The planet: we
Of course our tours have a large impact on the environment. Your motorbike emits CO2- and other greenhouse gases. The same is true for the hotels you are sleeping in. Since we cannot prevent this, we compensate these emissions for 100%. Every mile and every overnight. And naturally we choose projects in southern Africa to do so!
You travel with us through the most beautiful nature you can find anywhere on the world. We treat this nature with care. A campfire is part of the real African experience – but ours use sustainable sourced wood. And we do not visit game farms where the animals are being raised for ‘canned hunting’.
The planet: you
Which begs the question: what can you do? A lot. Some ideas: you can for instance compensate the greenhouse emission of your flight. But during the tour you can also do a lot. Don’t buy souvenirs made from endangered animals or plants (you can find the most recent Cites list on the WNF website). Leave wild animals alone, give them enough space and don’t aggravate them with your motorbike. Don’t feed any wild birds or animals. As cute as some monkeys may look, in reality they are being turned into food thieves this way. Don’t litter. If you are a smoker, take care not to start a fire and bring your own travel ashtray for you cigarette butts. Do you have more suggestions? Let us know!
The people: we
Most people limit sustainability to ‘green’ and the planet. But everything you do is part of sustainability. Including the local people. They are the owners and caretakers of their land, their country. At Ride2Roam we consider us guests making a visit, so our crew treats everyone with the respect they deserve. We adhere to all human rights and human values. And we are strictly opposed to child sex tourism. We want to be considered as welcome guests!
The people: you
This is another area where you can have an impact. Behave as a guest would and treat everyone you meet the same way you’d like to be treated. Online and/or in travel guides you can even before your departure find a wealth of fascinating facts about the lifestyles of the different people of southern Africa. Once you arrive there is a great way to make friends: ask permission before you take a picture of somebody. Show it to him or her and before you know it you will be deep in a memorable conversation. And you really make them happy if you send them these pictures after you return home. Because the best experience in the world is a grin from ear to ear!
The profit: we
The third leg of sustainability, profit, concerns the local economy. We want that as big a part as possible of your money ends up locally. So where possible we choose accommodations that are locally owned and not part of a large foreign chain. When choosing we don’t care whether the owners are black or white. For local excursions and services we select operators that don’t only care for their profit, but also care for their own staff and the environment. This way your excursions are not just fantastic, they are also good for the local economy.
The profit: you
To state the obvious: spend your money as much as possible locally. Sweets can be bought on tour, so you don’t need to take them from home. Negotiating souvenir prices is common practice, but you don’t need to take it to the limit. Don’t give ballpoints, sweets or money to begging children – by doing this you stimulate them begging during daytime instead of going to school. If you feel you want to give something, give to a school or a project. And finally, if you book an excursion, don’t take just the costs in consideration. Also check the way the operator runs his/her business. It will make both your lives better!