One of the fastest growing segments of travel are so-called eco-adventures—treks through rain forests, biking in the Himalayas, diving in the Philippines. They sound so exotic (and earth-friendly!) but how do you book one of those trips? There are a variety of sites out there that cater to the Eco-traveler, but most of them look like they were slapped together by hippies instead of Web designers. A new site quietly launched earlier this month called ekoVenture takes a different approach.
On ekoVenture you can search more than 10,000 eco-tours, culinary explorations, and other active adventures from 450 travel operators around the world. The site’s goal, says CEO TJ Sassani, is “getting people active and helping them break the theme park habit.” You can search by activity (biking, hiking, spelunking) or destination. Results show up as flags on a map with vacation packages listed underneath. There are details about each travel experience, and you can inquire about booking a tour right through the site.
Every tour operator is vetted by checking how long they’ve been in business, certifications, standings with local travel and business bureaus, awards, and positive press mentions. Once the site gets going, user reviews will play an important role in the vetting process as well. In addition to connecting travelers to tour operators,
ekoVenture also offers tour operators a free booking engine on the back-end, much like OpenTable does for restaurants. This gives ekoVenture direct visibility into their availability and pricing, although it doesn’t always book travel through the site if its a complicated package that requires more handling. The company was founded two years ago, and raised $1.3 million in seed capital in August, 2008 from angel investors including Dave Dolby, Nanosys founder Larry Bock, and Gerson Lehman CEO Alexander Saint-Amand, hedge fund manager Jonathan Auerbach, and Zig Capital.
ekoVenture does a really good job of organizing this particular type of travel all in one place. It gets either a 10 percent commission for simple bookings or a lead-generation fee for each inquiry it passes along. So the more that people find adventure travel that Interests them, the more money it makes. But in keeping with the whole earth-friendly theme, the company will donate 10 percent of its profits to eco-charities.
The site also features travel notes from real travel adventurers (world-class mountain cilmbers, kayakers, divers, skiers, and sailors) to help inspire those of us who are more desk-bound to get out and see the world. Travelers can share their own adventures by blogging on the site, uploading photos and videos, and adding reviews.
It’s great to see environmentally conscious start ups receive more press.
Seems like a great way to “go green”, while spending it. Cool platform as well.
Raising environmental consciousness through travel is an excellent way to encourage people to take an interest in conservation and environmental issues.
However, this has to be balance with sound eco-travel practices. The Ecotourism Society offers an accreditation program so that consumers can be sure the company they choose is adhering to best practices.
That said, even the most eco-friendly travel has an environmental footprint. Let us be conscious about how we balance that with the benefits of education and awareness through eco-travel.
Looks like it could be a great idea that really speaks to an otherwise ignored section of travel. good luck!
Awesome site…
Good to see the team getting some well-deserved recognition.
Finally! This is brilliant.
I’ve traveled all over and can’t tell you what a pain it is to find great trips. Will definitely use this in the future.
If you fly to your destination its not eco.
Pipe down, you naysayers. Carbon emissions/not traveling are not the only valid ways to help. Managed tourism can bring loads of positive press to a locale you want to keep safe – it raises awareness about a perhaps unknown natural resource and also encourages the local community to protect it (if just for the sake of more tourism dollars). A few of the many examples: the Costa Rican Cloud Forest, the Brazilian rainforests, and the Australian Great Barrier Reef.
Why are these eco? They just sound like cool vacations. What makes them an eco friendly vacation? Because the activities are physically active?
In fact I would guess that some of these tours are more likely to damage the environment than help it, as some of the places mentioned are so pristine that any trips there no matter how much they ascribe to leave no trace will still hurt the local environment. I still think people can go with minimal impact, but when humans show up there is still likely some change.
These vacations can be eco-friendly because:
1) If ppl enjoy going to national parks like Zion, UT, more money will flow into preserving the parks.
2) convinces tourists it’s worthwhile to preserve natural spots around the world. thus possibly convince ppl to do more earth-friendly things like ride a bike instead of driving. might be far fetched but i think there’s a connection
This is opposed to someone who vacations at disneyland where money will just be spent on expanding disneylands.
