Call my agent! Nine essential questions to ask for a more sustainable escape

Any company can slap a little green leaf on their website. If we really want to travel more sustainably, it's up to us to go deeper and ask more difficult questions to hold our hosts to account. They won’t always know the answers — which in itself tells you something about their eco credentials — but more importantly it could prompt them to do better as a business when it comes to environmental, social and economic impact. We asked some of the industry’s smartest operators to give us a guide on what to ask and why it matters.

1. How do you try to make sure money stays in local pockets?

Bruce Poon-Tip, founder of G Adventures

“The easiest and best way to ensure money stays in a destination is to do your research; find out where your money is going in the places you are visiting and ensure local people are benefiting. As the pioneers of community tourism, G Adventures around the world that directly benefit local people.”