A group of 21 travel professionals will head to Colombia later this month to raise much-needed funds for Abta LifeLine and Planeterra on a gruelling five-day trek.
Led by G Adventures, the G Trek For Good will see participants walk deep into the jungle, covering nearly 30 miles through farmland, remote river valleys and a final 1,200-step climb to reach the ‘Lost City’.
Brian Young, EMEA managing director for G Adventures, and Trudie Clements, Abta LifeLine director, are among the fundraising trekkers and issued a “rallying cry” for more donations.
It is G Adventures’ third ‘G Trek For Good’ and follows the success of similar challenges, which saw industry groups summit Mount Toubkal in Morocco in 2022 and Mount Kilimanjaro in 2019.
This year’s event (March 13- 24) will see the trekkers battle humidity while contending with mosquitoes and jungle animals, and sleeping in hammocks.
Clements and Young highlighted how the experience will be a difficult physical and mental challenge – and different to the previous mountain treks because they will face jungle conditions in 35-degree heat.
‘It will be completely out of everyone’s comfort zone,” said Young.
“It is not a glorified holiday. Everyone is paying for it out of their own pocket so every donation goes towards Planeterra and Abta LifeLine.”
He hailed the support from the G Adventures team, government agency ProColombia and the trekkers’ WhatsApp group, which are all helping participants to train and prepare for the trek.
Clements emphasised how important it is for industry colleagues to help those in the sector who are struggling with the cost of living, illness, bereavement and other challenges.
“Since the beginning of January, we have had an increase in applications. This week, in particular, I’ve been exceptionally busy,” she said.
“We are doing an awful lot of food vouchers at the moment just so that people can feed their families.”
Young said the money raised for Planeterra – a non-profit organisation set up by G Adventures – will help develop a sustainable community tourism project in Colombia, along with ProColombia.
The pair also thanked other sponsors, including easyJet holidays, Kuoni and JetBlue, who are sponsoring Clements, while other sponsorship support has come from Barrhead Travel, Travel Weekly and The Travel Network Group.
“Everybody’s so passionate about the two causes and they really believe in what we are doing,” said Clements.
“That’s actually quite emotional for me because people really want to do this.”
Young said: “For some this will be the toughest challenge of their lives but there is huge power in bringing people together to raise money and to make an incredible impact.
“Together we are proving that the travel industry can be a force for good and I can’t wait to see how our fundraising changes people’s lives.”
Clements added: “Every step we take will make a positive change for so many in our travel community.”
To find out more and to donate, click here.
To follow the progress of the trek on social media, follow the hashtag #GTrekForGood.
Pictures of the Lost City in Colombia from G Adventures.