Responsible Travel.

We’re a profession that cares. And that extends to our travels. 

Responsible Travel

We’re a profession that cares. And that extends to our travels. Travelling carefully means doing so in a way that protects the welfare of wildlife, respects the cultures and traditions of local people and reduces our impact on the planet overall.  


This is a complex topic - with a great deal of conflicting recommendations being made from a relatively small base of research. This makes minimising your impact as a traveller can be both challenging and confusing.  


That’s why VetSetters are Founding Members of the Responsible Travel Advisor Collective – a UK-based organisation campaigning for a greater breadth and depth of research, better communication of the evidence and clear best practices that truly make a difference. Our co-founder James is also an industry ambassador for sustainable travel. 


This means that when you book with us, you can be confident that we’re planning your holiday responsibly in a way that’s evidence-based – using up-to-date research findings to drive down the impact of each trip in a thoughtful targeted way.  


This means you can rest easy, knowing we’ve taken care of it. 

Our Responsible Travel Pillars 

It’s important that we consider the full breadth of what it means to travel responsibly, not simply looking at carbon emissions. When we say that your trip is ‘responsible’, we’ve taken into account:

Animal Welfare

Protecting wildlife is in our DNA. It’s the essence of our profession, after all. Whether you’re spotting gorillas in Uganda, snow leopards in India or giant tortoises in the Galapagos – we will only provide animal experiences that meet our strict, evidence-based checks. 

Reducing environmental impact:

From helping you to reduce single-use plastics, food waste and energy consumption through to offsetting carbon emissions – our trips are designed to minimise negative environmental impacts. 

Biodiversity and ecosystem restoration:

Minimising negative impacts is only half the story: there’s a whole lot of positive impact to be made too. We support work – both through our supply chain and directly – to projects focussed on ecosystem restoration and biodiversity enhancement. 

Being culturally respectful: 

Travel offers an unparalleled way to expand your own mind by seeing how other peoples live: their traditions, rituals, dress, art, music, dance and cooking. But we believe it’s important to avoid ‘cultural voyeurism’ that reduces these cultures into performances. Our cultural activities are designed to give value to both traveller and local; involving curiosity, dialogue and active participation that’s more satisfying for everyone. 

Supporting local economies: 

Host countries need both sustainable environment and sustainable economy in order to thrive. For us, this means working exclusively with local lodges, guides and supply chain partners, as well as directly and indirectly supporting community projects to improve education provision and economic access for isolated communities. 

How we help you travel responsibly

As a traveller, you’ll want to make sure you’re travelling in the most careful and conscious way possible. And we want to help you do that. This means going beyond the standard supply chain checks and taking practical steps to help you travel more responsibly. 

Volunteering and conservation projects

Volunteering and conservation projects <br><br>We run both private and group volunteering/conservation trips, covering a wide range of clinical and non-clinical programmes for supporting wildlife and ecosystem conservation across Africa.

Sustainable-first itineraries

We always design your trips with eco-friendly elements as standard wherever possible.

Carbon offsetting

Driving positive impact through education on sustainable travel, taking part in conservation work and supporting wonderful charity projects across the world.

Sharing our journey

We’re deeply passionate about responsible travel, but we don’t know everything and certainly won’t get it right all the time. When we learn something new – we’ll let you know, explaining the evidence behind it and how to implement it for yourself.





How you can help

As a traveller, you’ll want to make sure you’re travelling in the most careful and conscious way possible. And we want to help you do that. This means going beyond the standard supply chain checks and taking practical steps to help you travel more responsibly. 

Stay green:

Stay green: Choosing to travel to countries that prioritise sustainability can make a huge difference. Did you know that Costa Rica runs entirely on renewable energy? Additionally, opt to stay in smaller eco-lodges where possible rather than large hotels.

Save water:

We always design your trips with eco-friendly elements as standard wherever possible.

Re-use, re-use, re-use:

Bringing re-usable water bottles, coffee cups, and toiletries is wonderful for saving on plastic waste. Plus, you’ll save money on bottled water and have less microplastics in your environment – so your wallet and your body will thank you, too!

Purchase and eat local (and seasonal):

Not only will doing this significantly reduce carbon emissions, the food will also be much fresher and tastier! To take this a step (or two) further – try going vegetarian or vegan when you travel! This will reduce demand on local farmers, reduce greenhouse gas emissions and reduce water usage!

Travel slow:

whether opting for a rail holiday or simply using public transport to get around, taking a bit of extra time to favour sustainable transport options can massively reduce greenhouse gas emissions and make your trip a less frenetic, more mindful experience.

If you want to make an even bigger impact – you can take a volunteering and conservation trip. Whether on your own, as a family or as part of a VetSetters’ led group – we can create a conservation trip that perfectly blends adventure with positive impact.  




Start your adventure

All it takes is one call - we’ll take care of the rest.  Are you ready to get started?