Seasoned travellers are typically globe trotters who know the importance of having an unforgettable experience in the places they’ve visited. As such they realize their part in the process which is to leave these places unspoilt for the traveller that comes behind them or for their next trip. Along those lines, they also know that some travel partners go above and beyond to improve the planet through their conservations efforts as well as giving back to their community. As we all seek to be better travellers, we’ve taken a look at five travel companies that are doing excellent work to provide upscale travel experiences while improving the world we live in.

Luxury unveils itself with these companies. Indeed, spacious villas are hidden within lush, dense foliage. Private and exotic islands enclosed by palm-fringed, white-sand beaches mean travellers spend their days meandering off the beaten paths while their evenings are spent unwinding at celebrated and exemplary restaurants. Travelling to these places and with these partners unfailingly creates unforgettable experiences that one reminisces upon fondly in the years to come. From using local materials and solar panels to providing educational and health programmes for local children, these companies are offsetting the damage short-haul flights, hotels and transport services leave behind. Travelling with these companies means never having to referee a battle between one’s conscience and one’s dreams.

Soneva Fushi Resort, Maldives  

The Maldives are so much more than just the epitome of relaxation and indulgence. These islands have existed longer than any of us and – for those who have visited – they have created bespoke and unique experiences that last a lifetime. Soneva Fushi Resort is a rarity in itself with floating villas, and secret, ever-changing menus that are revealed only after the meal is complete. The restaurants led by Michelin Star Chef Kiichi offer front row seats and the chance to converse with the chefs as delicious dishes are prepared in front of you. The Den, a giant bamboo playground, Cinema Paradiso and Thai Cooking Class excite a childlike wonder while the local fishing village and Observatory take one back to how life was before and reveals the expansive galaxy beyond our cosmos. It’s no wonder Soneva is a luxury that most seldom get to enjoy.

But Sovena’s mission far exceeds these simple luxuries. Their aims are to capture nature’s longstanding ‘mystery and enchanting beauty’ while working in tandem with the environment. Their definition of luxury is to offer guests an experience removed from an urban lifestyle and their ‘No News, No Shoes’ mantra welcomes visitors to remove their shoes in the hopes of grounding them both socially and to nature. The establishment of Soneva Foundation also now protects the Maldivian culture and ecosystem by working with the community to teach children to swim safely, providing clean, safe and plastic-bottle free drinking water to over 750,000 people while giving 23,000 people fuel-efficient stoves that are proven to reduce indoor pollution and deforestation. Guests can tour and witness these pioneering and sustainable ventures which offer exceptional, enlightening and fulfilling experiences. Slowing down, appreciating one’s surroundings, breathing clean air and repairing the damage travel has caused are principles at the heart of this resort.

True Colombia Travel

These days coffee is a worldwide luxury and nowhere in the world produces better coffee than Colombia. Travellers can enjoy exclusive expeditions to Coffee Plantations to see local workers cultivate and handpick beans. Whereas other travellers seek to be fully immersed in Colombian art and their delectable cuisine or participate in genuine local experiences and exhilarating adventure like jungle trekking or hiking the Colombian Andes. For such events, there’s an unspoken rule that travellers expect the companies they book with – whether that’s Colombia or somewhere equally enthralling – to be responsible, sustainable and most importantly ethical.

True Colombia Travel, a locally owned and locally-led Medellin based tour group partner with non-profit and community groups to craft custom vacations based on one’s individual likes and travel style. Their focus is on giving their travellers an enriching trip that leaves them with a better understanding of local Colombians, their history, passions and future dreams. Forget sightseeing or exploring Colombia through a westernised lens, this travel group works in tandem with and preserves their close-knit community. One way in which True Colombia Travel achieves this is by encouraging travellers to luxuriate at Cannúa, Colombia’s first and innovative sustainable, luxury ecolodge. Located in the heart of Antioquian mountains, this hotel is based on permaculture principles – a system that follows patters of natural and local ecosystems – where being comfortable doesn’t mean guiltily expanding one’s own carbon footprint.

Wilderness Safaris

Cruising down dusty, sun-dried roads trying to spot majestic gold-maned lions while watching herds of mother elephants guiding their babies to mud bathing holes is almost considered a right of passage. Exploring Africa by safari is, without doubt, the best way to witness the variety of wildlife and mesmerizing wilderness on offer. Unfortunately, local communities rarely see tangible benefits from safari tours and wildlife reserves require infrastructure that has broken wildlife homes and left permanent marks on the environment.

Founded in 1983, Wilderness Safaris is the continent’s leading ecotourism operator motivated to change lives, inspire positive action, and biodiversity conservation. Wonderfully, Wilderness Safaris privileges guests with Africa’s most remote areas; locations that are uninterrupted by overpopulation, manmade systems or pollution. Here, local communities are supported as 98% of the safari’s staff are employed from neighbouring lands and their heritage lives on in the stories told to guests. Their biodiversity conservation programme -with a portion of booking fees dedicated to conservation – encourages locals and tourists to understand, manage and protect wildlife. Their Environmental Management Systems means their camps and buildings are as eco-friendly as they use 100% solar energy. Sleeping under a sky of a billion gleaming stars in spacious, airy tents with interiors paying homage to traditional African culture has never been so sweet and immersive. Unfolding before guest’s eyes are pure, thriving, and unaffected nature.

The Harmony Hotel, Costa Rica

The name itself – The Harmony Hotel – is appropriately fitting for a hotel awarded a five-leaf rating from Costa Rica’s esteemed Certificate for Sustainable Tourism. Situated near the quiet town of Playa Guiones, one finds this space perfect for soul-deep relaxation, contemplation, and full-body escapism. The delightful warm air, invigorating offshore breeze and layers of emerald green jungle punctuated by the soothing sounds of hummingbirds, means guests unfailingly find their natural rhythm; their inner harmony. Their incorporation of native plants, the use of bamboo straws for architectural designs, the adoption of solar panels for renewable energy and the hotel’s “Plant a Tree” project for both guests and staff are only a few ways in which they’re finding harmony with the planet and offsetting their carbon footprint. Such schemes have since provided food and shelter for local animals, found an environmentally friendly and organic method to source hot water and promoted the sustainable preservation of the local community.

Whether guests enjoy the ideal surfing conditions, unwind in one of the hotel’s pools and hammocks or venture out on a sunset horseback ride, they can do so knowing the local ecosystem will not be endangered. For an enthralling adventure, The Harmony Hotel offers exclusive tours to sustainable coffee farms, the plant nursery of the Barriguiones organization and excursions to native plant gardens. Guests here, have the opportunity to gain insight into the plant species used by their restaurants to showcase the local produce or volunteer to help nurture and grow the rainforest. What started out as a passion project for the owners to introduce a paradise for surfers, has turned into an eco-friendly, luxury oasis for adventure and travel enthusiasts.

With climate change clambering to be heard, there’s very little option left but to heed its warnings. These luxury travel companies are paving the way for a sustainable and culturally respectful future. A future where generations to come will enjoy the same beauty, mystery and diversity currently on offer to travellers. Don’t sacrifice your jet-set lifestyle but be a part of the movement on your next much-needed vacation, indulge with one of these companies and save a little of the earth!