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 inspire low-impact, self-guided travel and to give independent businesses and organisations a fair, transparent platform to reach travellers — 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 tour operators offering walking, hiking, cycling, and low-impact outdoor adventures
• Independent places to stay, including inns, lodges, guesthouses, farm stays, and small hotels
• Nature-focused organisations, reserves, and activity providers that support conservation and public access
• Businesses and organisations located in or connected to:
  • National Trails
  • National Landscapes
  • National Parks
  • Protected coastlines and rural regions

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
  • SEO-optimised listing pages discoverable in Google and other search engines
• 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:

• A travel publication
• A search and discovery platform
• A marketing and promotional channel

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 to travel — 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.