Launched in 2020, Charitable Travel is a truly unique social enterprise UK travel agency, designed to convert the consumer demand for travel into donations to charity.
The idea is underpinned by true purpose over profit, with customers getting a great value holiday and at the same time, for no extra cost, donating 5% of the price to a charity of their choice.
Introducing the concept of accessible philanthropy, Charitable Travel enables customers to raise much needed funds for a wide variety of charitable causes, by simply booking holidays.
The usual travel agency booking fee is given back and donated to a charity of the customer’s choice via the #TechforGood platform Just Giving partnership. The experienced travel agency team assist in planning holidays across the world from staycations, city breaks, beach holidays, cruises, or long-haul tailormade trips, at the best available price.
Working with over 170 ATOL protected tour operator partners, providing customers with much needed protection and advise as the travel industry rebuilds after the pandemic.
Charity fundraising has been severely challenged by the pandemic and now by the cost-of-living crisis as many have to consider what they’d like to do versus what they can afford to do.
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Charitable Travel provides a solution for travellers to go on holiday and maintain support to their favourite charity at the same time. Even a booking of £500 means a deserving charity will receive £25 at no cost to the charity or the traveller.
Charitable Travel is the brain child of Melissa Tilling (she/her), the first transgender founder of a travel company. Melissa turned a thirty-four year career in the private enterprise sector of travel into this innovative way of accessing the £55 billion annual outbound tourism spend (World Travel & Tourism Council) pre-pandemic, to support the £11.3 billion individual donation value estimated by The National Philanthropic Trust.
By making an ethical decision to choose the social enterprise travel company to book a holiday, customers are enabling a donation to charity at no extra cost.
During Pride Month Charitable Travel is highlighting some of the amazing charities supporting the LGBTQ+ community including the LGBT Foundation, Beyond Reflections and Opening Doors London.
Charitable Travel is continually innovating providing easy ways for consumers to engage with ethical and environmental projects to ensure travel is a force for good. Including the Charitable Traveller Magazine, a blend of travel and philanthropy stories and the recently launched Big Holiday Help voluntourism hub, a resource to help travellers find charitable causes they get involved with whilst on holiday.
