#6 Travel with Purpose

Where visitors become part of real solutions

At Green Youth Collective (GYC) and REED, we believe that regenerative tourism begins with a simple shift:
visitors are not just guests—they are participants in living systems.

Our regenerative tourism experiences are designed as two-way engagements, where travelers come not only to learn, but also to contribute meaningfully to ongoing community-led solutions.

These experiences grow out of real work on the ground—zero waste systems, regenerative farming, ecosystem restoration, and community learning.

The Role of the Visitor: Learning by Contributing

In our experience, regeneration happens when people do, not when they observe.

Visitors who join us are invited to:

Take part in practical activities that support local systems
Learn directly from community members who live and work with these challenges every day
Contribute time, skills, reflection, or resources in ways that are appropriate and useful

This interaction is intentional and reciprocal:
visitors learn from the community, and the community benefits from the presence of visitors.

The people guiding and working with visitors are often the very individuals and groups who benefit from—and sustain—our projects: farmers, women, youth, waste workers, educators, and local changemakers. They share their daily practices, their challenges, and their learning—whether it relates to managing waste, restoring land, or adapting to changes brought by development and climate change.

This creates encounters that are honest, grounded, and human.

A Different Way of Telling Travel Stories

Our approach to travel storytelling is deliberately different.

Beyond showcasing destinations through highlights and spectacle, we invite visitors to see:

How local communities are responding to rapid development and tourism growth
How climate change is reshaping land, livelihoods, and daily choices
How small, practical actions—often invisible—can restore balance over time

Equally important, visitors are encouraged to reflect on what they can carry home: ideas, practices, and questions that can be applied in their own lives, schools, workplaces and communities.

Learning-Focused Experiences for Schools and Families

These experiences are particularly meaningful for:

Students and schools seeking real-world learning beyond classrooms
Families looking for meaningful, values-based travel
Educators interested in service learning and project-based learning

Participants engage with global issues—such as waste, climate change, food systems, and community resilience—through local, hands-on experience. They learn not only about problems, but about working alongside communities on real solutions.

These experiences support reflection, inquiry, collaboration, and a deeper sense of responsibility toward people and places.

Regenerative CSR Experiences for Companies

We also offer regenerative travel experiences as CSR and ESG engagement programs for companies and organizations.

Rather than one-off volunteering or promotional activities, these programs are built around existing community-led systems, allowing company teams to contribute to work that is already happening.

CSR experiences may include:

Participation in zero waste and reuse systems (e.g. repurposing hospitality soaps, linens, spent coffee grounds, used cooking oil, composting)
Support for regenerative farming and ecosystem restoration
Engagement with community education and capacity-building activities

These programs combine hands-on contribution with guided reflection, creating space for teams to explore leadership, responsibility, and long-term impact in a grounded way.