Awards & Press
We wear all our Awards as a Badge of Honour! Please feel free to ‘click’ on the logos below to learn a little more about our Friends and how they have inspired us & others to better ourselves everyday.
Awards
Press
OUTSIDE MAGAZINE
Travel Matters has been featured in Outside Magazine’s ‘Top 8 Spots Around the World to Take a Cold Plunge’, in 2024. Outside Magazine are one of the leading American magazines who cover travel, sports, gear, fitness, the environment and the style & culture of the outdoors. Travel Matter’s Scotland Retreats were ranked highly for wellness and hospitality experiences.
TRAVEL PULSE
Karen has been included in this years Travel Pulse '2024's Most Influential Women in Travel'. This fine set of business-people make up a list of the most influential women in travel and how they are boldly leading the way. Among the two dozen industry leaders selected, there are trailblazers who have dedicated themselves to a broad range of causes Karen's inclusion is due to her educating of travellers on how to explore the world more thoughtfully and with a heightened awareness of their impact on host communities and the environment, through the Travel Matters Campaign to Make Travel Matter.
The First Mile
We are delighted to have discussed a host of Sustainable attitudes in Travel and day-to-day life, with The First Mile. In 2004, this inspiring waste management business set out in a mission to revolutionise business sustainability, starting with waste and recycling. Karen discusses with the host & CEO, Bruce Bratley, how the likes of The First Mile help over 25,000 UK businesses with zero-to-landfill waste collection and much more…
Premier Woman Alive Magazine
Karen talks about the power of holiday retreats and its use when we need to disconnect from technology. As a mother, partner and business owner; Karen is all too aware how women need a break away from their situations to reduce stress, improve mental clarity and allow creativity to increase.
Travel Weekly & Aspire (The Luxury Travel Club)
Both of these highly regarded Industry trade publishers highlighted Travel Matters success and its importance in becoming a certified B Corp™. Karen, and her team, completed a 12-month application that consisted of 226 questions as part of the auditing process. The business was given a final score based on its Governance, Workers, Community and Environment.
Motherhood The Real Deal
Talya, founder of ‘Motherhood The Real Deal’ & a Travel Matters Ambassador, delves into the strains of the modern and fast-paced world we live in and how we so desperately crave ways to disconnect. She talks about how a Travel Matters Retreat can offer recovery - ”Retreats, which offer a temporary escape from the routine and provide a space to reflect, recharge and rejuvenate are an incredible way of achieving this”.
Outdoor Swimmer
Travel Matters travelled to Norway in March 2023 to support Guinness World Record holder for Apnea and Free Diver, Amber Fillary. Amber was hoping to set a new world record by reaching a distance of 120m, whilst swimming submerged in a frozen Norwegian lake. Outdoor Swimmer spoke to Amber about her preparation for the attempt, as well as her discovery for freediving in Egypt over ten years ago.
Travel Matters and Amber are teaming up to host an ‘Immersive Cold Water Retreat’ in Scotland, during September 2023.
South West Londoner
Travel Matters is an avid proponent of swimming in cold water. We host successful UK retreats that embrace this ancient practice...but we do so with stalwarts who have been practicing these techniques for decades, with the utmost respect!
Karen, was interviewed by South West Londoner to express her thoughts on the benefits of the cold water, but why people should seek guidance from an experienced advocate like ‘Mental Health Swims’ and 'The Bluetits Chill Swimmers'.
outdoor swimmer
After the success of Travel Matters first 'Wild Swimming & Writing Retreat' in the charming Edwardian Lodge of Stucktaymore in 2021, we’re at it again! 2022 promises to another exciting 4 day trip to the beautiful Loch Tay. Outdoor Swimmer were kind enough to talk to us about our Retreat and our passion for swimming. They have produced a fabulous ‘Swimterview’ in their July Issue.
Green on the Go, by Holiday Extras
Travel Matters was incredibly grateful to join the Holiday Extras Team to examine what’s happening in the Sustainable Travel sector. During the podcast, India & Karen debate what the greener travel alternatives are and how to spend your money when you arrive at a destination. If you believe in ‘keeping travel sustainable’, have a listen now.
Selling Travel
‘Sustainability is more than just a buzzword…’
Karen lends her thoughts & insight into how Travel Agents can lead customers into making more conscientious travel choices. The article re-iterates that our global goal of halving emissions by 2030 and achieving net-zero by 2050 is achievable. The Travel and Tourism industry is attempting to pioneer this space and contribute in more sustainable methods.
