At EF Gap Year, our Responsible Travel initiatives focus on three main commitments: to protect the environment, respect wildlife, and support the communities we visit. Our culturally immersive programs uphold each of these commitments to work towards a more sustainable world—now, and for years to come.
We’re committed to providing economic, social, and environmental benefits to the communities we visit. Your travel experience with us directly supports local businesses and livelihoods, and along the way, our Tour Directors teach you about the importance of local production and heritage. We collaborate with the communities in which we live, travel, and work to preserve local cultures and encourage sustainability.
We are proud to work with the non-profit organization World Animal Protection to implement animal welfare guidelines throughout all our trips worldwide—because truly experiencing a destination should not mean harming the animals that call it home. We rely on guidance from World Animal Protection and align with the 5 Freedoms of Animal Welfare. All five must be met in order for an activity to meet our standards at EF:
Freedom from hunger and thirst
Freedom from discomfort
Freedom from pain, injury, or disease
Freedom from fear and distress
Freedom to express normal behavior
We’re committed to improving the sustainability of our trips by embracing eco-friendly practices, supporting local conservation efforts, reducing and recycling waste, and working with local suppliers to design eco-friendly activities that minimize our footprint. We are constantly evaluating and improving our experiences to lessen our impact on the environments we visit.