Your Guide to Purposeful Travel Adventures

In today’s tourism landscape, we have entered the era of purposeful travel. In the post-pandemic world, we started looking at travel differently, gaining perspective. A specific aspiration arose: Wouldn’t it be fulfilling to know your travels contribute positively to the places you visit?

Engaging with local communities to understand their identities, lifestyles, and needs can make a profound impact. When you choose to spend on people rather than just attractions, you’re directly aiding in improving their living conditions and preserving their cultural heritage.

This approach not only enriches the destination but also offers you invaluable cultural insights, fostering a mutual exchange of experiences and knowledge. We’re now in an age where travel transcends personal enrichment and revolves around meaningful interactions that preserve local communities and their environments.

Prepare to travel with intention as we lay out how we can help you help others.

Each intentionally conducted tour enhances the destination’s allure, thereby attracting more global travelers. Consequently, the influx of resources increases residents’ income. By elevating others’ quality of life, we foster development in their communities.

Moreover, you can take this a step further by booking with companies that donate part of their profits to foundations supporting the underprivileged. Doing so exemplifies supporting sustainable development, a key aspect of responsible travel. We are committed to guiding you on intentional trips that not only enrich your life but also significantly benefit the communities you visit.

Guest working with indigenous community in the Ecuadorian Amazon.

Your Bookings Support Vital Initiatives

Through collaborations with locals and industry experts, we strive to lead sustainable operations, foster environmental and cultural awareness among employees, and engage travelers in meaningful experiences that encourage a respectful and reciprocal relationship with host communities and their natural surroundings.

Furthermore, our supply chain prioritizes family-owned businesses and local providers to craft our tours. When you book a tour with Rebecca Adventure Travel, you contribute to responsible tourism in Ecuador. In partnership with EcuaFina, our fair trade ally in alpaca wool products, we’ve collaborated with various charities and foundations. Find out more about our impactful travel efforts below.

Traveling responsibly

Supporting Education

Ecuador boasts immense natural, cultural, and historical riches, yet faces challenges like poverty and limited opportunities. From the start, we aimed to positively impact our society. Through the Ecuadorian Ministry of Education’s Sponsor a School Program, we’ve brought joy and support to hundreds of children in Puembo, offering a token of gratitude to the remarkable country enriching our and our clients’ travel experiences with unforgettable memories.

Our annual Christmas event at Antonio de Ulloa School evolved into a cherished tradition, fostering strong friendships and shared dreams. Our involvement in the Sponsor a School Program demonstrates our commitment to community support via educational initiatives.

Kari, our Operations Supervisor, distributing books to young readers during the Children’s Day event.

Our Sponsorship

• June 2022: We began our Sponsorship of Antonio de Ulloa School.
• August 2022: We collaborated with volunteers on a remodeling event to improve school facilities.
• December 2022: We held our first annual Christmas event for the children.
• June 2023: We inaugurated a school library on Children’s Day.
• December 2023: We held our second annual Christmas event for the children.

Donations are not just charitable contributions; they are investments in the communities we visit. Donating enables us to make a tangible difference by carrying out direct community impact. With your support, Rebecca Adventure Travel and Ecuafina can assist Antonio de Ulloa and help renew the school!

If you would like to help us on our mission to better the whole student body’s education, consider contributing to our crowdfunding campaign that runs all year long. Just in 2023, we raised over USD 5,000! If you would like to focus your contributions on the children’s Christmas celebrations, we have a separate campaign for those funds.

Top 5 Best Tours For Purposeful Travel

Want to travel purposefully? Check out these tours! Your ultimate impactful experience is just around the corner.

Elevating Local Communities

In addition to large and medium-sized businesses, numerous rural communities and small-scale entrepreneurs engage in tourism, supporting significant cultural and environmental initiatives with tourism revenue. For some families, this income is crucial for buying school and domestic necessities.

If purposeful travel appeals to you, your next stop should be Latin America, where your journey can positively impact indigenous groups, rural households, and conservation efforts. Our tours in Ecuador visit plenty such communities across the country. Let’s look at some of them.

