Porter Protection Policy Porter_Protection_Policy

POLICY
Porter Protection
Treks such as Mount Kilimanjaro, Everest Base Camp and the Inca Trail
attract tens of thousands of visitors every year. Strenuous treks of this
nature require a whole team of support crew to ensure the experience
is safe and enjoyable for the many tourists in search of adventure.
Trekkers rely on the strength, commitment and tenacity of the porter
community to assist their trips.
Along with the team of guides, cooks and other support staff, they are the heart and soul of the
trekking experience for our adventurers. There’s nothing more humbling than puffing your way
up another steep slope, only to see a porter trot off ahead carrying all your belongings, including
the day’s water and the evening’s meal, all while humming a local tune.
Working as a porter, guide, or part of the wider trekking crew, is a demanding occupation, and
a risky one if appropriate protections are not in place. Unfortunately, working conditions for
crew members can be compromised in the name of increased business and profits, and in spite
of appearances to the contrary, porters and trekking crew are not indestructible. Inspired Travel
strives to ensure all porters and crew employed by our partner travel companies are protected
and respected with fair working conditions.
To uphold these standards, Inspired Adventures will only work with ground operators who can
demonstrate:
• Appropriate procedures and operations to ensure fair treatment for the company’s crew
• Compliance with proper treatment guidelines, as mandated by local authorities
This includes practices such as:
• Adhering to maximum load limits and crew-to-client ratios
• Ensuring crew members have access to appropriate clothing and equipment while working
• Only employing crew who meet the criteria, including appropriate age (over 18 years of age)
and good physical health
• Paying crew at least the minimum wages and implementing procedures to ensure tips are
distributed fairly and equitably
• Providing satisfactory sleeping quarters and sufficient, regular meals
• Providing accident and medical insurance where appropriate
In addition, our Inspired Travel team leaders are trained to look for signs of mistreatment of
trekking crew and to escalate any issues as appropriate. Our adventurers are briefed on how
to interact with the porters and trekking crew and how they can to contribute to fair working
conditions, through practices such as tipping and donating unwanted trekking gear.
Inspired Adventures is a partner member of the International Mountain Explorers Connection
(IMEC) and their local initiative, the Kilimanjaro Porters Assistance Project (KPAP). IMEC is
a not-for-profit organisation created to promote responsible and sustainable connections
between travellers and the people of developing mountain regions of the world. Since 2003,
IMEC has been focusing its efforts on the porters employed on Mount Kilimanjaro through its
local initiative, the Kilimanjaro Porters Assistance Project (KPAP).
© May 2018. Inspired Travel
A team of porters
and support staff,
Kilimanjaro, Tanzania
PHOTO CREDIT: Jo Howell