AWOL strives to integrate a responsibility policy into our itineraries, which can be a significant help to local communities by providing income, positive cultural exchanges as well as protecting the natural environment

AWOL’s responsibility to the

environment

•   Planting indigenous trees and vegetation rehabilitation on tour itineraries with the approval of relevant
•   Nature reserve officials, thus assisting travellers to offset the carbon footprint or ‘cost’ of travelling
•   Promoting and assisting programmes that remove alien vegetation from natural habitats
•   Supporting local environmental organisations for example visiting wine estates that are members of the ‘Biodiversity Wine Initiative’
•    Groups are guided as to what type of seafood to order in restaurants so as to avoid eating endangered species as prescribed by South African Sustainable Seafood Institute (SASSI)
•    Encouraging minimal use of water
•   We aim to reduce the levels of energy use in our offices and recycle all office waste where possible
•    Part of our profits are used for conservation projects

AWOL’s responsibility to

society

•   Encouraging genuine and real interactions between locals and tourists
•  Respecting local laws and customs, bearing in mind the rights of the local population.
•   Assisting disadvantaged individuals, like Nomawehtu Mapunga, to start their own businesses
•  Researching sustainable and ethical products bought and consumed by tourists, e.g. tourists are advised which tourism curios are made of environmentally sustainable materials and which best support the local communities.
  

AWOL’s responsibility to the

economy

•  Supporting locally-owned and run accommodation in preference to foreign-owned hotel chains
•  Purchasing where possible locally-made goods and sustainably harvested products
•   Encouraging tourists to purchase genuine crafts from local suppliers
•   Using local suppliers that practice responsible tourism policies
•   We abide by the laws of the country by paying licenses, memberships fees and TAXES!
•    All profits are generated back into the local economy

AWOL’s responsibility to

you

•   Every precaution is taken on tour to ensure client’s safety
•   We provide you with legally qualified tour leaders with appropriate experience to lead the designated trips
•  All the vehicles used are road worthy and have appropriate road-worthy certificates.
•   All vehicles used for travelling purposes (excludes game vehicles) are fitted with seatbelts
•   All drivers are suitably qualified with appropriate professional driver’s licenses
•   We outsource certain activities to companies that are bona fido legal entities, and have suitably experienced and qualified tour guides to lead appropriate activities
•   We go out of our way to do safety inspection on accommodation establishments prior to your arrival

What AWOL advises

clients

to do
•   Travel with an open mind: cultivate the habit of listening and observing; discover the enrichment that comes from experiencing another way of life
•   Avoid displaying extravagant displays of wealth such as ostentatious jewellery and technological gadgetry can be an incitement to robbery, as well as accentuating the gap between rich and poor
•   Please do not give anything to beggars or children. Many children in townships don’t get to eat balanced diets so sweets are a bad idea! Rather give to a registered charity or organisation such as the school head or village head to make sure that items get to the people most in need
•   Pick up your litter as you would at home: bottles, cans, plastic, cigarette butts, apart from being unsightly, can be deadly to wild animals
•   Where possible remove the wrapping of packaged goods before you leave on a trip: unwrap soaps and take bottles out of boxes
•    Learning a little of the local language can help reduce barriers, take note of the dress codes and behaviour of host community