Our Responsible Travel Guidlines:

There are, and always have been, many ways to travel.

From travelling salesmen to migrants seeking a better way of life there are lots of reasons why people move around. Tourism, or simply going somewhere to visit, has boomed since the 2nd world war and in most instances it is a welcome and advantageous benefit to many communities and environments. However, there can be disadvantages such as increased unplanned development, unfair re-distribution of land or other resources, or just the impact of taking new cultures and understanding into different communities. This is often a two way process, as the host community can at times get a distorted view of how the tourist lives, thinking that life is only ever about having a good time.

It is our belief that how you travel, and the impact you have on the people and places you visit, is largely governed by your attitude and beliefs. As photographers, we have an even greater standard of consideration as photographs of other places form opinions and create stereotypes. Most reasonable people are concerned about the well documented effects of continual exposure to other cultures and the impact of masses of people visiting far off lands.

Creative Trails has been formed from the outset with a clear vision of what our attitude and beliefs are. We know how we want to travel and to us that can summarised clearly and concisely;

• We select and work only with local partners that have a clear commitment to support and develop their local communities. They provide fair and reasonable working conditions and treat all of their employees with respect.
• Respecting local customs and practices and where they are in conflict with our own personal beliefs we accept that we are a guest in another country.
• When out in the field we endeavour to preserve and maintain all natural environments, following the rules and laws of any national park or reserve.
• Wildlife is always treated as exactly that, wildlife. There is no excuse for disturbing or intruding on the usual natural behaviour of any wildlife for the purpose of getting a good photo. The decimation of many wild species is directly attributable to loss of habitat and so we treat all remote areas that have wildlife on the basis that we are guests in their house.
• Always ask permission before taking a close up photograph of anyone.
• As much as we can and without compromising our own high standards, we use local family run type accommodation or where that is not practical or possible, accommodation that can show it has a direct benefit to the local community.
• We support selective community or welfare projects in the places we visit. We will post news of these as they are confirmed.

Tourism is often looked at as a saviour for a local economy only to then be viewed as a devastating development that has only made a few people rich. Many countries or regions that have a longer history of tourism are getting to grips with the complex issues of developing their resources for the good of themselves as well as to improve the experience of the visitor.

Regardless, our aim is to travel in a way that benefits everyone. With a little forethought and the right attitude, we think that is achievable.