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Travelling isn’t just about discovering new places. The right trip can help you experience a destination more authentically, while also supporting the people and communities that make it special.
Many of us want our holidays to do more than create memories. We want our money to benefit local communities, help protect wildlife, and preserve the places that make a destination distinctive. But it isn’t always easy to know which trips are genuinely having a positive effect.
That’s why we’ve partnered with Intrepid, the travel company that’s been taking people around the world since 1989. Intrepid believes that travel is about more than simply seeing the world; it’s about experiencing it, digging deeper to discover hidden gems and memories that last a lifetime. The Intrepid Effect will also mean that you get to see the positive changes these experiences create for local communities through real, verified stories.
Here, we’ve rounded up five experiences from Intrepid trips that are great examples of how travel can be an opportunity to give something back.
1. Jaipur's women behind the wheel, India
Jaipur is a city of grand forts, colourful markets, and ornate palaces, where the air is fragrant with spices, and the busy streets hum with life. On Intrepid’s 13-day India: Women’s Expedition, you’ll travel with an all-women group and a local female leader, exploring northern India through the lives of the women who call it home — from riding the female-only carriage on Delhi’s metro to watching a traditional Kalbeliya dance performed by women in the Thar Desert.
For many travellers, one of the most memorable moments is seeing the Pink City of Jaipur from the back of a rickshaw driven by one of the women of Pink City Rickshaw. This social enterprise trains and employs women in a profession that was, until recently, almost entirely male.
For these women, driving a rickshaw has meant earning their own income, gaining confidence, and building a future. As you weave through Jaipur’s maze of streets, they’ll share stories about their lives and their city, offering an insight into everyday life that’s easy to miss as a visitor. By the end of the trip, you’ll have seen some of India’s most celebrated sights – but it’s the encounters along the way that might stay with you longest.
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Intrepid India: Women's Expedition*
India | 13 days | Accommodation Included
Get £200 off selected trips over £1500! Use code 751011. Offer ends July 31st. T&Cs apply.
Includes taxes and fees
2. The Hanoi restaurant changing lives, Vietnam
Vietnam is a country best experienced through its food. From steaming bowls of pho and crisp spring rolls to aromatic herbs piled high in market stalls, every region has its own flavours, dishes, and traditions. On Intrepid’s 10-day Vietnam Express Southbound trip, you’ll wander Hanoi’s lively streets, cruise among the limestone islands of Ha Long Bay, explore lantern-lit Hoi An, and soak up the energy of Ho Chi Minh City.
One meal in Hanoi, however, might become your most memorable. Travellers dine at KOTO (Know One, Teach One), a social enterprise that trains young people from disadvantaged backgrounds for careers in hospitality. Many of its trainees have experienced poverty, homelessness, or other difficult circumstances, and the programme gives them the skills, confidence, and support to build successful careers.
Today, KOTO is one of Hanoi’s best-loved restaurants, serving outstanding Vietnamese food while giving its trainees invaluable experience. This is the sort of experience that stays with you – not just because of the food, but because of the stories and people behind it. Alongside exploring Vietnam’s most iconic sights, sampling regional dishes, and learning about the country’s rich history, it’s an experience that really brings the destination to life.
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Intrepid Vietnam Express Southbound*
£144 off | Vietnam | 10 days | Accommodation Included
Get £200 off selected trips over £1500! Use code 751011. Offer ends July 31st. T&Cs apply.
Includes taxes and fees
3. Beyond the safari, Kenya
Few places inspire the same sense of adventure as Kenya. On Intrepid’s Kenya Wildlife Safari, you’ll head out on game drives across the Maasai Mara and Lake Nakuru in search of lions, elephants, giraffes, and rhinos, cruise across Lake Naivasha watching for hippos and birds, and spend time in a traditional Maasai village in the Loita Hills. Along the way, you’ll experience not only Kenya’s wildlife, but also the people and traditions that make this country unique.
One encounter many travellers treasure is a visit to Tepesua, a community initiative run by Maasai women. Here, you can browse intricate handmade beadwork, meet the artisans, learn the stories behind their designs, and hear about everyday life in the community.
By the end of this eight-day trip, you may have watched prides of lions, cruised past pods of hippos, learned to cook traditional dishes, and even drifted over the savannah in a hot air balloon. While these experiences are unforgettable, it’s often the conversations in places like Tepesua that give travellers a deeper understanding of Kenya.
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Intrepid Kenya Wildlife Safari*
£271 off | Kenya | 8 days | Accommodation Included
Get £200 off selected trips over £1500! Use code 751011. Offer ends July 31st. T&Cs apply.
Includes taxes and fees
4. The Inca Trail's plastic-free future, Peru
Peru is a country of ancient cities, colourful markets, and dramatic mountain scenery. On Intrepid’s nine-day Classic Peru trip, you’ll explore the capital Lima, wander Cusco’s cobbled streets, discover the Sacred Valley, visit the floating islands of Lake Titicaca, and follow the famous Inca Trail to Machu Picchu, with a local leader sharing the stories behind each destination.
For four days, the trail climbs through cloud forest, crosses windswept mountain passes, and circles crumbling Inca ruins before reaching the Sun Gate at dawn. Protecting this remarkable trail, however, is an ongoing effort. After local porters became concerned about the number of discarded single-use plastic ponchos left by trekkers, Intrepid worked with its local partners to introduce reusable ponchos for trekking crews while encouraging visitors to leave less behind.
Watching the first light creep across Machu Picchu from the Sun Gate is a moment you likely won’t ever forget – but knowing that simple initiatives are helping protect the trail for future generations makes the experience even more meaningful.
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Intrepid Classic Peru*
Peru | 9 days | Accommodation Included
Get £200 off selected trips over £1500! Use code 751011. Offer ends July 31st. T&Cs apply.
Includes taxes and fees
5. Untouched mountain trails, Pakistan
Pakistan’s Karakoram range is home to some of the world’s most spectacular mountain scenery. On Intrepid’s Trek Nangma Valley and Karakoram Mountains expedition, you’ll trek among the towering rock walls and lush valley floors of Northern Pakistan’s Karakoram Range and Nangma Valley. Throughout the journey, you’ll discover a side of Pakistan that few international travellers experience.
One of the trip’s highlights is Nangma Valley, where tourism is still relatively new. By working closely with communities, Intrepid ensures visitors support local guides, porters, cooks, and guesthouses, creating income for the families who live here. With few people passing through, conversations often happen naturally, whether you’re sharing tea, enjoying a home-cooked meal, or chatting after a day’s hike. It’s these little moments that offer a deeper insight into life in this remote corner of the world.
At the end of this 10-day journey, you’ll have travelled along one of the world’s most famous mountain roads, and hiked beneath some of the Earth’s highest peaks. Yet the warmth and generosity of the people you meet might leave the deepest impression, revealing a side of Pakistan that many visitors never expect.
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£249 off | Pakistan | 10 days | Accommodation Included
Get £200 off selected trips over £1500! Use code 751011. Offer ends July 31st. T&Cs apply.
Includes taxes and fees
Final thoughts…
The best holidays don’t just show us new places; they help us connect with them – through the people we meet, stories we hear, and conversations we have.
Whether it’s sharing tea in a remote mountain village, hearing the history behind handmade beadwork, or dining at a restaurant that helps young people build better futures, these are the types of experiences that bring places to life. They also remind us that travel can be about more than ticking off the sights; it can also help support the communities that make those spots special.
If you’re looking for a trip that’s as rewarding as it is memorable, The Intrepid Effect is about seeing the world and giving something back.