Travel for good: Why every Epic trip makes a difference

Travel has the power to change lives, open the world, and connect us, and here at Epic we call ourselves ‘local accelerators’ as every extraordinary trip will not just benefit the traveller but also cause a positive ripple effect across the community. We’ve always committed to giving back, with a portion of every trip going to a selected group of charity partners. 

We believe that tourism should provide opportunities to and aid development of local communities where we work. It’s why we choose to support local social causes in our destinations. But how does your Epic trip contribute to making a difference? We asked co-owner Carla Petzold-Beck to share some insights into Epic’s impact and how your travels make a positive difference.

How every Epic trip makes a difference

At Epic we work directly with charity partners and every trip you book contributes half a percent (0.5%) of the trip cost to one of these organisations. We currently have six projects with six partners across our three destinations. 

We have two primary charity partners that we’ve been working with for years, but as the business grows we’ve expanded our impact. Now we work with a handful of smaller partners who help make a difference to the places we visit and people we meet along the way.

Sustainability and community impact is a huge part of Epic’s mission, vision and values, which is why since March 2024 we have committed a sizable annual budget to develop our impact and sustainability initiatives as part of our Epic Vision 2027. 

The impact of Epic’s charity partnerships

Morocco

In Morocco we’ve supported Fiers et Forts for many, many years. This charity supports the growth and education of local children. For two decades they have worked to help disadvantaged children and orphans become autonomous young adults and offer schooling, healthcare, and housing. It’s an incredible mission that we’re very proud to support.

“Charlie met the owner when he used to live in Morocco, and had three small kids back then, and it’s a tear-jerker of a project. It just cuts your heart out,” says Carla.

At this stage a lot of the children have grown up but still need support to integrate into Moroccan society. There’s a phase two project to build a house to support the older teenagers who arrived here when they were toddlers and are now aged between 16-19 and need their own space to transition into adulthood.

Since the Al Haouz earthquake in September 2023 we’ve also been helping rebuild a village in the Atlas Mountains. We partnered with Afoulki to build a gîte (local guesthouse).

“We want to not just distribute the fish to the villages. We want to distribute fishing rods so they can sustain themselves after we leave,” says Carla. “The idea is to rebuild this guest house so that they have a constant income… we hope by Christmas that we have it up and running.”

Read more… Six Months On: Life & Tourism After Morocco’s Earthquake

The final non-profit we work with on a small scale is Park Football, a UK organisation that increases the awareness of football in developing nations. Essentially, we send visiting families out with a football, then when they visit a local village the kids have fun kicking it around with local children and they leave the ball behind.

“For Moroccan to have a real football is like having Christmas and Easter and a birthday all at once,” says Carla.

Read next… Made in Morocco: Inside the workshops of 3 traditional artisans

Portugal & São Tomé

In Portugal we support a smaller project called Assoc. Vezeira, which is a schist village in the middle of Portugal’s only national park. Here we support the upkeep of this village and the traditional shepherds and their goats.

We’re also a major supporter of SOMA Surf, a non-profit Portuguese association that helps girls and young women in São Tomé through internationally recognised surf therapy. While surfing may seem like a light subject, the work done by SOMA has a deep impact on the African island community to promote gender equality and female empowerment.

In São Tomé and Príncipe women are at a huge disadvantage. Only 31.5% of women have a secondary education, compared to 45.8% of men. In 2014 the teen pregnancy rate was 27%, and the World Health Organisation (WHO) reported it as the most dangerous region to have a child in sub-Saharan Africa. 

Read next… Exploring Europe’s most remote corners: Flores & Corvo islands

Epic’s commitment to sustainability and social responsibility

Supporting local communities is part of a wider chat about sustainability in the travel industry, something that Epic takes very seriously. Beyond working with local charities to have a positive impact, Epic is on its own sustainability mission. 

We call it “Epic Vision 2027” and our goals are centred around becoming an innovative, purpose-driven company; empowering local growth; and becoming a thought leader in sustainable tourism.

“It’s basically a really, really comprehensive plan that integrates the environment, social and governance (ESG) principles into our core values,” says Carla.

Within Epic’s team we’ll have sustainability champions to help drive our mission over the next few years.

Ready for your travels to make a difference? Reach out to our team at info@epic.travel if you’d like to explore Morocco, Portugal or São Tomé & Príncipe with us.

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