CALL MY AGENT! NINE ESSENTIAL QUESTIONS TO ASK FOR A MORE SUSTAINABLE ESCAPE

Booking a sustainable trip? These are the all-important questions to ask a travel agent to ensure a greener getaway

8. The question: Are you recommending this trip as a salesperson or can you genuinely speak to its sustainability credentials?

Byron Thomas, founding MD of Niarra Travel

Why it matters: “There’s a big difference between a trained and certified travel advisor – our team are all GSTC certified travel researchers– recommending the most sustainable trip available for your dates and the salesperson who’s proposing the one for which the supplier has given them an eco-enough suggestion but more than anything, a nice commission. In tour operating, which most people use to book high-end safaris, up to 35 per cent of the room rate will not reach the local folks on the ground. It's important to ask for transparency around financials/commission structure if they are serious about supporting the communities and conservation efforts that the trips are all about."

Read the full article in The Evening Standard.