Travel Weekly
Travel Weekly reviews the prestigious Aspire Awards, celebrating Luxury Travel Agents & Brands honoured within the Travel. Aspire, Travel Weekly’s sister publication, recognises the best agents and brands in Luxury Travel and their achievements during the last year. Karen was delighted to receive accolade of 'Innovation of the Year (agency)', for all of Travel Matters progressive work. 2021’s awards were held within The Londoner (Leicester Square) in partnership with headline sponsor Celebrity Cruises.
Business Fights Poverty
Business Fights Poverty’s mission is to bring together link-minded businesses that have an alignment with Social Impact. The project was set-up in 2005 with the intention of providing a suitable network for Businesses, Organisations and other Professionals.
Travel Matters was approached by Business Fights Poverty in order to discuss how holidaymaker’s views on Sustainability in Tourism had development during the previous three decades and how to adopt Travel Matters Make Travel Matter ™ Campaign.
Rolzo, The Lounge
Karen was invited to have a conversation with CEO & Founder of Rolzo, Tom Ripert. The pair discussed the value of Sustainability and what meaningful partnerships can be established by like-minded conscientious businesses. Rolzo are an Electric Vehicle Chauffeur and Car Rental service within more than 100 countries, 500 cities and 1,000 airports.
Business Connexions, Wandsworth
As the Net Zero Challenge gathers more momentum, Karen has a chance to speak to Business Connexions (official magazine for Wandsworth Chamber of Commerce) in order to show off the website’s & app’s 30 carbon saving activities that cover recycling, sustainable travel, energy saving, biodiversity and much more!
TTG Media
The U.K is emerging from a pandemic, but during our time in lockdown, travellers have started to consider more responsible travel and businesses with sustainability credentials. Where does the demand go from here? Karen highlights how her Travel Matters Make Travel Matter ™ Campaign is able to offer some insight & help into being a more responsible traveller.
Travel Tomorrow
2021 has been a poignant year for the awareness about protecting our ecosystems in the Ocean. As Stewards of the Planet, we have a role to recognise a destination as a whole, not only industry businesses, but also its ecosystems, natural resources, cultural assets and traditions, communities, aesthetics, and built infrastructure. Travel Matters is proud of ongoing partnerships with the likes of Galapagos Conservation Trust, Flipflopi and Futurismo Azores Adventures.
TTG Media & Travel Weekly
Travel Matters teams up with the Galapagos Conservation Trust again.
Lead by our Figurehead, Karen (an avid swimmer), Travel Matters & its friends are embarking on an ambitious goal of clocking up 1,125km/700 miles. The team will be achieving the combined distance by proving their abilities by either swimming, running or cycling.
The concept is to cover the distance of the Galapagos-Cocos Swimway (1,125km) in order to raise money towards our charity partner's, Galapagos Conservation Trust's vital work.
TTG Media
Terrific news, regarding the ongoing partnership between Travel Matters and JUMP, which see the Travel Agency become the first collaborator within the Travel Industry. Travel Matters has adopted JUMP’s new digital platform, which is designed to help businesses meet their Sustainability Targets.
Aspire Magazine
Aspire, the luxury travel club, have been trying their best to raise awareness of how certain individuals and businesses are ‘Combatting climate change’.
The main theme of this article is how can we travel without costing the Earth? Aspire therefore, takes a glance at the travel companies investing in climate action and Travel Matters was absolutely delighted to be involved! Karen indicates that she wants Travel Matters to have a model where its clients takes responsibility for their emissions.
Wandsworth Times
Karen gives her verdict on the impending & important dates that the Travel Sector face. Having been notified by the U.K Government, in their January Roadmap, that a clear report about International Travel will be published by the Global Travel Taskforce on the 12th April 2021, it is crucial that potential holidaymakers don’t succumb to ‘scaremongering’ and rumours about the uncertainty of overseas travel & holiday. May 17th was indicated as the earliest opportunity for travel, so keep your eye out for which countries are establishing travel links with the U.K.
TTG Media
Build back better. It’s the mantra that just keeps coming back around. But what does it actually mean for travel – the sector hit hardest by the coronavirus crisis according to the Office for National Statistics? In this article Karen talks about how she has been promoting “conscious travel experiences” to clients for more than 20 years and how she believes that the absence of travel due to the pandemic will result in people re-evaluating their relationships with others and with the environment.
The "Good Tourism" Blog
In the light of International Women’s Day, Karen was encouraged to offer her thoughts about ‘Women’s travel & tourism livelihoods matter too: What I’m doing about it?’
Karen continues the conversation and highlights what a woman’s perceived role and actual role is in society and how we should all be striving to incorporate the ‘Sustainable Development Goal 5: Gender Equality’ into the Travel Sector. Additional themes such as the ‘5Ps that the United Nations (UN) Department of Economic & Social Affairs sets out in its 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development: People, Planet, Prosperity, Peace & Partnership’.
