Blog

Every year we commit ourselves to the Nature workday to stimulate the conservation and restoration of nature and landscape in the Netherlands as much as possible. This year, 12 enthusiastic, green-minded colleagues, went off into the Amsterdam marshes. Are you curious to see how this day went? Read more!

On June 1 2017 Travelife auditor Marjorie van Strien came to visit us. Her goal was to do a so-called 'audit ', to see whether we can again get Travelife certified. Fortunately, this was the case! After conversations with different people of Koning Aap, Shoestring and YourWay2GO she came to the conclusion that we are certified again for the next two years. Below from its report why and what they further advises us to do.

During one of the largest travel fairs in the world, the ITB in Berlin, on 8 March, the Travelife sustainability award went to 44 tour operators from Asia, Africa, Latin America and Europe. There were again a number of our local agents represented, namely from Vietnam and Kenya. Congratulations!!

Our local agent in India, Sita, is pleased to announce that one year after its establishment; the Nepal Relief Fund is now complete. Sita worked together with Abari, a socially oriented research, design and construction company, based in Nepal. (Please note that this article is in the Dutch language only).

During different Indonesia family trips (Koning Aap); it is possible to visit centers for (mentally) disabled children, operated by these organisations. (Please note that this article is in the Dutch language only).

Voluntary work and internships in orphanages are very popular: A combination of "doing something good" for children, learning a culture and travelling to a distant destination. And, it looks good on your CV. In addition, it is often possible to visit an orphanage during our trips. (Please note that this article is in the Dutch language only).

This year you have the chance to fly green! This can be achieved through compensation for the harmful CO2 emissions of your flight. Something to watch out for the next time you take a flight to your holiday destination. (Please note that this article is in the Dutch language only).

On a beautiful Sunday morning, 13 enthusiastic colleagues from Koning Aap, Shoestring and YourWay2GO went to work in the nature of De Lange Bretten. We are all excited! (Please note that this article is in the Dutch language only).

We are taking the lead in Sustainable Tourism! On the 10th of November, at a ceremony held at the World Travel Market in London, one of our local agents for Koning Aap, Shoestring and YourWay2GO received Travelife Certification: Happy Trails! Indonesia. Our local agent in Marocco, Orion Trek Voyages, received a Travelife Partnership. In Indonesia and Morocco these are the first local agents to enter the Travelife program.

Runa Tupari is a project that supports the indigenous population, both in cultural and economic terms. In the local Quichua language, "Runa Tupari" literally means "Meeting with the Local Population". (Please note that this article is in the Dutch language only).

Want to see elephants up close? Visit a responsible elephant reserve or see them in the wild! If we compare the life of elephants in the wild with the situation in the touristic elephant camps, the conclusion is inescapable: their welfare is seriously compromised in captivity...

We participate in a working group in connection with the ANVR which has set itself a goal to map the carbon dioxide emissions from travel packages in a simple way. On 7 April 2016 this calculator won 1st prize at the prestigious Tourism for Tomorrow awards!

Koning Aap, Shoestring and YourWay2GO have achieved the Travelife sustainability certificate in 2015, just as we did in 2013! This means that we meet the strict criteria of Travelife. An achievement we are very proud of!

Good news: during the Vakantiebeurs tourism fair in 2015, Koning Aap, Shoestring and YourWay2GO received a "Green feather" for the second year running! Again, this is a reward for our efforts in the field of responsible travel.

We have a number of partnerships with organisations which are active in the field of sustainability. Sometimes we participate in working groups. Below is a list of our regular partners:

As many as 20 colleagues from Koning Aap, Shoestring and YourWay2GO rolled up their sleeves to work in the name of nature. Like last year we chose the marshland of De Lange Bretten where we started the day with great determination!

We have a good relationship with each of our local suppliers. In order to maintain this, we have laid out certain ethical rules which they must observe. This is about sustainability in the broadest sense of the word. Take a look back at the agreements made with our local agents.

Our practical measures and activities in the field of sustainability are regularly evaluated. This environmental statement describes how we handle environmental care in business management and in the tours we offer, both now and in the future. Sustainability is therefore widely accepted and incorporated within our business.

More and more people are travelling and increasingly the impacts of tourism are felt locally. Sometimes positive and sometimes negative! We are trying to reduce the negative effects as much as possible but what you could do yourself? We have the following tips, designed to help you get more out of your trip.

On a beautiful Sunday morning, 13 enthusiastic colleagues from Koning Aap, Shoestring and YourWay2GO went to work in the nature of De Lange Bretten. We are all excited! (Please note that this article is in the Dutch language only).

The Facebook-run company Instagram has announced that it will post warnings wherever they see 'selfies' where 'wildlife' can be seen, such as koalas and tigers. They do this when certain 'hashtags' are used/looked up. Instagram does not forbid posting these photos but they do make their millions of users aware. A step in the right direction!

From Thursday 1st February 2018, Thailand is imposing a total smoking ban on 24 popular beaches across the country as part of its sustainable tourism drive. 

How harmful is flying actually? How does that relate to your daily life? What can you do to emit less CO2 when out and about? What can you do at home? Answers to these and more questions that are pressing can be found in the article below.

We have been working on being green for years! In 2017 and the first months of 2018, we have already achieved a number of things. We have spent more than € 100,000 on those causes we support and of course, we have compensated the CO2 emissions of all our trips (the international flights and the land arrangement).

What do we have on the program in the future? Read below a selection of our action points for 2018.

Exciting news! After getting certified by Travelife, our agent in Indonesia, Happy Trails, will from 2018 onwards both reduce the company’s carbon emissions as well as offset all carbon emissions from the tours it organizes in Indonesia, through a large tree planting program. They already started with a limited tree planting program in cooperation with the Masarang foundation in 2016 which protects prime forests, regenerates waste land through reforestation and protects key species such as orangutans and honey bears.

Happy Trails is excited to announce that they are preparing for a new step to reduce the plastic waste from the tourism industry.

In 2016 during his journey on the islands of Bali and Lombok Wessel Scheer met one of our tourguides, Usman. He set up a school to educate children of his village in Lombok.