What is Responsible Travel and what does the website offer?
Responsible Travel is a UK-based holiday company founded in 2000 that describes itself as "the world's first and largest responsible holiday company." Its website is a booking and discovery platform for around 6,000 holidays, with the stated idea that trips supporting local people and places are more enjoyable because they bring you closer to both. It suits travellers who want to choose a trip partly on how it benefits communities and nature, and who are comfortable browsing a large catalogue by destination, holiday type, or departure date.
What the company says it is
The site's own framing is straightforward: holidays that "do good" support communities and preserve nature, and that is presented as the reason they are more enjoyable. The founder, Justin Francis OBE, states the company was founded in 2000 and that it has served 200,000 customers. The site points to customer reviews as evidence that travellers agree with this approach.
This is the company's own positioning, not an independent rating. Treat the "first and largest" claim as the company's description of itself.
What the website actually offers
The core of the site is a large holiday catalogue, organised so you can narrow it down several ways.
By holiday type — the site lists options including:
- Accessible, accommodation only, budget, luxury
- Adventure, multi activity, walking, cycling, self drive & fly drive
- Beach, winter, wellness, honeymoon ideas, short break
- Cultural, art, special interest, unusual
- Family, solo, small group, tailor made
- Wildlife, safaris, sailing, small ship cruising
- Rail, overland, flight free
- Volunteer travel, vegan & vegetarian, locally run
By destination — there is a "Popular destinations" section with a full destinations index, and featured trips at the time of writing include a Borneo small group tour, a Southern Madagascar tour, a South Africa self drive, a Douro Valley cycling trip, a Maldives conservation cruise, and a tailor made Spain holiday.
By date — a calendar lets you search by month across roughly two years ahead, with flexible windows of ±7, ±14, or ±21 days or an exact day. There is also a last minute section for trips departing soon.
By theme — the site highlights collections such as wildlife holidays (over a thousand trips across more than 120 destinations) and seasonal inspiration, for example Morocco.
How to use it
- Start from a destination, a holiday type, or a date — any of the three works as an entry point.
- Filter with the optional holiday-type list to match how you want to travel (for example, flight free, family, or small group).
- Open individual trips to see the itinerary and details, then compare.
- If you want help, contact the travel team by phone (01273 823 700, lines open after 9am) to start planning.
- Read customer reviews before booking, which the site presents as the main signal of whether the approach delivers.
Expected result: a shortlist of trips that fit your dates and travel style, with a phone line available if you would rather plan with a person than self-serve.
What to check before you decide
- Price and payment terms are not stated in the material available here, so confirm costs, deposits, and cancellation terms directly with the travel team.
- "Responsible" is the company's own label. The site explains its idea of supporting local people and nature, but you should read individual trip details and reviews to judge how that plays out for the specific holiday you are considering.
- Catalogue size cuts both ways. Around 6,000 holidays means plenty of choice but also a lot of browsing; using the type and date filters early saves time.
- Phone-first planning is offered, so if you prefer a human to assemble options, that route exists alongside self-service search.