ao link

 

Responsible and vegan operator Kindred Traveller's hopes for the industry post Covid-19

Kindred Traveller owner Esther Ptolomey hopes travellers will be more aware of their impact on animals and the environment post Covid-19. Abra Dunsby finds out more.

BskFBLIWAeCard
Esther Ptolomey on a trip to Jordan
Esther Ptolomey on a trip to Jordan

With veganism continuing to grow around the world, it’s likely that more and more clients will soon be asking their travel agents to book them trips to hotels and destinations that cater to their dietary preferences.


Esther Ptolomey’s business Kindred Traveller offers trips to vegan and solo travellers, as well as selling responsible holidays.


The business functions as both a trade-friendly tour operator as well as an agency, with Ptolomey able to package up her small-group tours, which are escorted by either herself or a colleague.


As a vegan herself, Ptolomey is savvy to the requirements and ethics of many other vegan travellers.


“I worked for more than 15 years in the animal welfare and animal rescue sphere, so I bring those ethics to the table,” she says.


Her small-group tours visit destinations including Barcelona, Devon and Zakynthos, and any excursions offered on her tours have been vetted to ensure they are ethical and animal-friendly, she says.


“I am aware of the impact tourism has on animal welfare. In Zakynthos for example, turtle spotting trips are really popular. However, many turtles are injured and killed by boats on these trips.


“I got in touch with Archelon, a company which protects turtles in Greece, to find out which day trip operators follow the correct safety measures, and we’ll only deal with those operators.”

 

Ptolomey also forms working relationships with rescue centres in most locations the operator visits, and clients who travel with her are able to visit the centres to volunteer for a few hours or to donate supplies.

Clients can visit animal rescue centres on Kindred Traveller trips
Clients can visit animal rescue centres on Kindred Traveller trips

Responsible outlook


Ptolomey, who currently only sells Europe, says cities such as Barcelona and Berlin are good options for vegans because of the number of vegan restaurants available.


“The struggle is more in beach destinations, though things are becoming less challenging. It’s why I started offering tours to Zakynthos, which isn’t necessarily a vegan destination.


“We’ve worked with local restaurants to create menus just for our groups. We’re not just enabling people to have a nice beach holiday and not worry about the food, it’s advocacy too – as more restaurants learn about veganism and start to cater to it, there’s a knock-on effect generally for vegans who aren’t in our groups who visit the destination.”


Many of Ptomley’s clients are also aware of the environmental impact of travel, so she often arranges no-fly trips, travelling by rail.


“A lot of clients who approach me for a package want a no-fly option. Most people are vegans for the animals but there’s a whole other side of it, which is an awareness of the environmental impact of meat and dairy. Non-vegans are now very much aware of this too.”


Ptomley has also made efforts to ensure her home-based travel company is responsible in its use of brochures.


“I don’t order brochures from other companies. I have created my own but it’s not stitched or stapled – it’s basically folded pages that have details of each trip. It makes it easier for me to replace pages without ditching the entire brochure or replacing it each year.”

Eco-conscious future


While Ptomley has had to cancel the majority of her tours due to Covid-19, she has high hopes for the future of her two-and-a-half year-old business, and for the way that people will choose to travel in future.


“ The vegan movement is surging and there’s a general desire to do things in a more eco-conscious way. I think people want to travel ethically.


“With Covid, there’s also an association with it being spread from wet markets and meat markets. I think that’s opened up people’s eyes in general to that industry and a lot of people are thinking about making changes to their lifestyle and holiday as a result.”


She hopes that the growing concerns about overtourism will also begin to encompass the impact of tourism on animals.


“There have been reports of wildlife bouncing back in all sorts of unexpected places [due to the travel ban]. I hope people respect wildlife and nature and holiday around it rather than through it. I also hope other agencies and operators will be firmer in saying ‘no we don’t offer things like elephant rides and this is why’.


Companies that don’t cater to people’s various dietary requirements are missing a trick, believes Ptomley.


“ In the last two years, people will have seen the changes in supermarkets with the amount of choice of vegan goods now available. It’s demonstrated just how valuable the green pound is.”

 

Upcoming events

TTG Luxury Travel Awards 2025

TTG Luxury Travel Awards 2025

TTG Top 50 Travel Agencies 2025

TTG Top 50 Travel Agencies 2025

TTG - Travel Trade Gazette
For Smarter, Better, Fairer Travel
B Corp-certified

TTG Media Limited.
Place of registration: England and Wales.
Company number 08723341.
Registered address: 2-6 Boundary Row, London, SE1 8HP