Image credit: G Adventures

An organized tour can take a lot of hassle out of the travel process. But it’s your responsibility to make sure the company you choose is helping these communities, not exploiting them. Here are a few charitable tour companies.

Micato Safaris has a program they call the “One For One Commitment.” For every safari they sell, they’ll pay for a child’s education in a local Kenyan community. That includes books, supplies, uniforms, and much more.

G Adventures is a Canadian adventure tour company that has a separate non-profit arm called Planeterra. The tours help fund the non-profit to support and develop local communities. As a traveler, you can donate a dollar a day for the duration of your trip.

Intrepid Travel, based in Australia, uses local resources to make sure your travel dollars stay in the community. This means using public transportation, staying in locally-owned properties and dining in family-run restaurants.

It also has a non-profit fund that goes toward local NGOs. If you ask, you can most likely see one of these projects first-hand on your trip.

For more information, visit the Specialized Travel archives. 

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