Purpose paper 2025
Introduction
This year’s Purpose Paper comes at the close of another exceptional year for Explore - our strongest yet for sales and a period of continued growth across the company. But as a purpose-led travel company, we believe success should be measured not only by profit, but by the positive impact we create for people and the planet.
Over the past year we’ve continued to invest in what we do best: creating exceptional small group adventures around the world It’s been our most significant year for new product development in several years, with a range of new trips launched and many existing itineraries redesigned to improve both the traveller experience and their environmental impact
Encouragingly, our sustainability efforts continue to deliver measurable results. This year we achieved a 15% reduction in carbon intensity, meeting our annual target and maintaining momentum in lowering the footprint of our trips. At the same time, our focus on delivering outstanding holidays has remained unwavering. Our Net Promoter Score increased from 70.7 to 72 11 - proof that small, consistent improvements can have a meaningful impact on the customer experience
Supporting the communities and environments connected to our trips remains central to our purpose In 2025, the Explore Foundation donated £105,892 to 11 projects around the world Alongside this, we contributed just under £140,000 to regeneration initiatives and £145,000 to carbon removal projects as part of our wider climate commitments.
While we’re proud of the progress we’ve made, we know there is still much more to do. As ever, this Purpose Paper shares both our achievements and the areas where we must go further, as we continue working with our customers, partners and colleagues to become a better business each year
Michael Michael Edwards, Managing Director
Our sustainability efforts continue to deliver measurable results.
Our2025achievements
We hit our carbon reduction target
Our reduction target for FY25 was 5% and we exceeded this, achieving a 15% reduction in our carbon intensity compared to the previous year This figure includes international travel for all customers, whether flights are booked by us or arranged independently
NPS + 2
In 2025 our Net Promoter Score (NPS) increased by two points - from 70 07 to 72 04 Scores over 70 represent ‘Excellent’ Our NPS score calculates how likely our customers are to recommend Explore after their trips, and are independently verified via Feefo
A ‘ ’ lcome!
Inspired by our brochure printers, we got a wormery for the office - to turn our kitchen scraps into nutrient-rich compost!!
£81,413
We donated £81,413 to the Explore Foundation on behalf of the customers that travelled with us
Staff volunteering
57 staff days were spent volunteering - including days spent at food banks, scrubbing oysters , and cleaning beaches
£139,000 to regenerati
This year, we ’ ve donated £139,115 to sup protection of rainforests in the Peruvian A regeneration of landscapes and wildlife in Australia through our partnerships with Co Rewilding Britain and Greening Australia
£145,316
to carbon removal
Removing legacy carbon from the atmosphere is critical in the fight against climate change, and we continue to partner with Klimate as part of our carbon mitigation strategy This year we funded £145,316 of carbon removal
46 new positive impact experiences
We’ve added 46 Positive Impact Experiences to our trips this year, creating meaningful connections between travellers and the communities they visit
On our Sri Lanka in Depth tour, guests now enjoy lunch at a women-run social enterprise in Kandy, where meaningful employment, handmade crafts and community support come together in one powerful experience
38 carbon literate staff
38 staff completed our in-house carbon literacy training course this year This helps embed climate knowledge across the business, empowering everyone with a shared understanding of how we can each contribute to our emissions reduction goals
Explore Foundation
£81,413 was donated to the Explore Foundation on behalf of the customers that travelled with us
£35,370 was donated by generous Foundation supporters (including Gift Aid and easyfundraising) 2 staff fundraising events - Explore’s Overnight Hike raised £3275, while the Christmas market raised £1519. Both included a £500 donation from Explore to support the teams!
was donated this year to 11 different projects in 10 different countries - including 6 brand new projects
Lone Buffalo, Laos
CRST, Cambodia
Donated £5144 to buy 400 reusuable menstrual kits
Mahouts, Thailand
Donated £1680 to help keep elephants wild in Thailand
Lifting Sprits, Eswatini
Donated £10,000 enabling 25 children to go to secondary school
EAS, Peru
Wamboma, Tanzania
Supported female farmers with £15,000 for tools and training.
