Intrepid Travel has just recertified as a B Corp – but this time under tougher rules. B Lab, the body behind the certification, scrapped its old points-based system in favour of mandatory performance requirements across seven areas, from climate action and fair work to human rights and environmental stewardship. Companies can no longer ace one category and coast in another; every area has to measure up, and everything is verified by independent auditors. For Intrepid, first certified in 2018, that means scrutiny of all 93 of its local businesses, the accommodation it owns, its suppliers, policies and subbrands.
The interesting part is what all this corporate paperwork looks like on the ground. Intrepid traces the journey of a fictional Aussie traveller, Kylie, booking its 15-day Scenic Vietnam trip from Hanoi to Ho Chi Minh City – and her itinerary is dotted with the visible results.
Before she even books, she notices carbon labels showing the CO2e footprint of each itinerary, and marketing that reflects a Responsible Marketing Policy around inclusion and diversity. When she pays, part of the trip cost goes to Intrepid's Climate Impact Fund, which funds renewable energy transitions, electric vehicles and supplier decarbonisation. She's also invited to donate 1% of her fare (about AUD 25) to The Intrepid Foundation – and the company matches every donation.
On the road, the details keep coming. Her Hanoi-based leader, Anh, is trained and fairly paid under fair-work policies. Instead of buying bottled water, the group refills from filtered water stations, cutting single-use plastic. Two homestays put tourist money directly into local communities. A visit to the Blue Dragon Children's Foundation, which fights child trafficking in Vietnam, shows where some of that foundation money lands: over AUD 2 million raised since 2017 for education, counselling, emergency shelter and legal support.
There are quieter choices too. The group kayaks a calm corner of Ha Long Bay near Cat Ba Island rather than joining the crush at the most crowded spots, and an overnight train replaces what used to be a short domestic flight – a swap Intrepid made in 2023 as part of its push to cut unnecessary short-haul flights. In the Mekong Delta, the trip ends with a honey farm, sampan paddling and a night in a small local guesthouse.
Even after the trip, the loop closes: feedback is read across the company and feeds into future itineraries and impact targets.
Why should this matter to you? A B Corp badge won't make any travel company perfect, as Intrepid itself admits – but it does mean an independent body has checked that the business measures its impact, discloses it (Intrepid publishes an annual report covering environmental and community performance even though it isn't required to) and keeps working on it. If you care about where your money goes when you travel, it's a useful shorthand. And if Vietnam is on your list, this particular route shows how the principles play out in practice.
