by Mia Taylor
Last updated: 8:00 AM ET, Sat June 17, 2023
In 2022, there were 963 million international tourist arrivals worldwide.
That’s 963 million opportunities for the travel industry to be a positive influence and drive transformative change. More specifically, that’s 963 million chances to increase knowledge about the realities of the climate crisis in vivid and unforgettable ways and inspire dedication to protecting the planet and fighting for climate action.
If you spend any amount of time searching online for travel experiences designed to provide education specifically related to climate change, however, there continues to be an underwhelming amount of information and options.
But at least a handful of thoughtful travel companies and tour operators in business today have begun crafting itineraries that integrate first-hand education or exposure to the environmental challenges unfolding worldwide as global temperatures warm and weather patterns the world over make dramatic shifts.
From journeys that bring travelers to Iceland to witness and learn first-hand about glaciers that are rapidly retreating in the face of warming temperatures to citizen science projects that allow travelers to participate in research and data collection about the changing planet, and itineraries that include traveling alongside educators, scientists, and individuals with Ph.D.s, here are some of the emerging ways travel companies are shining a light on the serious challenges facing the planet in an attempt to inspire climate action.
1.Earth Watch, Climate Change in the Mackenzie Mountains
Earthwatch offers an inspiring number of thoughtfully designed tours that delve deep into the climate crisis. Notable and intriguing options include the Climate Change at the Arctic’s Edge tour; the Climate Change: Sea to Trees at Acadia National Park trip, and not to be overlooked, Climate Change in the MacKenzie Mountains. Each option offers a unique variety of ways to engage in thoughtful travels alongside scientists and Ph.D.s in order to learn more about the current state of our fragile planet. The company also offers tours focused on ocean health, and wildlife and ecosystems.
The 11-day Mackenzie Mountains tour in particular, takes travelers to the majestic mountain range, which forms the border between Canada’s Northwest Territories and the Yukon. An area that’s on the front line of climate change, trip participants use sophisticated equipment to collect data about permafrost and soil—work that helps reveal global-warming-related impacts in the region. Additional activities include monitoring the status of the tree line, and recording information about native plant species, says the company’s website.
Travelers also spend time observing native mammals and birds in this striking and beautiful region. And here too, there’s a climate change-related purpose: recording data about when and where animals are spotted and how many are observed. The information helps researchers learn all they can about the current state of this fragile environment, and the information can be used to help protect the region for the future, says the company’s website.
Glacier in Iceland - Blue icebergs floating in the lagoon (Photo Credit: Getty/ LeoPatrizi)
2.Global Family Travels, Immerse in Iceland’s Dynamic Geology: A Transformative Adventure to Inspire Climate Change Action
A trailblazer when it comes to crafting trips designed to illuminate the challenges unfolding around the world, Global Family Travels offers an immersive, living-science experience in Iceland.
The nine-night trip explores the beauty of Iceland’s landscape, allowing travelers to learn about the impacts of climate change on the country’s geography, as well as how warming ocean temperatures are threatening local wildlife. And in perhaps the most obvious sign of climate change, trip participants will also have an opportunity to take an up-close look at the heartbreaking retreat of glaciers.
“From beginning to end, this new trip to Iceland (which is appropriate for travelers from 8 to 8 years old) was created to educate participants about our changing climate and inspire them t take up the cause, spreading the critical message about the need to protect this planet we cal home,” says Global Family Travels founder and CEO Jennifer Spatz.
Want to learn more? Read the company’s blog about the trip. There’s also an informational webinar available, which provides more details about the Iceland itinerary.
“By the time you leave Iceland you will truly know the impacts of climate change, how to treat the environment in a sustainable way and hopefully have some ideas about what you personally can do to minimize your impact and help mitigate climate change,” says Spatz.
Sunset view and people gathered on the deck, Icebergs drifting at Lemaire Channel, Antarctica (photo via Vadim_Nefedov / iStock / Getty Images Plus)
3.Intrepid Travel, Citizens Science Program, Antarctica
Like the other companies on this list, Intrepid Travel believes that “when people know better, they do better.” This includes how climate change is reshaping the world.
On its small-group Antarctica journeys, which range from 11- to 23-days, Intrepid invites travelers to take part in a unique Citizen Science program during which participants assist researchers and science coordinators in collecting data and making observations.
“Citizen Science is a way to harness the power of thousands of travelers around the world to observe, record, and report on natural phenomena,” says the company’s website. “This is particularly useful in remote and isolated destinations like Antarctica, where it is challenging to support long-term academic observation teams. Scientific research in the Antarctic is often a costly, time-consuming and difficult task.”
In particular, Intrepid's Antarctica tours feature partnerships with NASA, Oxford University, Happy Whale, and other research organizations, giving passengers the ability to track animal migration, observe weather patterns, and measure the health of phytoplankton (the tiny microscopic organisms that form the basis of the ocean’s entire food chain).
“Antarctica and the Southern Ocean play critical roles in the regulation of the Earth’s climate system and in many ways are the ‘canary in the coal mine’ of climate change,” the company’s website explains. “In the coming years, politicians and regulatory bodies will decide the fate of Antarctica and our scientists need all the information they can get to help inform this future policy.”
Churchill- Polar Bears in a Changing Arctic (photo by Brad Josephs / Natural Habitat Adventures)
4.Natural Habitat Adventures, Climate Change & Our Wild World
It’s hardly an overstatement to say that our planet is warming at a dangerous pace, a reality that Natural Habitat Adventures points out is impacting ecosystems, habitats, wildlife, and people.
“As lovers of nature, we feel acutely how much is at stake,” says the company’s website. “From the Amazon to the Arctic, as rain forests burn and sea ice melts, wild places are under duress. That’s why we believe it is critical to understand what is happening so we can influence our leaders to respond and alter our behaviors accordingly.”
With this in mind, Natural Habitat Adventures launched a special trip series called Climate Change & Our Wild World, which was crafted to bring travelers face-to-face with impacts of the warming climate. And, ideally, the trips “inspire hope and action on behalf of our planet.”
Trips included in this special series exploring the Amazon, East Greenland, and even spending time with Canada’s polar bears—an animal whose plight has been particularly devastating as the sea ice that polar bears depend upon rapidly melts.
They also include traveling alongside World Wildlife Fund (WWF) experts who will provide information all along the way regarding the impacts of climate change on the wild places being visited. Trip participants will meet conservationists, researchers and other experts.
The Nat Hab trips, along with the others mentioned in this story, have been designed with this critical concept in mind:
“We only tend to advocate for issues we feel personally invested in. And there’s no more powerful way to spark that incentive than to experience these places for yourself."
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