Asia Transpacific Journeys Travel Ethic
Moving consciously through the world is the obligation of those of us fortunate enough to travel abroad. Long ago, our travel in Asia established a connection to the communities we visit. As Asia travel experts, we are dedicated to contributing to the people, places, and cultures that make countries throughout Asia and the South Pacific so special. Over the past two decades, that commitment has played out in many interesting ways:
Walking the Walk
Asia Transpacific Journeys’ founder and president, Marilyn Downing Staff, adopted her son from a Thai orphanage 17 years ago, forging a lasting connection with the region. She created the Asia Transpacific Foundation a decade ago. This all-volunteer-driven 501(c)(3) non-profit has funded an orphanage for children in Thailand, the building of classrooms at refugee camps, and recently has been concentrating its efforts on our successful Clean Water Initiative.
Heritage Awareness
Travel can educate, engender respect, and provide the economic engine for conservation. By incorporating UNESCO World Heritage sites on our Small Group Trips to Asia and Custom Journeys, we help foster local community pride in, and protection of, their cultural heritage. Thus are historic treasures unearthed, and preserved for posterity.
Environmental Stewardship
We have a history of partnership with top institutions whose environmental agendas we support, including the Nature Conservancy, the National Wildlife Federation, and the World Wildlife Fund (WWF). We partner with these institutions to create unique itineraries with a conservation focus, to places such as 
Borneo, Micronesia, Sri Lanka, Australia, Fiji, Tonga, Vietnam, and the Mergui Archipelago.
When our travelers snorkel over a live coral reef in Micronesia, visit a monastery on a trip to Bhutan, or see an orangutan in the jungle when they travel to Borneo, they are actively improving the chances of preserving that habitat, by providing a realistic economic alternative to hawking coral necklaces, razing historic buildings for new construction, or deforesting for timber. The members of the conservation institutions with whom we’ve partnered, recognize the important role responsible tourism can have in the preservation of habitats and wildlife. These special journeys are open to the public for a nominal annual membership fee.
