Take A Journey With… Duncan Grossart – Founder of Journeys With Purpose

The company delivers transformative experiences in wild nature in order to catalyse action to restore our natural world and foster economic vitality and welfare of local communities.

This includes an exclusive “Seven Worlds, One Planet” global curriculum of in-the-field immersive experiences, such as an all-women journey to Kenya in partnership with Daughters for Earth that offers unprecedented insights into the critical role of women in addressing the climate and biodiversity crises.

A zoology graduate, Duncan’s career spans award-winning entrepreneurship through to environmental and nature conservation work and has been focused entirely on rewilding in recent years. His rewilding and landscape-scale restoration experience includes work with Rewilding Britain, WildEast, The European Nature Trust and Rewilding Europe.

Journeys With Purpose is a member of 1% for the Planet, The Long Run and is B Corp’s highest-ever scoring travel company.

The company was recently included in Travel + Leisure’s Global Vision Awards 2024 as one of its “travel pioneers leading towards a sustainable future”.

All a bit formal, that. So tell us something about you that not a lot of people know.

Hmmm…

In my younger years, I represented the UK in an equine sport, and I’m also cycling to Australia over 25 years – 10 legs down and 15 to go!

Let’s get down to the nitty-gritty. Why did you start Journeys With Purpose? What problem did you seek to solve?

I have been fortunate enough to travel a lot in my personal and business life. These experiences allowed me to discover new ecosystems, cultures and wildlife, which in turn deepened my appreciation for the environment and the communities they sustain.

Over the years, I experienced a mindset shift – an increasing awareness that the natural world wasn’t just something to be explored for leisure. I came to understand just how intrinsic the natural world is for all life and how completely our future depends on its preservation and restoration.

As a country boy, and growing up with David Attenborough and Jacques Couesteau, I knew that my personal travel experiences helped shape my understanding of and respect for the natural world. I was deeply moved and motivated to champion nature restoration through these experiences, and so sought to facilitate the same (re)connection with nature for others.

Whilst travel is the medium, my mission has always been to help catalyse the celebration and advancement of nature, whilst supporting local communities and boosting their economic welfare.

What would you say is the biggest motivator behind why you do what you do? And what impact does Journeys With Purpose aim to have?

The landscapes I grew up with and have been fortunate enough to visit are changing – some of them irrevocably.

You don’t have to travel far or do much research to be met with news of devastating destruction, habitat and biodiversity loss. We have reached a critical moment in time that will determine the future of our planet’s health, and it will take a unified effort to ensure the scale tips in the right direction.

Journeys With Purpose aims to help shift the needle in the fight against climate change and biodiversity loss.

By building a community of committed change makers and activists, and by connecting them to the world’s pre-eminent terrestrial and marine conservation projects, we are helping to galvanise support and awareness for the initiatives that are making real, tangible progress.

Knowledge is power. Emotional buy-in is key. And as well as facilitating direct philanthropic and impact investments support to these projects, we aim to create a positive impact by equipping our guests with the information and motivation they need to be empowered to collective environmental stewardship.

You emphasise female diversity, youth leadership and representation both in the local causes you support and guests’ participation. How do you do this?

People are at the heart of everything we do.

From the local guides and passionate community leaders who host our journeys to my own, steadfast team (80% of whom are women), our brilliant advisory Impact Ambassadors (whose female to male ratio is 4:2), the remarkable projects we champion and the committed, curious guests who join our journeys.

We emphasise diversity, youth leadership and representation by continually trying to identify and work with pioneering new projects, shining a light on the ‘known’ and ‘hidden heroes’ making the greatest nature-positive impact and progress at the best scale possible.

Our findings, and subsequent partners and journey hosts, are globally diverse. Likewise, we market to a global audience, facilitating varied access to global conservation leaders through our online library of Field Reports, free webinars and the journeys themselves.

Our Partnerships Director, Venetia Martin, has just returned from hosting our 10-day women-led, all-female journey to Kenya, in partnership with Daughters for Earth. This journey shone a light on the female leaders and local communities working on the frontline of Kenya’s climate crises whilst contributing directly to their projects.

According to Venetia, it was eye-opening and deeply moving, and, I believe, emblematic of exactly the kind of representation we strive to achieve at Journeys With Purpose.

You have recently launched a curriculum of immersive experiences around the world to help restore our natural world and foster the economic vitality and welfare of local communities. Tell us more about this. What do the trips entail? What encouraged you to do this?

Our journeys, or ‘think-tanks in the wild’, are immersive learning experiences. We have partnered with some of the world’s most ambitious conservation projects across the seven continents and, for a week or so, we take a small group ‘behind the scenes’ to engage firsthand with their groundbreaking work.

