25 Nov 2020

COVID-19: In Transit

In February 2020, we published a story about Batu Batu, a resort in Malaysia with a heart for marine conservation. Little did we know that holidays were about to become pipe dreams, as COVID-19 unleashed its full weight on the world.

With travel off the cards, and a pandemic to fight, we at Our Better World put stories about travel in the backseat while stories about COVID-19 relief came to the forefront, as seen in our HumanKind series.

Nine months on, the pandemic in many parts of the world has not abated, depriving communities reliant on international tourism of their means to survive. The United Nations estimates that the tourism industry faces US$1 trillion in losses due to COVID-19, and some 100 million jobs are at risk.

The Better Traveller has always featured people and organisations that do good for their communities and the environment, while delighting travellers. Now, despite their hardships, these organisations remain resilient and true to their mission, and are finding new ways to carry on. And these are the stories we want to share over the next few months, so that you too, can make a difference by supporting their efforts.

For example, instead of hiking through the Himalayas with a locally-owned trekking enterprise, you can now buy carbon credits to support their reforestation programme, which generates income and does the environment good. Instead of unwinding in a home stay with hill tribes in northern Thailand, you can order meals in Bangkok cooked with ingredients harvested by the same tribes, creating income for them.

Through our stories, take a different kind of “trip” with us: discover how those in the travel for good space are finding new ways to support communities. And don’t forget to bookmark them for future trips. When borders reopen, we can all be better travellers.

Explore stories

COVID-19
A farmer collecting straw mushrooms.

Sewing stories of resilience at Mekong Quilts

Love the crafts of Mekong Quilts? Meet the women from the Mekong Delta who create them while building a better life for their families

/05 Jul 2022
COVID-19
A group of people sit under tent watching a dazzling sunset in the background.

A dreamy getaway in the Philippines with dreams of inclusion

Nestled amid tall pines and lingering sea breezes, Zambawood is a holiday retreat with a mission to empower people of all abilities.

/07 Apr 2022
COVID-19
A red panda sits in a tree

A mountain getaway protecting a refuge for red pandas

Travel to the border between India and Nepal to take in the breathtaking Himalayas — and see if you can spot a certain red-haired resident on the way.

/16 Feb 2022
COVID-19
Homestay owners of Himalayan Ark gather with the Himalayas in the background

A Himalayan homestay that’s an Ark for rural empowerment

Savour the joys of slow living with a community-led tourism initiative that preserves rural values amid urban demands.

/19 Jan 2022
COVID-19
A man crosses a bridge across a valley, with river rushing below.

Getaways that give back

    /16 Nov 2021
    COVID-19
    Seeking nature? Let the Orang Asli be your guide

    Seeking nature? Let the Orang Asli be your guide

    Connect with Malaysia’s indigenous cultures through Native and their Orang Asli guides

    /29 Sep 2021
    COVID-19
    Preserving palaces — and livelihoods — in a pandemic

    Preserving palaces — and livelihoods — in a pandemic

    Terrapuri’s restored palaces takes you back in time while breathing new life into a sleepy seaside town

    /04 Aug 2021
    COVID-19
    Feed Bali cooks up hope amid COVID-19

    Feed Bali cooks up hope amid COVID-19

    A cooking school in Bali shut their doors when the pandemic started. But a new mission has them fired up: feeding Balinese in need

    /09 Jun 2021
    COVID-19
    An ikat collective weaves its way through knotty times

    An ikat collective weaves its way through knotty times

    COVID-19 has cast a pall over the tapestry of empowerment woven by Watubo, but the collective is steadfast in its vision of ikat that lifts lives

    /25 Mar 2021
    COVID-19
    Two women and a man stand before a house with thatched roof in Mollo, Indonesia

    Rural adventures go virtual in a lockdown

    From running a virtual tour to launching an online store, two rural communities in Indonesia find new ways to cope when tourism income dried up amid COVID-19

    /15 Feb 2021