Darren Taylor

Business Development Manager

I steer the operations of Pure Breaks, driving the agenda for Responsible Travel. I spent 2 years identifying with our team local tour operators and unique escapes, that give back or deliver to local community projects, conservation organisations and charities. The operators we have carefully selected monitor and deliver more sustainable practices in their operations. We made sure it was not just the removal of plastic water bottles and straws but a real assessment every aspect of their impact both locally and environmentally. Pure Breaks has over 50 long haul destinations, that very much depend on tourism as economic support to its people. In light of the concern in travelling longs distances by plane we have shown that you can travel and you should travel it is just about make the right choices in many other areas of our daily lives. I wanted to bring back ‘travel’ in the true sense of the word in fact the new buzz word is ‘immersive travel’ and by its very nature it encourages responsible travel.

My ‘journey’ and experience in travel spanned from 2001 to 2008 over 7 years to experience the world, wildlife, wilderness and adventures, to discover people, cultures and history, to explore sounds, sights and tastes and to do this as responsibly as I could. I travelled with only a backpack and enough budget to get me halfway around the world each time working my way back home. I flew into one country, covering continents overland by train, bus, rickshaw, or bicycle, flying out of another country and just travelling short distances by sea. Each opportunity I got, I sent shoe boxes of my travels with photos, video cassettes and memorabilia to my family – amazingly they all got home!

Pure Breaks has a passionate team determined to set a new course for the travel and tourism industry. Providing responsible travel that is immersive into cultures, communities and is ultimately sustainable for future generations.

“We have taken the approach to research and find some of the most authentic places to stay in the world, working closely with our in country partners to carefully select responsible itineraries and accommodation that also consider the environmental impact of tourism. We want our customers to experience the heart of cultures and witness the positive impact responsible travel can have on local communities. In essence a truly unique ‘pure’ break experience to remember.”

Through extensive research we discovered some truly unique and interesting people and places all around the world who were making a commitment to protect the communities and environment in which they operate. Unfortunately, we also discovered those that weren’t doing as much as they could be, and this helped us to develop our sustainability principles that all our partners commit too.

We know there is a huge population of travellers who want to make conscious choices, who want to experience all that our beautiful world has to offer, at the same time as preserving the planet for future generations. We want to help you to do just that and we set about finding ‘pure’ choices for local tour operators and unique accommodations. We now have a team who are primed and excited to help you plan your sustainable adventure.