But travelling with purpose also means looking for ways to give back to the communities travellers meet, which sparked the creation of The Intrepid Foundation in 2002.
The Intrepid Foundation allows travellers and the wider travel community to support important causes around the world, and in the last 20-plus years it has raised more than AUD 18 million for over 160 community partners. Intrepid Travel dollar-match every post-trip donation made to The Intrepid Foundation and cover all the admin costs, so that 100% of donations go directly to Intrepid Foundation partners on the ground.
Whether supporting anti-poaching initiatives in Kenya or protecting sections of Australia’s Daintree Rainforest, donations support causes around the world.
If you score 10/10 on the Travel Talk quiz between 6 and 12 March 2025, these are just a few of the partners you can choose to support.
In India, factors such as working conditions, employment security, wage disparity, discrimination and family responsibilities hinder a woman’s ability to earn her own living. In the face of those challenges, Holy City Rickshaw Co, a project run by ACCESS Development Services, is aiming to provide a solution.
Based in the Holy City of Varanasi, India, the project employs and trains women from marginalised communities to drive custom-built electric rickshaws. Not only does it help to promote a more sustainable method of transport, it provides these women with training in rickshaw maintenance, life skills, as well as financial and business literacy.
East Africa is home to some incredible wildlife, and East African Wildlife Society (EAWLS) is on a mission to protect it – literally.
Their Conservancy Ranger programme aims at providing training and much needed equipment for rangers. By supporting anti-poaching initiatives protecting endangered wildlife within the reserves of Kenya, EAWLS seeks to equip rangers with basic skills and tools for efficient, safe and professional delivery of their work.
Doing so not only leads to better protection for the country’s threatened species, but also improved livelihoods for the communities living alongside wildlife-protected areas.
Queensland’s Daintree Rainforest is the world’s oldest continuously evolving rainforest. Inhabited by unique and rare wildlife, it’s spiritually and culturally significant for its Traditional Custodians, the Eastern Kuku Yalanji people. However, residential and agricultural development threaten the biodiversity that makes the Daintree Rainforest so unique.
Two initiatives run by Rainforest Rescue are key to maintaining that biodiversity. Their ‘Protect a Rainforest’ project focuses on purchasing rainforest blocks for conservation and protecting them forever, increasing connectivity and protecting biodiversity within five main wildlife corridors.
Similarly, their ‘Plant a Rainforest’ project replants rainforest and re-establishes habitat for plants and animals endemic to that specific ecosystem. Grown in their new native nursery, Rainforest Rescue’s seedlings are on track to produce one million trees within a decade.
As our urban areas continue to grow and grow, green spaces surrounding major cities around the world are rapidly declining. In Rome, these spaces often become neglected, turning into hubs for illegal activities.
That’s where Cooperativa Coraggio comes in. By transforming overgrown and abandoned public spaces into thriving agricultural gardens, the spaces that have been regenerated allow people to spend more time outdoors, take part in environmental workshops and attend cultural events that champion sustainability.
A significant aspect of their work is in educating local communities about the importance of short food chains, sustainable agriculture and food waste issues.
Would you like to support an Intrepid Foundation partner? Score 10/10 on the Travel Talks quiz between 6 and 12 March 2025, and Intrepid will donate $50 to an Intrepid Foundation partner of your choice.
Click to take part in the Quiz live from Thursday 6 March