Just a Drop, Nicaragua
Donated £17,522 to install clean, safe water systems for 37 families
Plus: Help for Ukraine
£722 donated in Gift Aid went to Stand with Ukraine
Toy Bank, India
Donated £17,577 to the Red Cross for emergency support following Hurricane Melissa Red Cross, Jamaica and Cuba
How Many Elephants, Tanizania
We donated £10,231 to installed 100 beehives and 2kms of fencing
How we’ve tracked
At the start of 2025, we defined some clear goals for the year ahead, alongside longer-term ambitions Here, we reflect on those commitments and how we ’ re tracking against them
2025 Targets:
Achieved In progress Paused
PLANET:
Decarbonisation
In focus: carbon literacy training
This year, we focused on building shared understanding so that climate action becomes everyone’s responsibility, and not just something owned by one specialist team We offered carbon literacy training to all Explore staff, giving our team the opportunity to deepen their knowledge of climate science and explore how their own roles connect to our emissions
Participants each created their own personal pledge so that the learning didn’t just stay in the room With 30% of the company having now completed the training, this programme has started to build better climate awareness across the business and give people the confidence to play their own part in reducing our emissions.
Improved.
This year, we continued to reduce the carbon footprint of our training travel by prioritising rail over air wherever possible Four colleagues completed their training trips by train rather than flying, cutting the carbon footprint of those journeys Choosing rail can mean longer travel times and higher upfront costs, and we have made a conscious decision to absorb these impacts by allowing extra travel time and increased budgets, so that those practical barriers don’t stop people choosing the lower-carbon option It’s one small but important way we ’ re making climate considerations part of everyday decisions, not just long-term plans
Getting more people to choose rail is a huge challenge, and one we can’t tackle alone Through the Travel by B Corp community, we ’ re working with other travel companies - including our competitors - to share learning, remove barriers, and create more impact together
Our key metric is carbon intensity per person, per night (pp/pn) In line with our commitment to the Glasgow Declaration, we’re working to reduce our carbon intensity by 50% by 2030.
Our reduction target for FY25 was 5% and we exceeded this, achieving a 15% reduction in our carbon intensity this year This figure includes international travel for all our customers, whether flights are booked by us or arranged independently.
We also recognise that a portion of this reduction reflects improvements in how flight emissions are measured Without this change in methodology, our year-on-year reduction would have been 8% - still exceeding our target but substantially lower. We believe being transparent about this is essential to tracking real progress over time.
How we’re tracking
Without international travel
With international travel
Scope 3: Flights booked by customer
Lower carbon doesn’t mean less fun
Meet the team that creates our trips
We believe that sustainable travel should feel richer, not compromised For us, being lower carbon and more sustainable goes hand in hand with creating small-group journeys that are more authentic, more immersive and filled with extraordinary moments - from meaningful local connections to delicious food and memorable experiences
While we ’ re committed to reducing our carbon footprint and supporting local communities and ecosystems, we don’t see this as a compromise In fact, it’s often what makes our itineraries stronger, helping our customers connect more deeply with the places they visit Here are just a few examples from our brilliant product team
RBA Kolkata to Amritsar
We have worked hard in India to reduce the number of internal flights on our itineraries, instead replacing these journeys with a wide variety of types of transport - offering a varied experience and of course a lower carbon footprint This tour does a wonderful job of utilising India's public transport for the majority of the sightseeing As a rail-focused itinerary, customers on this tour will be travelling predominantly by train, metro, tuk tuk, rickshaw and on foot Travel between each of the major locations on this tour is done by train, with the exception of the Agra to Delhi journey which is done by vehicle
Fathom Stead, Asia Product Manager
QJS Simply Japan
This trip travels by public transport as far as possible, making use of Japan's wonderful train network to travel quickly and efficiently across the country alongside the locals In the cities and towns we make use of the local buses and metro networks to get around
James Adkin, Asia Programme Manager
The Rabbit hotel offers a unique farm-to-table experience, producing its ow organic fruit and vegetables for use in its (delicious) me Meals are seasonal, locally sourced (often straight from the garden), and vegetarian and vegan options are always available It's a great place to enjoy wholesome, homegrown food in a natural setting We stay at The Rabbit hotel for the duration of this trip
Ali Butler, Europe Product Manager
XFR A Taste of Southern France
