Direct Travel and Intrepid Foundation Launch Traveller Give Back Program

Direct Travel today announced the launch of Direct Impact: Give Back, a new initiative developed in partnership with Intrepid Travel that gives advisors a meaningful way to engage clients in charitable giving as part of their travel planning. The initiative connects travelers with carefully vetted, community-led projects in the destinations they visit, work in, or feel a personal connection to.

Through Direct Impact: Give Back, advisors can invite clients to support causes from youth empowerment to humanitarian response and community-driven climate action with 100% of donations going directly to partner organizations on the ground. The Intrepid Foundation, Intrepid Travel’s nonprofit arm, will manage project selection, donation processing, and impact reporting, while Intrepid Travel will cover all administrative costs to ensure full transparency.

"Travelers consistently tell us they want their trips to leave a positive footprint, not just take one," said Rene Schneeberger, Senior Vice President, Leisure Supplier Relations and Revenue Optimization, Direct Travel, Inc. "Direct Impact: Give Back gives advisors an easy, authentic way to bring that conversation into the planning process. It's not about asking for money, it's about offering clients a meaningful way to live out their values through travel."

Projects supported through the initiative include:

• Expanding education access for girls in Morocco's High Atlas region through Education For All
• Supporting Cambodia Rural Students Trust's work to break cycles of poverty through education
• Advancing water skills training programs with Indigenous communities in Canada through Water First
• Strengthening conservation partnerships in Kenya through the East Africa Wildlife Society
• Restoring ecosystems through Eden: People + Planet and Rainforest Rescue

"For more than two decades, The Intrepid Foundation has connected travelers directly with trusted grassroots organizations delivering real impact for communities," said Biheng Zhang, General Manager of The Intrepid Foundation. "Partnering with Direct Travel allows us to scale that model responsibly, expanding access to carefully vetted partners while inspiring new travelers to support local communities."

“Tourism has an incredible capacity to do good when it’s done intentionally. We see every trip as an opportunity to invest directly in the communities that make travel worth taking,” said Laura Hernandez, Head of Partnerships at Intrepid Travel. “This new initiative makes it easy for advisors to bring that purpose into every booking conversation. When travelers give back to the places they visit, everyone benefits.”

Advisors also have access to a dedicated toolkit with guidance on starting client conversations, setting up personal fundraisers, and sharing the impact of every contribution, turning everyday trip planning into an opportunity for travelers to give back.