Purpose and Values
Our values are clear and our purpose is set. We are no ordinary travel company.
For us, travel is one of life's great privileges — one that should never be taken for granted. It’s about taking things slow — giving yourself time for thoughtful curiosity. Time to immerse yourself in your destination, get closer to the ground, and feel your way to greater understanding.
Years of focusing on company growth taught us that the endless pursuit of "bigger" does not lead to "better". Instead, we found ourselves trying to please everyone, and consequently shy about sticking up for what we stand for. Creating opportunities for this sort of travel takes time, boundless curiosity, and strong principles, which is why we choose to focus on better, not bigger. But how do we achieve this?
We organise ourselves without hierarchy
Our autonomous and self-organising structure means that you’ll always be dealing with a decision maker and at a time that is mutually convenient. We innovate together, informed by clear shared values, and with equal influence — this means we all fully believe in what we offer. We find that happy people design better holidays — so the result of our freedom is outstanding quality for you.
We value client contentment more than £s & $s
Our love for the places and people we visit is real, and travel is a chance for us all to exchange true wealth — personal stories, alternative ideas, challenging realities, fresh answers, and the means to live well and long. This pursuit of better travel for everyone's sake means putting people (pssst, that means you too) before profit. That's why we approach you with the frankness of friends, giving unbiased advice to make sure that you're truly happy with your holiday. It's also why we limit our annual bookings, so we can devote quality time to creating the highest possible value for you.
Earth and its inhabitants are always put first
True sustainability balances the needs of community, habitat, and economy, in a way that makes life better now without ruining things for future generations. Selective Asia has always picked this path, and we're determined to stick to it, no matter how tricky the terrain becomes. We prefer to have the difficult conversations, and make the inconvenient changes — if we don't, there'll be nowhere left worth travelling to. We develop confidence and clarity with every step, and look for the lessons in our mistakes, striving to do better at every turn.
Our definition of success is uncommon
An organisation's performance should be measured by far more than sales or margins. We place equal value in qualities that don't fit so well into spreadsheets — your satisfaction, for instance, our own happiness, how well we meet our social responsibilities, and how successfully we deliver on our commitment to the environment. We measure all this by placing feedback, audits and thoughtful evolution at the heart of how we work. We regularly check that we're taking nothing (and nobody) for granted, and invest substantial energy in mutually respectful partnerships that are successful for everyone.
Our values
We're a fun loving, down-to-earth bunch, but we take our travel seriously. Rather than follow trends, we prefer to consider before we travel. Driven by a heartfelt passion for people, and a good nose for high quality, genuine culture and adventurous experiences, we love to share our discoveries with like-minded travellers.