We have made this holiday easily accessible for rail travel to avoid the need to fly There are plenty of rail options to get to the start town of Bordeaux and home from Toulouse, the last night stop of this journey We also use rail travel to get to Arcachon, St Emillion, Carcassonne, and Sarlat to keep the trip's carbon footprint as low as possible Almost all the food on this trip is locally-sourced and seasonal, which is the very essence of this food tour in southern France - the seasonal local produce is the highlight of the trip
Tom Wilkinson, Europe Programme Manager
The lodges that we use on this tour have made strides to reduce their carbon footprint in many ways, by topping up their power consumption through the use of solar panels, switching to more energy-efficient LED bulbs and sourcing food from local sources
All food waste at the properties we use in Zimbabwe is composted and used to plant trees or as fertilizer for the local produce - this is particular evident during our stay at Hwange National Park, where more and more trees are planted each month
Morts
Lindholm, Africa Product Manager
AC Amalfi Coast Discover
BZ Zimbabwe and Botswana Wildlife Safari
What we’ll focus on in 2026
Empowering our team to drive carbon reductions
We offer all staff in-house Carbon Literacy training, certified by the Carbon Literacy Project Participants all commit to two actions that support Explore’s emissions reduction goals
Our 2026 target: 50% of the company to complete the training.
Supporting customers to choose trains over planes where possible
Flights are a significant part of our carbon footprint Through our partnership with International Rail, we ’ re reducing barriers to rail travel, with a focus on accessible routes across Europe
Our 2026 focus: adding content to our trip pages showing routes, tips and inspiration for train travel.
Prioritising train travel for staff business trips in Europe
Working with local partners to reduce on-tour emissions
Our Low Carbon Policy already supports staff to choose trains over flights by offering additional paid leave In 2026, we’ll build on this progress by encouraging more rail travel for European business trips
Our 2026 target: a 50% increase in staff travelling by train for European business travel.
Our local partners are closest to the details that shape each trip By the end of 2026, Explore Worldwide will survey all local partners to identify opportunities to reduce on-tour emissions We'll also invite at least 50 partners to complete our in-house Carbon Literacy programme to embed shared understanding
Supporting our staff to switch to renewable energy at home
As a hybrid workforce, home energy use forms part of our footprint In 2026, we’ll support staff to move onto renewable energy tariffs where possible
Our 2026 target: 50% of the team using renewable energy at home
Encouraging customers to pick airlines with the lowest footprint
Flights are the largest contributor to a holiday’s carbon footprint Some airlines operate newer aircraft or routes with lower emissions
Our 2026 focus: for our top 10 destinations, we’ll guide customers towards the lowest-emission airline options available for their chosen route
Biodiversity PLANET:
Protect and regenerate
This year we ’ ve made real progress in better understanding our biodiversity impact, even if we haven’t yet got to where we’d like to be We completed a high-level audit with external consultants at Biodiversify, building on an earlier audit with Animondial This has helped us identify where we ’ re on the right track and where we could be doing better But measuring biodiversity is complicated - there isn’t yet one clear, consistent way to do it So we ’ re choosing to focus on developing regional plans that support nature and prioritise action, ensuring time and effort are spent making a difference on the ground, rather than getting stuck in imperfect measurement systems
In focus: small scale efforts
Not all positive impacts have to be big Our office i already zero-waste-to-landfill, but we decided to push it a little further Inspired by one of our suppliers, we set up an office wormery! We now send some of our food waste to feed the worms, who in return give us amazing compost to help support the flower beds in our car park It may not sound like much, but we love it We can’t say how much time has already been spent giving the worms names
Our climate partners PLANET:
We work with some of the best in the business. Here are just a few of our excellent partners that really deserve a shout-out
Klimate
We’re continuing to work hard on reducing our emissions, but we also need to do our bit in reducing legacy carbonemissions already in the atmosphere This year we invested £145,316 via our partners at Klimate, funding a mix of technologies from naturebased forestation and soil sequestration projects to a direct air capture program in Kenya. We know this is just a small part of the action needed to reduce emissions globally, but we ’ re proud to support these developing technologies
Cool Earth
Cool Earth works with communities in the Peruvian Amazon to protect ancient rainforest and empower indigenous people In 2025 we donated £56,386 and we’ll continue to donate for every customer that travels with Explore
Rewilding Britain
Since 2021 we ’ ve been supporting Rewilding Britain’s work to protect and regenerate natural landscapes around the UK We’ve donated £80,799 in 2025, helping them invest in small-scale rewilding projects and campaign for stronger protection of our natural spaces
New partner!
