Ecophiles Connects Travellers to Authentic Green Enterprises

Namrata Bhawnani and Mitali Mahajani are co-founders of the eco-travel and living site Ecophiles, they are writers who inspire others with unexpected green travel ideas.

Namrata and Mitali are part of our Travel Massive New York and London chapters and work together to bring the world a little more inspiration in green travel.

So, what are you waiting for? We asked Namrata and Mitali to share all their tips to purposeful travel.

What inspired you to create Ecophiles? 

We wanted to create a platform that helped connect travelers to authentic green enterprises where would offer unique experiences and a better way to travel. Our goal is to empower people to think, live, and travel on greener paths. Although interest in consumers is growing, there isn’t enough information about this in the market, presented and packaged in interesting, accessible ways.

We were clear that it wasn’t going to be gloom and doom content – there is a large focus on positive changes being made and the spotlight is on individuals and key players in the industry following sustainable travel practices. This is a critical time for conservation and a change in the way we travel is imminent. 

Is there a unique story of how it came to be?

We’ve known each other for 20 years now. We moved to NYC and London from India at a time in our lives when we started making small changes in our lifestyles and in the way we travel. We deeply care about protecting wildlife and our national parks and we both love adventure (though we draw the line at throwing ourselves off a plane or jumping off a great height while dangling by a rope!). We are fascinated by green design. Our common interests and ability to second-guess each other makes this a unique partnership across the pond.

What has been your biggest challenge?

At Ecophiles, we try and maintain the delicate balance between featuring wild and remote destinations and advising readers to go off the beaten path thereby nudging them away from locations under threat of overcrowding. It’s critical for our tourism money to go to destinations that are working to improve their communities and preserve wildlife, but it’s also important to protect our wild and public lands.

Our breakthrough has been with organizations like Rainforest Alliance who are our content partners. We did a lovely collaborative story with them titled We Ask Kids How They Protect Nature: The Answers will Surprise You and it’s so heartwarming to learn these kids are our future and there is hope!

Can you share an inspiring story when you felt your project was most fulfilling?

Last year we worked on a story about How to Hang Out with Elephants without Hurting them and a piece on 5 Amazing Elephant Sanctuaries in Asia for Visiting and Volunteering. The extraordinary love for these gentle giants really moved us. People wrote in and told us via social media that they pledged to never take elephant rides. Another piece was Tiger Selfies are the Worst and Here’s Why You Must Stop in collaboration with World Animal Protection US moved many to add their voice to the campaign. Eventually, Tripadvisor stopped selling tickets to cruel animal attractions. We hope we’ve nudged people into adding their voice to the campaign, and it’s a hugely satisfying thought. Every voice counts.

Do you have any tips for aspiring do-gooders who want to give back or start their own social project?

Go for it! There will always be demands on your time, so there will never be a better time than now to start.

Why do you attend Travel Massive events?

When I (Namrata) moved to London three years ago, I was starting all over in my career. At the time, a blogger recommended Travel Massive and I met some lovely, friendly people at various events who gave me very useful advice.

We believe in collaboration as the way to grow and Travel Massive is the ideal platform for building relationships.

Purposeful Traveler is a series that profiles inspiring people or projects making a purposeful change to the way we travel. You can connect with Namrata, Mitali, and Ecophiles on Travel Massive, Facebook, and Twitter.