More than 1,400 people laced up across five cities on 13 September for the 2026 Blue Dragon Marathon Walk, Intrepid Travel's biggest fundraiser yet. The ninth edition of the event drew its largest field in history and raised over $345,000 towards a $500,000 target — all of it going to Vietnam's Blue Dragon Children's Foundation.
The walk ran simultaneously in Melbourne, London, Copenhagen, Singapore and Bangkok, with more than 15 travel companies taking part, including Flight Centre Travel Group, CT Partners, the Australian Travel Agents Cooperative, Platinum Travel and APT Touring. The format is deliberately low-barrier: participants can walk any distance up to a full marathon, which is partly why the event keeps growing year on year.
Where the money goes is the heart of the story. Blue Dragon Children's Foundation, set up in 2004 and a longtime partner of The Intrepid Foundation, runs rescue operations, shelter, legal advocacy and long-term support for people affected by human trafficking, plus prevention work in local communities. Earlier this year the organisation rescued its 1,000th trafficking victim — a milestone that gives this year's fundraising tally some real weight.
Intrepid is covering all administrative costs, so every donated dollar reaches the charity. The Intrepid Foundation, which has now channelled more than $20 million to over 160 partners, has made the walk its flagship annual fundraiser. The company has been leaning hard into responsible travel this year, including matching Australian donations for a project transforming elephant tourism in Thailand.
Why should a traveller care? If you've ever booked with Intrepid or wondered where its Foundation money lands, this is a concrete example: a fundraiser you can literally walk in, wherever you are, that funds rescues and recovery for trafficking survivors in Vietnam. Even if the 2026 edition has passed, donations are still open while Intrepid chases the $500,0 goal, and the walk returns annually — a good one to flag for colleagues, running clubs or anyone who wants their next trip operator to put its money where its marketing is. It's also a quiet reminder that the responsible-travel credentials many travellers now ask about go well beyond carbon offsets and paper straws.