Greening Australia
This year we ’ re proud to have started supporting Greening Australia, who work to protect and restore native biodiversity in Australia We donated AU$14,008, and better still, our ‘Reef’ Team got their hands dirty spending a day planting native trees
Caring for the places we visit PLACES:
Protecting the beautiful places we visit is vital for the future of our business, and for the future of our planet We’re committed to having a positive impact on the host community, the wildlife, the landscapes and the ecosystems we visit
New trip development
We strive to ensure that our trips maximise the positive impacts of tourismenvironmental, social and economic
Our new walking tour in Southern Norway tour incorporates lower-impact travel elements directly into the itinerary One of the ferry crossings used during the trip operates using hydrogen-powered technology, reflecting Norway’s innovative approach to sustainable transport
In focus: our local Tour Leaders
Our tour leaders are the glue that hold our small group trips together
A range of hotels are used throughout the tour, with several properties holding recognised third-party environmental certifications such as the Nordic Swan Ecolabel and Norway’s Miljøfyrtårn (Eco-Lighthouse) These schemes set strict standards for energy efficiency, water use, waste reduction and responsible sourcing In addition, all hotels benefit from Norway’s largely renewable national electricity grid
Tânia, the Azores
“To me, sustainable travel is about making sure that tourism is as good for the people who live here as it is for those who visit. It’s about supporting local products, protecting our cultural heritage, and ensuring our geothermal springs and volcanic landscapes remain pure and clean
As a tour leader, I feel a responsibility to show our guests the "soul" of the islands not just the views, but the care and respect our community has for this delicate ecosystem
My "happy place" is the Lagoa do Fogo (Lake of Fire) on São Miguel It feels so wild and untouched, looking down at the turquoise water from the crater rim always reminds me why we work so hard to protect these islands ”
Our Places policies
The places we visit, the people we meet, the landscapes we discover: these are the essence of the Explore experience By developing a Code of Ethics, and writing policies from Modern Slavery to Animal Protection, we ’ re clear on the standards we ’ re striving for, and committed to ensuring that we operate in a way that creates a positive experience for everyone involved
Check them out!
You can find our full Code of Ethics on our websiteModern Slavery, Indigenous Peoples, Animal Protection and Ethical Marketing policies.
We’re striving to do the right thing in all areas of our business, and we welcome feedback when we fall short
explore co uk/policies
We've donated £105,892 this year
Since launching in 2023, the Explore Foundation has continued to grow, widening its reach across the communities we visit Through partnerships focused on reducing poverty, improving access to education and healthcare, and supporting conservation, the Foundation is helping create meaningful, lasting change
Working closely with our global network of partners and tour leaders, as well as our our staff and customers, we ’ ve been able to champion and fund inspiring grassroots initiatives around the world, strengthening the positive impact we have in the destinations our tours visit
Over the past year, we’ve had the privilege of supporting community-led projects from Esawtini to Peru, creating lasting change across the communities we work with.
