Our Fair Travel Policy
How Self Guided Travel works, who we work with, and what we stand for.
Effective Date: 7 December 2025
Self Guided Travel exists to support a slower, fairer, more meaningful way to explore the world. This Fair Travel Policy sets out our commitment to low-impact travel, direct relationships, and transparent partnerships with independent, locally rooted businesses and organisations.
This policy applies to how we operate as a publisher, how we work with partners, and how travellers use our platform.
Our Mission
We believe travel should:
- Respect people, place, and planet
- Support local economies, not extract from them
- Favour depth over speed, and connection over consumption
Our mission is to document and support low-impact, place-based travel, and to give independent businesses and organisations a fair, transparent way to be discovered — without the burden of commission-based booking models.
Our Commission-Free Model
Self Guided Travel operates on a commission-free model.
We do not:
- Take a percentage of any booking
- Process payments
- Handle reservations
- Act as a travel agent, intermediary, or tour operator
All bookings and enquiries are made directly between travellers and providers via the provider’s own website or contact details.
Our platform is funded through:
- Fixed-fee annual listings
- Publishing, editorial, and promotional partnerships
- Digital content and media projects
This model allows partners to:
- Keep 100% of their booking revenue
- Maintain full control over pricing and customer relationships
- Avoid the high commission structures typical of large booking platforms
Who We Feature
We curate every listing on Self Guided Travel. We only feature:
- Independent operators, organisations, and places to stay offering low-impact, place-based travel experiences
We champion independent, locally rooted enterprises — not global chains.
We do not list:
- Mass tourism operators
- Corporate hotel groups and chains
- High-impact or motorised adventure activities
- Businesses that conflict with responsible tourism principles
What Fair Travel Means to Us
Fair Travel is built on five core principles:
1. Direct Relationships
Travellers book directly with the people who provide the experience. This supports fair pricing, clear communication, and stronger local economies.
2. Low-Impact Travel
We prioritise travel that works with the landscape, not against it — encouraging walking, cycling, paddling, and nature-based exploration with minimal environmental footprint.
3. Independent Enterprise
We support independently run businesses and organisations rooted in their local communities and landscapes.
4. Transparency
We are clear about:
- How we make money
- How listings work
- What we do and do not provide
There are no hidden booking commissions and no preferential treatment based on sales performance.
5. Editorial Integrity
Paid listings never influence:
- Our destination coverage
- Our editorial voice
- Our recommendations or storytelling
Publishing and promotion are always clearly separated.
Benefits for Travellers
By using Self Guided Travel, you:
- Book directly with local providers
- Support local jobs and rural communities
- Access experiences chosen for character, quality, and responsibility
- Avoid inflated prices driven by commission-based booking models
- Explore with confidence through curated, independent editorial content
Benefits for Partners
By listing with Self Guided Travel, partners:
- Keep 100% of booking revenue
- Gain targeted exposure through:
- Destination pages
- Trail pages
- Editorial features
- Clearly presented pages discoverable through search and editorial context
- Retain full ownership of:
- Customer data
- Pricing
- Brand identity
- Become part of a trusted, values-led publication rather than a transactional booking platform
Our Role as a Publisher
Self Guided Travel is:
- An independent travel publication
- A place-based discovery and reference site
- A commission-free publishing partner for independent businesses
We are not:
- A booking engine
- A travel agent
- A tour operator
- A payment processor
All transactions, customer service, and fulfilment are handled entirely by the listed businesses and organisations.
Accountability & Ongoing Review
We continuously review:
- Who we feature
- How we present experiences
- The environmental and social impact of the travel we promote
We reserve the right to:
- Decline listings that do not align with our values
- Remove listings that later conflict with this policy
Questions, Feedback & Reporting
We welcome feedback from travellers, partners, and communities.
If you have any questions about this policy, or wish to raise a concern about a listing on the site, please contact:
📧 info@selfguidedtravel.com
Our Promise
Every experience, destination, and business featured on Self Guided Travel supports a better way of engaging with place — one that is slower, fairer, and rooted in the landscapes and communities that make exploration meaningful.
Self Guided Travel is an independent travel publication published by ahchoo.