How to Choose Ethical Tour Operators

Every GATHER trip begins long before a group meets at the trailhead. It begins with one question we ask of every operator we consider: who actually benefits when this land is shared with strangers?

That question led us to the Catalina Island Conservancy for our bison tour. The Conservancy has cared for the island's herd of roughly 150 bison since the 1920s and protects more than 42,000 acres of wildlands in the process. Booking through the Conservancy meant our ticket fees went directly back into the land we were standing on, and our guide — a naturalist, not a driver with a script — could speak to the island's fox population, its wildfire recovery, and its water table with real specificity.

That's the bar we hold every partner to: does the money we spend change something for the place, or only for the company's bottom line?

A few things we look for before we book:

A public impact report. Operators serious about their footprint publish real numbers and update them yearly. Intrepid Travel, one of our partners, has released its B Corp disclosure since 2018 and now scores 102.5 on B Lab's assessment — up from 82.7 at first certification. That kind of transparency is rare, and it matters.

B Corp certification or 1% for the Planet membership. B Corp status means an independent body has reviewed how a company treats its workers, its supply chain, and its environmental impact — not just what it claims on a homepage. 1% for the Planet members commit at least one percent of annual revenue directly to vetted environmental nonprofits, verified every year, not folded into a marketing budget.

Fair wages and local hiring. We ask who is guiding, who is cooking, who owns the vehicle. Operators worth booking hire and train from the community they operate in, rather than flying in outside staff.

Animal welfare stated plainly. Not "ethical encounters" as a tagline, but actual policy — distance requirements, no touching, no baiting, habitat left undisturbed.

Conservation partnerships that predate the marketing. Land management relationships built over decades read differently than ones announced the same season as a new tour package.

None of this makes a trip slower or less alive — if anything, it makes the whole experience sharper. You feel the place differently when you know your presence is funding its protection instead of straining it.

This is the careful vetting of every hotel and operator we build relationships with.

Reserve your spot on a GATHER trip, or reach out about custom trip planning built around the places and causes you care about most.