Education
We donated £16,241 to fully fund Lone Buffalo’s Develop Together 6 programme, supporting 81 students
Donated £10,000 to allow 25 children in Eswatini to attend secondary school for a year
Provided toys and teaching support to enable 500 children in Delhi to take part in weekly play-based learning sessions for a year
Health & Hygiene
We provided 400 reusable menstrual kits to women in rural Cambodia
Funded a water installation project providing clean, safe water to 136 community members and the village school in Nicaragua
Funded training for 10 technicians to maintain community water systems in Peru
How Many Elephants
The Explore Foundation donated £10,000 to support beehive fencing in Tanzania’s Ngorongoro–Serengeti ecosystem This funding has helped install 2km of new fencing, adding 100 hives and creating a natural barrier powered by around 4 million bees. The result is simple and effective: fewer crop raids, reduced conflict between people and elephants, and safer migration routes for the herds.
The project also supports the NARI Women’s Beekeepers group, who manage the hives and sell the honey as a source of income. In a region where beekeeping has traditionally been male-dominated, this work is creating new opportunities for women, while protecting both farmland and wildlife
We funded 100 beehives and 2km of beehive fencing in Tanzania
Provided training, tools and support for 60 female farmers in Tanzania
Donated £1,680 to support community-led tourism experiences in Thailand
Livelihoods and Community Development Disaster relief
We donated £15,077 for emergency support in Jamaica, and £2500 for emergency support in Cuba following Hurricane Melissa
In partnership with Just a Drop, the Explore Foundation funded a new safe water system for the community of Caña de Castilla The project
provided tanks and pipework to deliver clean water directly to homes, replacing long daily journeys to collect unsafe water Today, 136 people across 35 families - as well as the village school - have reliable access to safe drinking water
Just A Drop Toy Bank, Delhi
The system was built with the support of local residents, who contributed hundreds of hours of labour and formed a trained water committee to manage it long term This community-led management approach ensures the project can be maintained long after installation
The Explore Foundation is supporting a Safe Playroom in partnership with The Toy Bank, funding its full running costs for two years The space serves 500 children aged 3–11 in municipal schools in Delhi, providing a safe environment to learn and play
Trained Play Teachers deliver structured, playbased sessions that strengthen core skills and encourage regular attendance Around 80% of the toys are donated and upcycled, giving them a second life For hundreds of children, this project offers a consistent, welcoming space to build confidence and learn through play
Explore makes a donation to the Explore Foundation on behalf of every customer, allowing us to continue supporting projects that create a positive impact on people, places and the planet.
Find out more at theexplore foundation
PEOPLE: What it’s like to work at Explore
As we look ahead, continuing to be a workplace where people can thrive remains central to our plans We put real energy into nurturing our People and Culture, and we listen carefully whether that’s feedback on away days or insights from our annual Engagement survey to ensure we’re living up to the standards we set ourselves.
Engaged and connected
Our 2025 employee engagement survey reflects a team that feels connected and inspired:
85% feel they’re part of a team that works well together
85% think leaders are positive and inspiring
Employee Net Promoter Score (50 = excellent)
Wellbeing & balance
One Global team
We now have two overseas offices - in Brisbane and Toronto, fondly known as the ‘Reef’ and ‘Rockies’ teams Our global teams work really well together - over Teams day-to-day, and geting together as often as is feasible and practical
Time together
There’d be no culture to speak of if we didn’t spend time together While we embrace flexible working, we also make space to connect in person Each team shares an office day every week, alongside a company-wide day when the whole Explore crew is together: Thursdays Thursday is the day that we have every department is under one roof, sparking collaboration, cross-team thinking and spontaneous conversations and brainstorms that often lead to our best work!
Long service is something we ’ re proud of at Explore Across the business, colleagues have reached impressive milestones in their length of service in 2025, bringing experience, commitment, and continuity to every trip and project
Each milestone represents experience, commitment and a deep knowledge of our trips and customers
0-10 years - 84%
10-20 years - 14%
20+ years - 2%
Including one incredible 39 i i 2025! th
Our MD Michael Edwards hosts an in-person Monthly Update Meeting (MUM) every month in which a selection of speakers from around the business updates us on various projects and focuses Our annual Explore Day takes place every December, and it’s time for the whole business to come together for a full day of reflection and planning for the future at Explore Day It’s an event we all look forward to, and a great opportunity for us all to spend time together - away from our desks - making sure we ’ re working and thinking to our best ability This is also a chance for some of the international teams to come across and spend time at HQ with the wider global team
For the love of travel...
