about ventureco > ethos

VentureCo's Ethos

To travel to adventurous destinations is a privilege: the opportunity to work closely with indigenous communities is a revelation: the experiences you earn and memories you return with will become part of who you are.

“Giving something back” is at the heart of VentureCo's ethos and our objective is to work in partnership with responsible travellers to achieve a mutual exchange between the traveller and the host community. VentureCo’s ethos can be summarised thus:-

1. Responsible Travel & our Environmental Policy
More than having a neutral impact on host environments and indigenous human communities, we strive to have a positive one. The following ten points combine to create a distinct style of doing things, our ethos, which is encapsulated in the phrase “Responsible Travel”.

VentureCo is carbon neutral using the "futureforests.com" calculation. This means we plant sufficient trees every year to cancel the CO2 emission we create by flying groups around the globe. We introduce money directly to local communities by engaging local guides and staff wherever feasible. We only use locally owned hotels and guest houses, so accommodation fees go to local people, not hotel owners who live in the west. It is our policy that as much of the content of an itinerary as possible is sourced locally rather than in Europe. The VentureCo office has a comprehensive re-cycling policy for paper, cartridges, containers etc. We are the only Gap Year organisation accredited by Responsible Travel.

Click here to read VentureCo's Responsible Travel Policies.

2. The money cascade & creating local jobs
VentureCo deal direct with local people: the language schools we use are owned by local residents, and they are paid directly. Where an itinerary requires mountain bikes, or white-water rafts, or mules or camels for a trek, we contract a local person and we pay them directly. The food and accommodation that you will use throughout your itinerary is locally owned and purchased locally, in local currency.

On all the treks we do we employ a local guide. This is not because our leaders don’t know the way! It’s because we want a local person to lead a trek through their own back-yard and to tell you about the folklore and local stories of the area. Local guides are of course paid, so once again, money is passing directly to grassroots level.

A large proportion of the money you pay us for your Venture is spent in-country. There are no middlemen, no European holding companies and no expatriate shareholders involved. This means that the flow of funds goes to host communities, where it’s desperately needed, rather than western bank accounts. Compare and contrast this to the bulk standard package holiday!

3. Sustainable Development Projects
An awful lot of aid projects fall short of the mark. Perhaps their objectives are unrealistic, some are improperly planned and others may be under-funded or the victims of corruption. I am also disheartened when I see project staff driving about in brand new 4X4’s. That’s the negative side of projects and it can make you feel a little cynical.

Our projects are not particularly glamorous, they are hard work and often involve a lot of “non-cerebral” manual work! However, we take great care to make sure they are wanted by the host community, achievable within our timeframe and that they have legs. That’s to say, we are only on site for a few weeks, yet the project needs to be able to continue having an effect for years after we have moved on. That’s the hard bit! A combination of in-country project managers who have the necessary integrity, our annual evaluation and the opinions of returning Venturers mean that we achieve sustainability.

4. All-inclusive price
As expedition travel professionals VentureCo make a huge effort to ensure our programmes are as all-inclusive as feasible. International flights, airport taxes, full board and lodging throughout the itinerary, all language school fees, all expedition activities, mountain fees, trekking permits, transport & internal flights and development project funding are all included in the price. There are absolutely no kitties and no local payments to catch you out. Also included are the Travel Survival Course before you go and the Welcome Home Party which is held in mid-September each year, just before universities start.

Where something isn’t included (eg tipping mountain guides and porters, or bungee jumping, which simply doesn’t appeal to everyone, then we will warn you well in advance, via the Field Manual which is a handbook handed out to you at the Travel Survival Course.

The cost of your Venture is a great deal of money to pay in one go, but it buys an incredible deal. Many people make their travel plans months in advance and to help you equal the fundraising challenge, we have a dedicated section on this website [click for fundraising]

5. Safe Adventure
Our aim is to strike the happy medium between genuine adventure and prudent risk-taking. All our Ventures take place in destinations that are unpredictable compared to the UK. Our task is to create inspiring itineraries and temper them with advice from our in-country contacts, project managers, information from our own recces and of course current FCO advice. The boundaries are constantly changing, but we strive to be equal to the challenge.

6. VentureCo’s People
Our Venture leaders are one of our greatest strengths. Individuals are trained in the hard skills of outdoor leadership, and selected in the first place for an intangible quality that we call “role-modelability”. The whole VentureCo organisation is passionate about what we do, and the way we do it.

Back home, the Warwick office is staffed by experienced travellers and expeditioners: we are people-orientated, and the company is small enough to take a personal interest and professional enough to be efficient.

We have first-hand experience of the following countries:-

South America: Peru, Ecuador, Chile, Bolivia, Argentina & Patagonia, Paraguay, Brazil, Venezuela, Colombia.

Central America: Mexico, Guatemala, Belize, Honduras, El Salvador, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Cuba, Antigua.

Africa: Morocco, Algeria, Egypt, Tchad, Nigeria, Republic of Central Africa, Gabon, Cameroun, Zaire (DR Congo) Rwanda, Burundi, Uganda, Kenya, Tanzania, Malawi, Zambia, Botswana, Zimbabwe, Namibia and South Africa.

Asia: India, Nepal, Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam, Laos, China, Malaysia, Singapore, Borneo.

Round-the-World destinations: USA, Hawaii, Canada, Australia.

So if you want first hand advice on any aspect of round the world adventurous travel, just call us, or chat to us at one of our London Open Days

7. VentureCo’s Overseas People
Over the years the people we deal with overseas have become personal friends and the relationships with people who run the language schools, projects and remote mountain huts are on-going and valued. The network that has evolved is of immeasurable value because it means we can make things happen, even in the remotest areas. When things go wrong, it’s a good feeling to know that not only do we have good emergency procedures in place, but we can call a tried and trusted person on the spot to make things happen. It’s like a vast extended family!

8. Safety in the field
Competent leaders, well-planned itineraries and sound UK back-up are the foundation of providing a safe expedition environment. We also carry out risk assessments, equip leaders with a satellite phone and retain regular contact with teams in the field. We have written documents titled Safety Policy and Standard Operating Guidelines, so that if an incident occurs that requires professional, emergency action, we know exactly what to do to turn a crisis into molehill!

9. Contingency Planning
Political unrest and civil disobedience are facts of everyday life in many parts of the developing world. In the political world borders close and presidents are overthrown; in the physical world landslides, el nino and earthquakes do happen. We have procedures in place that allow easy communication between leaders in the field and the UK. We have a rehearsed plan known as the Major Incident Plan which is a set of procedures of how we predict a major incident would be resolved. It’s all about preparation and expecting the unexpected. We don’t claim to be infallible, but in an emergency we strive to react briskly and appropriately.

10. Travelling on and Personal Development
Part of a leader's role is to instil confidence and encourage Venturers to be competent, independent travellers by the end of the Venture. Simply being in the company of experienced travellers allows less practiced people to pick up the tricks of the trade. After a couple of months in the company of travellers, all team members should be empowered and able to travel safely and avoid the typical pitfalls.

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VentureCo worldwide Ltd, The Ironyard, 64-66 The Market Place, Warwick CV34 4SD, Phone Number 01926 411 122
Atol Number 5306, Registered Company 3786933, Vat Number 747313236