The Latin America Travel Company

Responsible Travel

With environmental protection being at the forefront of many people's minds when they think about South America we are acutely aware of both the challenges and opportunities tourism can bring to travel.

The right kind of travel

Travel is a privilege, and with this in mind, we believe it is our responsibility to act respectfully towards the countries, cultures and environments that we visit as tourists. Beyond this, we need to be sensitive to how travel and tourism can transform destinations, for better, and for worse. It is a vast and complex subject, but ultimately we believe that the right kind of travel and tourism can and does have a positive impact on the world.

We try to promote this kind of travel as much as possible with the types of trips we organise by selecting local partners that share our values. We work with many lodges across Latin America that are directly involved in crucial conservation projects and protecting key habitats for endangered wildlife. We only use local guides and try to select independent, locally owned and run accommodation wherever possible to ensure the money you pay goes back into the pockets of local people. Below are a few more things we are doing to promote the right kind of tourism.
sea-turtle-conservation-on-tortuguero-beach-costa-rica

The LATA Foundation

Our founder, John, has been volunteering as part of the projects team of the LATA Foundation for several years. The LATA Foundation is a charity set up to fund a range of locally run charitable projects across Latin America. The foundation raises funds through events and donations from a variety of organisations.

“My volunteer work with the LATA Foundation gives me a huge amount of satisfaction and the opportunity to give something back to the continent I know and love.”

The locally run projects that the foundation chooses to support are all connected in some way to tourism. A fine example of this is the Fundación Calicanto based in Panama City. This project puts disadvantaged women through a six week course with the goal of raising their self esteem and finding them employment in the hotel or restaurant industries. Find out more in the video below.

Tree planting

We contribute to the reforestation of the Sacred Valley in Peru by planting one tree per day for every client that books our Complete Inca Trail trip. We can also arrange for you to plant a tree yourself in various destinations during your trip to help offset your carbon emissions and leave a positive mark. Please ask one of our specialists for more details.
tree-planting-with-the-latin-america-travel-company

Wildlife Sanctuary

We arrange visits to the Kids Saving The Rainforest wildlife sanctuary in Manuel Antonio, Costa Rica. This inspiring project was originally started by two 9 year old girls with a passion for protecting the rainforest. The wildlife sanctuary takes in and rehabilitates a variety of injured and orphaned animals – including sloths! We support this project by arranging visits as part of a Costa Rica tour.
Trisk-family-at-Kids-Saving-The-Rainforest-Wildlife-Sanctuary

A fair deal

A big part of practicing responsible travel for us is ensuring we are working with local partners who share our values. More importantly, we also want to make sure that our suppliers get a fair deal and that our customers receive unbeatable service. We prefer to work with highly qualified drivers, guides and local hoteliers and pay a fair price for the quality service that they provide.

What can you do?

A large part of traveling responsibly is down to how you act when you visit a new destination. We provide a fully published Trip Guidebook with each booking which has tips on how to be a more ethical and responsible traveller. This involves everything from cutting down on plastic waste, to being sensitive to cultural norms that may be different to what you are used to.

Testimonials

One of the great perks of the job is to receive positive feedback after a client's trip to Latin America and we are proud of our positive reviews.
We have now had our trip to Costa Rica, it was exactly as promised, the accommodation was excellent, the guides were all knowledgable and everything happened seamlessly, would definitely recommend!
LATC feedback photo 4
Carolyn Hector & Family
Great Value, Efficient, and Effective. LATC worked with me to plan precisely the experience I wanted, at the time I wanted, and at a very competitive price. I had tried three other, well-known, larger companies but could not get what I wanted.
LATC feedback photo 2
David Blanchard
I would highly recommend using this company. We had a fabulous trip to Costa Rica. Extremely well organised and with just the right amount of advice and suggestions. LOVED the personalised travel guide too. Can’t wait to plan our next trip with them.
S. Trisk & Family
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