Travara
travel + vara = travara
Launched in 2018, Travara is an award-winning sustainable travel platform (a Fast Company World Changing Idea in Media and a Communicator Award winner for Excellence in Sustainability). All content aligns with and supports the Sustainable Development Goals.
Why does Travara exist? Great question.
As a freelance journalist, I was frustrated when I wasn’t able to find an outlet for my sustainable travel stories. Media outlets would publish an article here and there about ‘how to be a sustainable traveler‘ or the ‘best eco-friendly hotels,’ usually around Earth Day.
If I wanted to plan a trip that was “sustainable” or “eco-friendly,” it would require hours of research, scouring the web for different articles, blogs and reviews about green hotels, locally-owned businesses and authentic cultural experiences. At the time, there was no other media platform that existed solely to promote sustainable travel, so…I created it.
Travara is a blend of the words travel + vara, which is the Sanskrit word for ‘good’ or the ‘best’ of something, so simply put, Travara is ‘the best of travel.’
We know how confusing the jargon can be (we see people’s eyes glaze over once we mention sustainable travel), but whether it’s sustainable, regenerative, responsible, thoughtful, conscious, slow, green, eco-friendly (you get the point), the easiest way to digest it is in three words: Footprint. Culture. Community.
If your travel takes those three elements into consideration, then that is the best of travel. Travel that does more good than harm. Prior to the pandemic, tourism accounted for roughly 10% of the global GDP (about $10 Trillion USD) creating valuable jobs around the world, but on the flip side, tourism is responsible 8% of the world’s carbon emissions that contribute to climate change, so it is very important that everyone reframes the way they experience and plan travel, and redefine what luxury looks like.
To me, luxury looks like a healthy planet that our children and grandchildren and their grandchildren will be able to enjoy.
Thanks for taking the first step by checking out Travara. We exist to make it easy for you to travel well. We do all the research, so you don’t have to. We do our best to democratize sustainable travel and make it affordable and inclusive for everyone. Have a question, ask us! We’re here for you.
In the meantime, join our community and sign up for our newsletter so we can keep you in the loop on what’s new.
I
Travel Well,
Michelle Arellano Martin
Founder | Travara
For media inquiries, contact: media@travara.com
For partnership opportunities, contact: partnerships@travara.com For editorial submissions, please read our submission guidelines and contact: hello@travara.com
