia, Egypt, Italy and Central and South America. Intrepid's co-founder Darrell Wade explained, "Over the years, Geoff [Manchester] and I have both had families and were confronted with the question "can you travel with children in the Intrepid way? Well, yes you can. We have both done lots of trips with our kids."

Intrepid Travel offers tour/adventures for families who want to leave their day-to-day world behind and share the fun of real life experiences together. Intrepid’s destinations include storybook places like India and Siam (Thailand) as well as wild kingdom spots which include Nepal and Borneo. Innovative and inspiring these junkets are tailored to the needs of multiple generations. The fun factor is huge and the stress level non existent.

Intrepid’s 12 Responsible Travel Tips.

Do your homework. Before leaving home learn as much as possible about the countries you will be visiting – the religion and culture, the local rules and values.

Build vacation vocabulary. Learn some language and don’t be afraid to use it – simple pleasantries will help break the ice. Keep practising.

Checkout the local customs. Learn what’s appropriate behaviour and body language. Like the concept of ‘saving face” in Asia or giving the thumbs up in western or central Europe.

Travel like a local. Support locally owned businesses, hotels, restaurants and other services. Eat local food and drink local brands and brews. Use public transport, hire a bike or walk where convenient – you'll meet local people and get to know the place.

Reward good responsible behavior. Think first. It’s best not to eat in restaurants, shop in stores or visit local shows, markets or zoos that promote cruelty or exploitation of endangered species.

Know when to bargain. Shop from traditional artisans and for locally made products, helping keep traditional crafts alive and favour local products over imported items. Bargain if that is a local practice, but bear in mind that a small amount to you could be extremely important to the seller.

Dress the part. Dress respectfully with an awareness of local standards. Dress modestly at religious sites and check what swim wear is suitable for pools and the beach.

Smile for the camera. Always ask first before photographing or videoing people. Send them back copies of photos to help make it a two-way exchange.

Help sometimes hurts. Be wary of giving gifts or money to beggars, children and people you have just met. Supporting the community through a local school, clinic or development project may be more constructive.

Leave only footprints. Take care of the environment as you would your own home. Take out all you take in, to areas away from the cities. Use alternatives to plastic and say ‘No’ to plastic bags. For cigarette butts, an empty film container makes a perfect portable container.

Stay connected. After returning home think how you can support programs and organisations that are working to protect the welfare, culture and environment of where you’ve been lucky to visit.

Smile and have fun!

Contact Information: USA toll free line is 1-866-847-8192 and the Australian office number is +61 3 9473 2626 or www.intrepidtravel.com

News

Tours: Intrepid Travel Wins Responsible Tourism Award in the UK. The central tenet of the Awards is that all types of tourism - from niche to mainstream - can and should be operated in a way that respects and benefits destinations and local people. With 1200 nominations Intrepid travel was up against some stiff competition, but the results have been posted.

Intrepid Travel has been named Best Tour Operator and be the Overall Joint Winner of the 2006 Responsible Tourism Awards in the UK. For the past 18 years they have maintained a commitment to responsible and sustainable travel. They work with communities by establishing local businesses, they train and use local operators and always ensure that travellers really interact with the locals in their host communities.

By travelling responsibly they are working to ensure that incredible places, fascinating cultures and wonderful people are sustained for years to come. By their actions they empower the local communities and create richer, real life experiences for travellers.

The Responsible Tourism Awards are the largest of their kind in the world. It is a collaboration between on-line travel agent www.responsibletravel.com, UK media partners The Times and Geographical Magazine, supporters Conservation International and The World Travel Market.

Since Intrepid Travel commenced operating in 1989 they have had a commitment to give something back to the communities we visit. One way has been through our support for local humanitarian, development and conservation projects. Many of our travellers want to contribute something too. To make things easier we established The Intrepid Foundation, which is administered separately by CAF - the Charities Aid Foundation. All donations to The Intrepid Foundation are matched dollar for dollar by Intrepid Travel and every cent gets there as Intrepid Travel pays for all the administration costs. Donating is simple and secure. Please ask your group leader for information on the projects we support in-country through The Intrepid Foundation; or go to the website.

Content provided by Intrepid Tours. Copyright 2009.

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