#ChoosetoChallenge
Euromonitor International
Caroline Bremner, Head of Travel Research at Euromonitor International, very kindly invited Karen to talk on her latest 2021 episode of the Travel Leaders Podcast. Euromonitor International is the world's leading independent provider of strategic market research and like Travel Matters; they too are a member of Future of Tourism Coalition.
Caroline draws on initiatives that Euromonitor has started, like their From Sustainability to Purpose campaign and how similar it is to Travel Matters themes on the importance of collaboration, authenticity and respect. Karen briefly touches on how 2020 has made her think more about the importance of Travel Matter’s ‘B2B’ relationships, maintaining high standards of communication with patient & loyal Clientele and the significance of being a Global Citizen!
Good tourism institute
The Good Tourism Institute helps tour companies become the best version of themselves. Learn how to support local communities, build long lasting relations with customers and employees, and offer unique experiences. All in a sustainable way! In their article from 8 January 2021 Karen talks about her awareness campaign to Travel Matters Make Travel Matter ™ which helps travellers understand how their travels can have a positive contribution to destinations. Click on the link below to read the article.
Travel Weekly
Karen Simmonds is featured in Travel Weekly’s first edition of 2021. Karen talks about how she and the business has adapted during the Covid-19 Pandemic, Sustainability in Tourism, winning accolades, the Travel Matters Make Travel Matter ™ and how important relationships with the likes of Tourism Declares a Climate Emergency are.
TRAVEL TOMORROW
Karen Simmonds became a contributor of Travel Tomorrow in November 2020. Travel Tomorrow is a brilliant platform for everything travel - news, culture, lifestyle and more. Karen’s articles are mainly dedicated to sustainable travel, her thoughts on latest travel news and making our travel matter. Can our global efforts to combat Covid-19 teach us to work collectively with climate change? Click on the link below to find out.
SUSTAINABLE BRANDS
Travel Matters got mentioned in an article for Sustainable Brands on 9 December 2020. The article covers the topic of bucket lists and travel. What is it about the bucket list that makes it destructive? Why is now the right time to rethink the bucket list mentality?
THE URBAN VILLAGE
Our founder, Karen Simmonds, was interviewed for The Urban Village podcast series. She covers topics such as eco-travel, the pandemic and the rise of holidays within the UK.
ASPIRE MAGAZINE
In February 2019 Karen was interviewed by Aspire magazine for their Strictly business column and shared her observation that family adventure was a fast-growing part of Travel Matter’s business. Follow the link below to read about how Karen got into the travel business, started Travel Matters and about her proudest career achievement.
TRAVEL WEEKLY
Our latest partnership with engagement pioneers, Jump, has kindly been featured in an online article of Travel Weekly. Our aim is to boost sustainability within our agency as well as inspire other industry partners to take the necessary steps into entering a more environmentally friendly work environment.
If you are a company representative and you’re thinking that your workplace could benefit from implementing a new company strategy with a focus on positive actions around environmental and wellbeing, don’t hesitate to reach out to them via their website or via email.
EDIE
In light of our recent partnership with Jump, the go-to resource for sustainability and wellness engagement, revered digital environmental magazine, edie, has written a kind article discussing the potential behaviour changes we hope to inspire across the travel sector and beyond.
If you are a company representative and you’re thinking that your workplace could benefit from implementing a new company strategy with a focus on positive actions around environmental and wellbeing, don’t hesitate to reach out to them via their website or via email.
BBC News Article
Planning a holiday simply isn’t that easy anymore. We are more conscious and aware of the great impact our time spent abroad may have on a community.
We need to collectively stand together. There are numerous aspects during the planning process that need to be considered.
Galapagos Conservation Trust collaboration
A few months back, Karen Simmonds from Travel Matters put in place a partnership with the Galapagos Conservation Trust. After several weeks of the collaboration, the agency was working on their first group booking for a chartered expedition boat which recently returned in July. Their client, a group of young families travelled on the Isabella.
Karen explains that since 1995, the Galapagos Conservation Trust has been the only UK organisation dedicated solely to conservation and sustainable development on the Islands. As part of the Travel Matters Make Travel Matter ™ Campaign, this partnership is a perfect one. The charity’s work supports high impact and research-driven species conservation programmes, backed up by educational outreach to engage and inspire the conservationists of tomorrow.