Cultural Exchange and Preservation

Community-based tours invite visitors to engage with destinations through the eyes of those who call them home. This approach to tourism not only enriches the traveler’s experience but also fosters economic growth and environmental sustainability in the host communities. It also allows for the preservation of cultural heritage by integrating it into the experience.

This not only educates visitors, as they are invited to participate in local customs, but also instills a sense of pride among locals for their way of life. Through direct interaction, travelers and hosts exchange perspectives, fostering mutual respect and understanding. This cultural exchange can break down stereotypes and build bridges between disparate societies.

Inspiring Other Communities

These tours are not just trips; they are immersive experiences that insert visitors into the daily lives of locals. The community is placed at the forefront, unlike conventional tourism. This way, they have direct control over, and benefit from, the tourist activities taking place on their land.

Community-based tourism promotes union as residents work together to host visitors. This collective effort can lead to stronger social bonds and a more resilient community. Successful initiatives serve as a model for other communities, demonstrating the potential benefits of impact tourism and inspiring others to travel sustainably.

Our Sustainability Approach

We understand the profound impact travel has on both local cultures and the environment. Rebecca Adventure Travel is deeply committed to promoting sustainable tourism throughout Latin America. This is reflected in diligent efforts to continually assess and refine our tour programs, ensuring they contribute positively to the regions they touch, particularly in delicate ecosystems like the Galapagos.

Guest participating in a tree planting initiative in the Galapagos Islands.

We customize your experiences by collaborating closely with our local partners across different regions. We aim to provide knowledgeable and enthusiastic guides for deep cultural immersion. Practices that reduce environmental impact and honor local customs and traditions are top priority for us. We’re updating our system to enable guests to offset carbon emissions easily. Our goal is to offer travelers distinctive experiences and exceptional service while contributing to the preservation of biodiversity.

Our commitment starts well before any booking is made. Devoted to responsible tourism, we strive to improve conditions for our partners and safeguard our cultural and natural legacies. Our efforts aim to amplify our positive influence on the destinations we visit, ensuring our activities significantly benefit both local communities and enterprises.

Choosing the Right Partners

This dedication to transformative travel has earned us recognition from several authorities in the tourism industry, underscoring our company’s leadership in creating exceptional trips that benefit both guests and the destinations they visit.

Our memberships include:

• Distintivo Q.
• ATTA.
• ANVR.
• Agency of Change in Ecuador.
• Women Travel Leaders.
• Journey Woman.
• Transformational Travel.
• Regenerative Travel.
• Responsible Travel.
• Trustworthy and Healthy Establishment.
• Safe Travels.

Our awards include:

• Ecuador’s 2023 Leading Tour Operator at the World Travel Awards.
• Tripadvisor Travelers’ Choice for six consecutive years.
• 2023 Agency of the Year finalist at the Regenerative Travel Impact Awards.

To learn more about each and find out what other partnerships we hold, take a look at this:

Why book with us

Team visiting Intisisa school in Guamote, Ecuador.

Rebecca’s Top Picks

Rebecca, our innovative founder, identified modern travelers’ shifting preferences towards regenerative journeys. She designed unique tours that fulfill a deeper craving for genuine connections and enriching experiences, going beyond typical tourist spots. Browse her expert recommendations to find the option that flawlessly aligns with your travel plans!

Travel is shifting its focus, from the destinations to the humans inhabiting it. The emphasis is now on the importance of connections and making a difference over perfect social media images. The desire to immerse in different cultures and give back to them is growing. Reflecting on the legacy we wish to leave, travel has become more conscious, valuing not just cost but also contribution to meaningful causes.

As travel experts, we aim to connect responsible travelers with local communities, believing in tourism’s power to foster mutual understanding and cultural appreciation, promising a brighter future for the industry. We look forward to traveling with purpose with you!

Frequently Asked Questions

Let’s plan your trip

Build Your Own Trip

Ready to infuse purpose in your travels? Let us help you design your ideal trip. Tell our Destination Experts exactly what you’re looking for—they’ll make it happen! Our team can arrange a complete private tour with services and hotels chartered, a wedding or honeymoon, a family trip, a very short tour, or any other kind of trip for you.