To add to this point, I recently went to the Galapagos on a 10 day live aboard dive trip. The Galapagos is one of the most highly protected marine and animal preserves in the world.
Why is this you may ask? Because the money from tourism allows the Government to employ more employees to protect the parks. For example they only allow one boat to dock at a dive site at a time. This minimal amount of human interaction doesn’t let the marine life get used to humans because they aren’t overwhelmed by them.
You want another example? Bonaire is one of the top rated islands in the world for marine life and somewhere me and my family have been diving for over 16 years. Recently the Bonairian government wanted to allow HUGE cruise ships (aka. NOT Eco-friendly travel) to dock at the island. These ships need to drop gigantic anchors that destroy the reefs.
Thanks to us ECO-travelers, we all banded together and sent letters to the government explaining how by ruining the reef that they would loose a major part of the reoccurring tourism and ultimately decided not to allow the ships to come in.
Sure, the only way to be 100% eco would be to sit in a dark hole in the ground (although that hole might have disturbed some of the natural creatures who might have been living their prior). Heck, methane isn’t good for the environment so I guess you don’t eat beans either…
This is great to see a website that encourages these types of trips!
In order to better understand the world, we have to experience it – the sights, the smells, the opportunity to interact with various cultures – it’s refreshing to see that ekoVenture promotes this while giving back part of its profits to various causes.
Just checked out the site and they actually have really impressive coverage for what I searched for (Turkey and the Galapagos, two of my favorite destinations). The map feature is really useful too.
ekoventure is a fantastic site that helps provide transparency into an inefficient market. It streamlines the research and booking processes, allows both the consumer and operator to reach a larger audience, promotes travel and gives back to the eco-friendly community. Two thumbs up!
This is great to see a website that encourages these types of trips!
In order to better understand the world, we have to experience it – the sights, the smells, the opportunity to interact with various cultures – it’s refreshing to see that ekoVenture promotes this while giving back part of its profits to various causes.
Ooops, should have added good post! Waiting on the next one!
Sorry guys, this is greenwashing. This is just a travel site that promotes travel. If they were really trying to help, why don’t they have travelers offset some of their carbon emissions by helping the local communities they visit with energy saving projects. Wow, you exotic travel and philanthropy at the same time!
Hello all,
As the Founder of ekoVenture, I want to thank you for the great comments and support. Two quick points on our business to respond to the questions about eco-travel and the concerns about “green washing”:
1) While the article focused on one of the travel categories we offer, eco-travel, our trip inventory is much, much broader than that. ekoVenture servers the $30B “experiential travel” market. This market is made up of travel themes such as cultural, adventure, voluntourism, culinary, active sport, and yes – eco and sustainable as well. Our mission is to give people access to the new cultures and experiences in an easy and real-time way – not just eco-trips.
2) We do not claim that all trips on ekoVenture meet recognized guidelines making them eco-friendly, but some do – these are clearly marked when you find them and eventually, you will even be able to filter by this. A key partner of ours, The Rainforest Alliance, has many of their member tour operators listed on this site, and many of these operators offer eco-verified trips. The main thing we do to support both cultural and environmental sustainability is to donate 10% of our profits to these causes. We work with extremely reputable groups in this effort and this is how we plan on minimizing impact in the regions that our tour operators run trips. Moreover, ekoVenture.org, launching next year, will empower travelers to raise money through their social networks for the causes they are passionate about that minimize their impact in the regions they travel.
True eco-travel is definitely hard to come by, so ekoVenture is taking a different approach to minimize impact given that we all still want to travel and hop on airplanes from time to time.
Thanks again for all the support and please continue to send along feedback – it’s how we get better!
All the best,
TJ
EKOVenture is money. They are planning my heliski trip in south america this summer. BTW – the founder is a shredder!
Great concept! Their website is gorgeous and easy to use! It’s very convenient to find so much information well organized and professionally presented. I look forward to booking trips with them!
Great site that offers something for the adventurer in all of us! There’s one thing in wanting to be eco-friendly, but going great lengths to ensure that you are is another thing. These eco-trips are developed so humans don’t go off the beaten path and do their own thing. With trips and guides, it helps to lessen the damage we’d otherwise do on our own with the help of experienced others.