The group’s experience was educational, providing a fascinating insight into the work of the Trust and the projects they support in Galapagos. They had the opportunity to meet some of the scientists the charity work with, like field assistant, Anne Guezou, who explained to the group about their tortoise tracking project. There was also the chance to hear Dr Luis Ortiz – Catedral from the Galapagos Conservation Trust and Massey University who spoke about his research on land iguanas, the Floreana Mockingbird and Racer snake. The cruise itinerary visited the Central Island Destinations of Baltra, Santa Cruz, Santa Fe, South Plaza, North Seymour, Bartolome and Santiago.
Best Travel Agency at the 1st annual Adventure Travel Awards in London.
Travel Matters was the proud winners of Best Travel Agency for 2017 at the 1st annual Adventure Travel Awards in London.
The judges commented that this agency puts a heavy emphasis on sustainable tourism and community benefits, an ethos which is at the heart of adventure travel.
The Adventure Travel Awards have been created to recognise and reward the businesses and individuals who are dedicated to supporting, growing and promoting adventure travel – from tour operators of all sizes, through to travel agents, gear companies, DMOs, DMCs, publishers, accommodation, PR agencies and tourist boards.
The award winners were announced at ATC on Thursday 19 January at 7pm. The ceremony was hosted by television broadcaster (and inveterate traveller) Kate Humble.
Travel massive
Karen went to the Travel Massive event in London. Travel Massive is the world’s largest community of travel industry insiders, leaders, and innovators. Here’s a photo of her sharing stories with BBC’s Rajan Datar who hosts BBC World News’ flagship travel programme. The evening was very interesting as we met new businesses, start ups, vloggers, bloggers and entrepreneurs alike. Roll on the next event!
Travel Foundation
As part of our Travel Matters Make Travel Matter ™ Campaign, we learn much about what is happening on the global stage of sustainable travel issues. So this September, Karen met Simon Reeve at the Travel Foundation’s annual general meeting during which chief executive Salli Felton explained the charity’s different approach.
We also heard from Petra Stušek, General Manager of Ljubljana Tourism, Slovenia – which incidentally won the Tourism for Tomorrow Award 2015. We heard from her what a sustainable destination should look like. We heard from Annette Tingle, the Travel Foundation Programme Co-ordinator, Jamaica. We listened to Megan Epler Wood, a Director of the International Sustainable Tourism Initiative.
All in all, the afternoon inspired as well as providing a great opportunity to network, exchange ideas and catch up with fellow colleagues who share a passion & drive to influence, lobby and lead in this area of tourism.
Thanks Salli & team Make Holidays Greener – The Travel Foundation
Trees for cities
Karen Simmonds, owner of the independent travel agency, Travel Matters in South West London is jumping in the freezing cold water of the unheated Brockwell Lido. The event “Freeze for Trees” aims to raise funds for Trees for Cities, one of the charity partners Travel Matters supports.
As part of their Travel Matters Make Travel Matter ™ Campaign which encourages people to think about the positive impact their holidays have on the destinations they travel to, clients have contributed financially to tree planting instead of carbon offsetting.
“Last year Silvia ran the 10km for Tourism Concern, another one of our charity partners – this year it is my turn to do something radical!” says Karen. Trees for Cities is an independent charity, planting trees in cities worldwide. They deliver projects across the UK and Ireland as well as internationally in cities such as Addis Ababa, Nairobi, Kigali, Ica and La Paz.
The event is Saturday 13th December from 10.30am with the jump in at 11.30am.
don’t get done in the sun
Hard-hitting holiday series in which Fiona Foster and Rani Price look at all the things that can ruin our precious two weeks in the sun, from problems with flights or hotels to scams, tricks and cons.
We were very pleased to have helped BBC with their travel programme.
RESPONSIBLE TOURISM WEEK
Highlighting Responsible Tourism week, Travel Matters are hosting an event with guest speakers. Raj Mistry from Travel Indochina and Lisa Fisher from Rainbow Tours.
Thursday 7 February 2013 at 7pm – 9pm
Travel Matters Destination Showcase @ Panel Room, The Windmill on the Common, London SW4.
Spaces are limited and are a first come first serve basis.
Responsible Tourism Week is a free, five-day event exploring down-to-earth applications of noble concepts including responsible tourism, conscious travel, the local travel movement and ecotourism with effective and inexpensive social media and local events.
Travel Indochina has been the leader in creating real travel experiences in Asia since 1993, catering to the traveller who is seeking an authentic journey through the region. They share their experience and passion for the region by designing, creating and operating life-changing holiday experiences. Rainbow Tours are pioneers of responsible travel and specialise in tailor-made holidays to Africa, Madagascar and Latin America. They can take you to famous iconic sights on both continents and also to hidden corners where you get right to the heart of local cultures and landscapes.