Introducing Our Conscious Routes Collection

Our Conscious Routes Collection is a selection of hotels, lodges, boats, and excursions selected by Latin Routes that reduce environmental impact, positively contribute to local communities, help preserve cultural heritage, or conserve wildlife and biodiversity. 
As part of our long-term sustainability journey, we will start small and grow this collection as we work towards understanding the overall impact of our trips. You may have some of these hotels and excursions highlighted in your itinerary with a short description of why they have been included. 

We have established a discovery process to learn more about the positive change our in-country partners are achieving, highlighting this with our Conscious Routes Collection. We organise holidays throughout Latin America, so we know this will take some time — just because a hotel or excursion is not currently part of our Conscious Routes collection doesn’t mean it won’t in the future. 

How have we chosen the collection?

Different hotels and experiences will have different sustainability goals and focus; the assessment criteria are highlighted below. Not every box needs to be ticked to be included in our Conscious Routes Collection.

Conscious Routes Hotels

To be included in our Conscious Routes collection, we have assessed each property based on the following criteria:

Environmental Impact: We want to understand how they reduce single-use plastics and manage waste and water. We will discover how hotels minimise energy consumption, whether they have renewable energy sources, and how they conserve biodiversity through initiatives such as biodiverse-rich gardens or local conservation projects. 

Community Impact: We will learn how hotels support local communities through employment and career progression, local sourcing of produce, and support of local artisans and guides. 

Conscious Routes Experiences

To be included in our Conscious Routes collection, immersive experiences that respect the environment and benefit local communities will be identified:
 

Low-Carbon Activities: Walking, biking, or kayaking tours create a slower, immersive experience while reducing carbon emissions. 
Wildlife Conservation:  Wildlife excursions will occur in their natural habitats or conservation areas for rehabilitation and scientific purposes. 
Community-Led Experiences: We will highlight excursions run by local communities. These immersive experiences allow visitors to learn about local traditions while ensuring money stays in the community. 

Cultural Heritage: Excursions that contribute to protecting and preserving cultural and built heritage. We will understand how limiting visitor numbers and educational programs can support conservation. 

Conscious Routes Boats

Our selection of small expedition boats will be assessed to similar criteria to hotels with the addition of:

Environmental Impact: Boats will adhere to its international waste management standards and use fuel-efficient engines. We will ask if they measure and mitigate their carbon emissions. 

Wildlife Conservation: Boats will have clear guidelines on marine wildlife encounters that adhere to local or international standards.