BTY ‘Better Than Yesterday’ training trips...
Director’s trip
Our third annual Director’s Trip ran in October 2025, with Managing Director Michael Edwards taking eight Explore employees to Albania for four nights The lucky travellers had been nominated by their colleagues for excellent work over the year and came from all departments of the business Highlights included a gondola ride overlooking Tirana and some local wine tasting
Workations
Our Workation policy enables all staff members to work from anywhere in the world for up to 6 weeks (30 working days) over the year 43 workation requests were approved in 2025, meaning that 237 working days were worked from other locations, all over the world
Low-carbon travel policy
Our low-carbon travel incentive enables staff to claim additional days’ holiday for trips they take using low-carbon transport There were 13 staff claims on the low travel policy this year, totalling 9 5 additional days of annual leave being granted
38% of our staff cycle, walk or get the train to work, embracing those lowercarbon commutes
Giving back...
Volunteering
We’re big believers in the power of our people, and we ’ ve long encouraged all staff to use their two annual volunteer days - in fact using at least one day is included in our annual OKR objectives 42 members of staff have used 57 volunteering days this year, with a total of 404 hours logged
Highlights have been Oyster scrubbing and helping to host the annual Watford Pride Picnic
Charity matchfunding
When our team cares about something, they certainly get stuck in! This year, Explore once again promised to match up to £500 of fundraising per person to support the causes closest to their hearts
We supported a number of charity challenges this year from half marathons and sponsored sky dives to a cross-department overnight hike in southern England
We’re committed to building skills, confidence and connection across the business supporting our teams to grow in their roles and deliver exceptional experiences for our customers
Learning that lasts Sharing’s caring: internal, impromtu training
ELEVATE
In 2025, we expanded our ELEVATE programme to include both Sales and Customer Experience teams Through interactive workshops and ongoing learning, ELEVATE focuses on mindset, communication and service helping our teams move beyond “order taking” to confident, customer-first conversations Further digital learning and targeted sessions are planned for 2026
Insights Discovery®
Insights Discovery continues to be a valuable tool for strengthening communication and self-awareness across Explore Since launching in 2023, 80 employees have completed their personalised Insights profile (including 55 in 2025 alone), helping teams better understand themselves and each other
Our learning in 2025
In total, we delivered 45 learning events across the business, including:
4 x Carbon Literacy workshops
2 x ELEVATE Sales and 2 x ELEVATE Service training sessions
2 x International ELEVATE and Insights sessions for our Rockies and Reef teams
16 x Insights Discovery workshops
4 x International Insights workshops
7 x Microsoft Teams mini masterclasses
3 x ‘Building an Explore product’ mini masterclasses
“I personally gain a great deal of joy and satisfaction from training and sharing the knowledge I’ve built over many years as a Product Manager This year, I delivered a masterclass on designing adventure travel holidays, where I explored how logistics, geographical considerations, travel trends, sustainability, and cost management all play a role in successful trip development. Sharing my knowledge and passion for this work is always a pleasure”
Ali Butler, Europe Product Manager
Don’t just take ourword for it...
In 2025, our NPS score increased by two points - from 70.07 to 72.04.
and we were again named a Feefo Platinum Trusted Operator
‘Excellent customer service in every way Excellent booking experience Shane was professional at all times, even in the face of my hundred questions! Friendly, knowledgeable, patient and very helpful Explained next steps very clearly, and I had no hesitation in booking my trip Thank you, Shane!’
‘Very helpful going out of their way to confirm my request Had an excellent detailed discussion about the tours I was interested in when attending the Destinations London show, which motivated me to book with Explore for the first time When I booked later that day the representative in the office went out of their way to reach a manager at the Destinations London show to check if my out of the ordinary request was OK. They called me back promptly to confirm, saving me a journey back to the show’
‘This was my first explore adventure, and what informative and entertaining throughout; mix information, mythical stories and the occasi shows you aspects of Iceland that you may ne yourself. We were blessed with good weather t built into the schedule depending capability I thoroughly reco
