At TravelEssence, we specialise in crafting custom-made holidays that take you off the beaten path and create memories to last a lifetime. We believe in connecting with the heart and soul of a place, introducing you to the locals who call it home. Engage in conversations with fascinating individuals who will share their stories, traditions, and way of life, leaving an indelible mark on your journey.
At TravelEssence, we're all about taking action to make positive differences through tourism. That means we offset your carbon footprint and ensure you travel more sustainably - all to keep Australia and New Zealand's stunning natural beauty safe and sound for the future!
But we do much more than simply carbon offsetting - we also support local businesses and environmental projects that, together, work towards promoting greener travelling practices.
From the get-go, we aim to reduce the environmental footprint of your trip Down Under by organising small-scale accommodations and activities far away from mass tourism.
By staying overnight in small, family-run accommodations, you will often be provided with seasonal food - grown, collected, sold, and prepared by locals - directly impacting the local and regional economies these communities depend on - while also helping fund projects that protect the environment and provide these communities with the tools to increase their quality of life.
How do we help?
Your holiday with us is CO2 neutral. This is not the same as saying your flights don’t emit CO2, but we do neutralise every TravelEssence trip with a climate protection project with gold status, as well as working with important environmental projects that help protect the environment and give local populations the tools to become more independent and self-sufficient.
We cover not only the full cost of our own carbon offset but also yours if you choose not to contribute.
This helps create clean air inside people's homes, which means healthier kids and parents, fewer trees being chopped down, and more money is left in the hands of people where every penny counts. And as a great added benefit - it helps reduce the number of needless deaths each year.
Environmental projects we support
Clean cookstove projects
A project that is important for both the environment and quality of life. Did you know that three billion people get their hot meals from open fires like we had when we lived in caves? These fires produce soot and smoke, and this causes four million deaths from lung disease every year. Put that into perspective for a moment
Using open fires also causes deforestation because it burns a lot of wood for minimal amounts of heat. People in third-world countries can spend as much as 1/3 of their income on cooking fuel, and it literally all goes up in smoke.
New Zealand forests
TravelEssence customers have already planted more than 10,000 trees in the Te Urewera Rainforest in New Zealand with the Rainforest Restoration Trust. These trees will provide oxygen for several hundred years.
Every person who travels with us contributes £15 to clean cookstoves.
Andrew, Founder
No greenwashing
TravelEssence is committed to transparency when it comes to our steps towards ensuring a more sustainable and future-friendly travel industry.
It's no secret that air travel leaves a large environmental footprint, but we take many steps to both reduce the impact of travel and support slow travel.
Travelife certified
Travelife sustainability certification is an initiative for travel companies that are committed to operating in an environmentally and socially conscious manner.
Being Travelife certified means that we have passed an evaluation by an independent auditor based on an on-site assessment. Read more about our certification here.
Transportation
TravelEssence is driving electric car transportation in New Zealand. On-site charging stations are being set up at all TravelEssence accommodations, and car rental companies are encouraged to offer electric car rental options.
Discover more about sustainable travel
Contact us
Questions? Speak to one of our specialists by phone Mon - Sat 9am until 6pm. You can discuss your travel plans in detail where and when it suits you, also in the evenings and on weekends on a no obligation basis.