The trips entail fireside chats with global leaders in the field, as well as truly wild forays out into the field! I always say that our journeys are not wildlife holidays.

Yes, you’re likely to see spectacular wildlife when visiting these landscapes but, I think, it’s access to the people that make these journeys so special.

Real people, making real progress, and creating real impact.

With climate anxiety ever-felt and ever-present, our journeys spotlight stories of hope. They help to galvanise action by amplifying inspiring tales of success.

Our guests leave having experienced a real sense of (re)connection with nature, and the local hosts and characters they met along the way. These relationships continue long after the journey has ended, and many of our guests continue to champion the places and projects they’ve visited – either through philanthropic means or other forms of advocacy.

I chose to create journeys such as these because, by their very nature, they prove to be transformative and attract good, kind and like-minded individuals.

I personally know that in restoring our relationship with the natural world, we become motivated to act, and I believe in the momentum that this type of impact travel is building – for the benefit of both people and the planet.

Be honest – what has been your biggest challenge since starting Journeys With Purpose?

Breaking new ground in the world of travel, articulating that we’re an impact business at heart with travel as our medium, and that people can travel with more purpose, meaning, fulfilment and enjoyment than they ever have before.

It’s immensely heartwarming to see that meaningful, slow and sustainable travel is increasingly in the spotlight.

What we do at Journeys With Purpose, bringing remarkable characters and communities to the forefront, is something that hasn’t really been done before.

Showcasing the value of these experiences to new audiences wasn’t always initially easy, but it’s clear to see they are now increasingly sought after and it’s a delight to be able to facilitate them, knowing how much of a real difference they make.

Tell us about one marketing approach that has worked really well for you.

I can’t undervalue the power of personal connections, relationships and word of mouth.

I have always lived by the rule of relationships over transactions, and this carries through to Journeys With Purpose’s ethos.

We take the time to get to know each of our travellers on an individual level, person to person, in order to deliver the best and most impactful experience for them. I think the sincerity with which our team explores our itineraries – with both Impact Partners and guests – speaks for itself. 

We have private guests who are embarking on their eighth journey with us in almost as many months, Flagship Journey guests who are signing on for new Hosted Destinations and inviting last year’s group back with them.

I think the community we are building at Journeys With Purpose is proving to be one of the most meaningful aspects of this job and, in itself, one of our most successful ‘marketing’ avenues!

You’re the world’s highest-scoring B Corp travel company! Congratulations! What inspired you to get this accreditation? Why do you feel it is important to business?

Patagonia is a huge inspiration and role model. To me, it’s the gold standard and has always been the flagbearer for conducting responsible business, with B Corp’s guiding principles at hand.

B Corp certification enshrines into companies’ business charters core values and practices, including in Journeys With Purpose’s instance an annual gift of 1% of sales to grassroots environmental organisations.

We need to put purpose ahead of profits to ensure we avoid ecological and climate breakdown and moral bankruptcy.

Now, think back to 10 years ago, what is one piece of advice you’d give past you?

Engage in positive impact 100% and start Journeys With Purpose now!

And to really embrace contributing alongside like-minded peers with shared values who are working on dynamic, lasting and legacy-based endeavours. Doing something meaningful that has nothing to do with themselves, but to protect those things they love.

Fast forward again. What do you think has been the most important strategy, value or approach that has helped you get to where you are today?

To believe in one’s intuition and focus on “Leading with the Heart”.

We know that travel is ever-evolving, but what trends or strategies do you believe will be key in driving positive change in the coming years?

I believe that travellers will want to travel in more impactful ways and to discover more meaningful and purposeful journeys.

In terms of strategies, it’s to work with more restorative, regenerative and impactful initiatives and partners.

We’ve got to repair the damage that has been, and is still being, done and harmonise our relationship with the natural world. We’re on an island – our wonderful, pale blue marble – in an incalculable vastness that should be treasured and honoured.

Quick Fire

• Favourite travel destination I’ve visited: I’ve loved them all…. East and the Horn of Africa, India, Patagonia, Afghanistan to name a few… Wild and awe-inspiring.
• Travel destination still on the bucket list: So many. I’ve never had a bucket list and never will; I’ve always gone with my gut, feelings and intuition. Let’s start with more Islands and Mountains! It looks like the theme is isolation and wilderness!
• Destination that you wouldn’t return to: I haven’t been there yet, fortunately!
• Most treasured travel memory: Travelling with my elder sister to Kenya in 1985. It began the journey I’m on.

About The Author...

Tom McLoughlin

Founder

Tom is here to steer the ship in the right direction, to ensure what we offer is best in class, and to keep clients and the team happy! Naturally, he loves to travel, but Honduras is a favourite destination after having spent a year there teaching after finishing school.