Responsible
Travel

PURPOSE

AndAdventure has developed this Sustainable Development Policy to identify, monitor, and improve the environmental and social aspects of the company. We are committed to promoting, following, and implementing sustainability to maximize positive impacts, minimize negative effects on tourism from our operations, and influence our partners to do the same.

SCOPE

The Sustainable Development Policy applies to all AndAdventure employees and AndAdventure partners. 

The Sustainable Development Policy is divided into 3 themes consisting of a set of principles and actions. 

The themes are:

• Internal Management;
• Partner Travel Operators and Accommodation Providers; 
• Destinations, Excursions, and Activities.

AndAdventure commits to internal sustainability management, practiced by following actions and principles that ensure environmental protection, enhance community relations, and protect human rights. 

(a) Social Policy and Human Rights:

AndAdventure commits to:

• Grant employees the freedom of employment and contract termination with notice (ideally minimum one month) and without penalty;
• Include labor conditions according to national labor law and a job description in the employment contract;
• The wage rate is to be mentioned in the contract and equals or above the national legal wage;
• Determinate and compensate for overtime working hours based on agreement;
• Grant employees fixed paid yearly holiday and sick leave and unpaid annual leave allowance;
• Comply with the health and safety policy for employees which complies with national legal standards from the co-working space the company operates in;
• Obey national concerning Minimum Age for Admission to Employment;
• Create opportunities for students to participate in an internship;
• Declare not to hinder trade union membership, collective labor negotiations and representation of members by trade unions;
• Prohibit discriminations, regard to recruitment, conditions of employment, access to training and senior positions, or promotion in terms of gender, race, age, disability, ethnicity, religion/beliefs, or sexual orientation;
• Ensure all employees have an equal chance and access to resources and opportunities for personal development through regular training, education.

(b) Environmental Management actions and principles:

AndAdventure commits to:

• Switch-off lights and equipment when not being used;
• Prefer low energy equipment when buying new items, including considerations of cost and quality;
• Actively reduce the use of disposable and consumer goods;
• Favor the purchase of sustainable goods and services, office and catering supply, giveaways, and merchandise;
• Purchase products in bulk to reduce the amount of packaging materials
• Comply with the legislation concerning waste disposal;
• Take action to reduce the amount of (non-refillable) plastic bottles of drinking water for office use and guest use while on tours;
• Separate all materials which can be recycled and organize them for their collection and proper disposal;
• Avoid harmful or hazardous products or products which need, and give preference to environmentally friendly alternatives;
• Set copy and printing machines by default to double-sided printing;
• Reduce transport-related impacts by telework, tele/video meetings, work-at-home policies, or other means;
• Encourage employees to use environmentally conscious methods of transport when commuting to work, i.e. walking, cycling, and public transport;
• Provide environmental guidance, training, and information to all employees; 
• Encourage employee involvement.
• Implement measurements to reduce brochure wastage or an ‘internet only’ policy;

AndAdventure has developed and implemented a policy to improve the sustainability of our partners. Our aim is to make sustainable development concrete to every partner within our business. The model consists of 3 pillars that are aligned with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). 

1. Benefit the community by hiring local staff, provide fair wages and support locally-owned businesses 
2. Protect cultural heritage by celebrating cultural diversity alongside the conservation of wildlife and nature. Incorporate elements of local art, architecture, or cultural heritage; while respecting the intellectual property rights of local communities 
3. Be friends of the earth by proactively work towards a cleaner, safer, and healthier environment, with a particular focus on waste management, water, and energy-saving.

When selecting partners, preference will be given to travel operators and accommodation providers that contribute to two or more standards of the 3 pillars. They shall provide supporting information, evidence, or documentation that demonstrates the implementation of the 3 pillars in their tourism policy. This information can be; evidence of sustainable travel certification, proof of the support of local charities, and client reviews.

Partners shall:

• Comply with all relevant national laws protecting the rights of employees;
• Provide a child protection policy if it is relevant to their operations.
• Have Legal registration documents, including those that show that they are legally able to provide the services advertised;
• Provide insurance documents, including those that show that they have the required professional and public liability insurance to provide the services advertised;
• Provide at least 20 publically available reviews (Tripadvisor, Google, etc.) that support the information provided.

AndAdventure commits to make sustainable development concrete to every partner and to stimulate and motivate partners to adopt sustainable practices by:

• Paying attention to the local benefits of communities when selecting partners
• Motivating and encouraging partners to become sustainable-certified;
• Evaluating sustainability practices by requesting partners to provide evidence clarifying their sustainability goals and strategies;
• Informing partners about AndAdventure’s sustainability policy and that they are expected to comply with it and communicate it to final customers where relevant;
• Encouraging partners to follow best practices/training on sustainable tourism;
• Including standard sustainability clauses in all contracts with partners/ accommodation providers;

Anddventure safeguards the authenticity of the communities and the natural environment and is strongly against harming wildlife and polluting the environment. We aim to maximize positive impacts and minimise negative impacts at destinations to ensure the places’ sustainable development. 

We commit to:

• Not offer any excursions that harm humans, animals, plants, natural resources such as water and energy, or which are socially and culturally unacceptable;
• Not provide any excursions in which wildlife is held captive, except for properly regulated activities in compliance with local, national, and international law;
• Not partner with tour operators that offer excursions or activities involving harvest, consume, display, sell, or trade of wildlife species;
• Promote and advise travelers on excursions and activities which directly involve and support local communities by purchasing services or goods, traditional crafts, and local (food) production methods;
• Promote and advise travelers on excursions and activities which support local environment and biodiversity, such as visiting protected areas or environmental protection projects;
• Consider partner with tour operators that offer excursions and activities which encourage the use of sustainable means of transport;
• Consider sustainability aspects in the selection process of creating tours in new destinations and possibly offer the non-mainstream destinations;