I’ve known a lot of people (good-hearted people) who have chosen their “vacations” based on community services that they can do there. So I wasn’t surprised when I received a press release about the popularity of charitable vacations and to see that someone has launched a company that deals exclusively with such trips… it’s a new ecotour company Terra Incognita Ecotours.
Ged Caddick launched his ecotour company nine years ago with a dumbfounding mission: to give his profits away. With a Masters Degree in Wildlife Ecology, Caddick has always been fueled by his passion for making a difference. After successfully working in wildlife conservation he launched Terra Incognita Ecotours, a Florida-based travel company with a massive but simple mission: to give back.
Nine years later and he has donated more than $130,000 to charities in more than seven countries. “The business model I created for Terra Incognita isn’t based on profits, like most businesses are. We measure success by how much we’re able to give away – the more the better,” Caddick said.
So how does he do it? Every ecotour isn’t just an adventure of a lifetime – it’s a way for travelers to give back to the communities that so graciously host them for a day, a week or even a month. With destinations like Belize, Borneo, Brazil, China, India, Kenya, Rwanda, Madagascar and Tanzania, Caddick’s ecotours attract travelers who want to visit the most exotic parts of the globe with an expert guide to show them the way. “My clients want an incredible experience, but they are thoughtful and responsible,” he said. “They want to visit communities in the most remote parts of the world and not just take an experience with them, they want to give something back, too. A percentage of every person’s tour goes directly and immediately back to a conservation partner in the areas we visit.”
Caddick doesn’t just donate a check at the end of each year – he takes all of his travelers right to the organization to which they are contributing. For example, in Rwanda, his tours visit the Gorilla Doctors, a non-profit group of veterinarians responsible for keeping the highly endangered mountain gorilla population healthy. They also visit the genocide museum to learn about the country’s past, giving his guests a glimpse of the enormous and seemingly insurmountable obstacles Rwandans have overcome in just 20 years.
Visit www.ecotours.com for more information.
Bon Voyage,
Jenn
Jenn Cox is a Montreal-based freelance journalist. Visit her website or email her at info@wordaddict.ca.