Great site! Tons of cool trips…I’ll definitely be booking stuff with these guys.
Not sure it’s all that “eco” friendly per se, but they have a ton of awesome adventure-oriented trips that would be hard to plan out by yourself.
I had the privilege of working with TJ and the team early on the in the project. Glad to see they’ve finally launched.
Great work, guys!
“But in keeping with the whole earth-friendly theme, the company will donate 10 percent of its profits to eco-charities.”
I really hope these guys make a profit, unlike most web companies profiled here in TC
The travel industry is so cuthroat, but good luck to them. It will be tough in this economy.
Been waiting for a site like this to make researching and booking trips/locales easier.
Site looks great and is easy to use.
Great company with a great cause. I love it!
Sweet site. Looking at some tastiness.
Can’t wait to book a trip through these guys. Everything seems streamline and unobstructed, the way responsible travel should be! Welcome ekoVenture to the world of good business and great trips…
AWESOME Site! I love the pic of the day… it reminds me of where i need to go
I have been following ecoVenture for a while now and I am really excited to start booking some trips…I am thinking biking in Bolivia! And on a somewhat superficial level, their website is beautiful. I love seeing pictures of all the places I have yet to travel.
And to some of the comments on carbon emissions… you could reduce your carbon footprint if you stand in a box in your room, but you would be standing in a box in your room. Travel is necessary to understand the world around us and to better understand the people we share it with. Travel shouldn’t stop, but we do need to be more conscientious about it. I think ecoVenture will really help.
and ps. i am impressed that they are putting money where their mouth is and donating 10% profits to environmental causes.
This is the best site around for responsible/eco-friendly/adventurous travel. A great company with a great cause. Finally, a vacation you can feel good about!
What a great idea! I love this site, can’t wait to use it on my next trip =)
As someone who goes through the headache of booking adventure based trips each year I can’t tell you how relieved I am to hear of this site!
No longer will I have to deal with the tour operators directly who are always in vastly different time zones which ultimately results in very delayed communication…not to mention many of them of not technically savvy enough to set up online payments on their own.
ekoVenture is going to revolutionize this industry for both the travelers AND the operators.
BRAVO!
Great, site, psyched to plan my next trip to some off-the-beaten-path places. Love the UI by the way!
ekoVenture is a great idea and I just happen to know it is run by really wonderful people. Can’t wait to use the site for my next adventure.
This is a excellent concept. Now I’m planning my next adventure!
Sea of Cortez or South America? So many choices!
incredible! i cannot believe what they have to offer in terms of worldwide travel and adventure options! truly impressive…
My husband and I used them to book a snorkeling trip in Miami. This service is fast, easy and so helpful. We had an amazing experience and I will 100 percent use them again for future trips. It’s the only real service that gets straight to the thrill seeking adventures I’m looking for.
Wow, this site looks great! I’ll have to check it out. Thanks TC!
Wow that is a good idea for traveling website. Its easier to find a diving site there
I’ve known the guys at EkoVenture for the last year and am really excited about the possibility of a functional, good looking site allowing the public the chance to find some really worthwhile trips!
Coming from the volunteer sector I undersand the importance of personal reviews and honest feedback that EkoVenture encompasses….Here at GVI we are looking forward to some exciting times with EkoVenture!!
Well done, ekoventure! Many thanks for creating a tool that enhances the travel experience.
Keep up the great work!
This website is amazing. I am for sure going to start using it!
As an EkoVenture investor and user – happy to see the launch going well… Congrats TJ and crew
I am the theme park traveler mentioned in the article. My wife and I are switching it up for our 10 year anniversary trip leveraging EkoVenture. Thanks for sharing.
Good gosh, how many of these comments were planted, or solicited??? Kudos to ekoVenture but reading through the ‘praise’ almost gave me a hernia.
This is awesome. One of the main reason I love going to Costa Rica so much is that they’re so environmentally friendly as a whole, will definitely use this on my next trip
This is a very valuable site. There are ways to see the world and be respectful in your travels and ekoventure chooses organizations that are trying to do just that.
Speaking from personal experience, with trips that I have been on listed on ekoventure, keep up the great work.
Congratulations on the attention. Ekoventure is a great site. We’re proud to be a part of it.