Fair Travel Isn’t a Switch — It’s a Transition
The way we book travel is changing.
For years, online travel agencies and commission-heavy platforms have dominated how accommodation and experiences are discovered and booked. They’ve offered convenience and visibility, but often at a cost — to margins, to independence, and to the direct relationship between travellers and the places they stay.
Today, more travellers want to book direct.
More businesses want to be found without losing a percentage of every booking.
And more destinations are asking what fair, sustainable travel actually looks like in practice.
But this shift isn’t instant. And it isn’t simple.
At Self Guided Travel, we believe fair travel isn’t something you switch on overnight — it’s a transition. And we exist to support that transition, openly and honestly.
The Reality of Direct Bookings
Direct bookings are widely accepted as the future of travel. They offer:
- Better value and clarity for travellers
- Greater control and sustainability for local businesses
- Stronger, more transparent relationships on both sides
Yet despite this, many stays and operators still rely heavily on third-party platforms. Not because they want to — but because visibility, marketing, and discoverability are hard problems to solve alone.
Moving away from commission-based systems takes time, confidence, and the right kind of exposure.
That’s where the transition matters.
What Self Guided Travel Is — and Isn’t
Self Guided Travel is not a booking platform.
We don’t take commission.
We don’t own tours or accommodation.
Instead, we focus on marketing places properly — trails, landscapes, destinations, and the independent businesses that sit within them.
Our role is simple:
To help travellers discover where to go, and help local businesses be found — while supporting the long-term shift toward direct, fair bookings.
We’re not pretending this change has already happened.
We’re acknowledging that it’s underway.
Why We’re Open About the Transition
Many platforms talk about “fair travel” as if the system has already changed. In reality, most of the industry is somewhere in between — experimenting, adjusting, learning what works.
We think honesty matters.
That’s why our Fair Travel Policy is upfront. It recognises that:
- Direct booking won’t replace everything overnight
- Not every business is ready at the same time
- Marketing support is part of making that shift possible
Self Guided Travel isn’t the end destination — it’s one of the stepping stones.
A Different Kind of Marketing Platform
Rather than selling bookings, we focus on:
- Long-term visibility, not short-term conversion
- Content-led discovery, not listings-for-listings’ sake
- Commission-free exposure, not percentage-based dependency
For businesses, this means being part of a platform that aligns with where travel is heading — without being forced into an all-or-nothing model.
For travellers, it means clearer pathways to book direct, understand where their money goes, and support places more consciously.
Why This Matters Now
The shift toward fairer travel is already happening — driven by rising commission costs, platform fatigue, and a growing desire for independence and transparency.
Self Guided Travel exists to reflect that reality, not to ignore it.
We believe the future of travel will be:
- More direct
- More local
- More transparent
- More intentional
And we believe marketing plays a crucial role in getting there.
Being Part of the Change
We don’t expect businesses to abandon existing systems overnight.
We don’t expect travellers to radically change habits all at once.
What we do believe in is momentum.
By promoting places, trails, and stays in a way that prioritises direct relationships and fair travel principles, Self Guided Travel plays a small but meaningful role in that broader transition.
Not as a replacement.
Not as a shortcut.
But as part of the journey.
