As a veteran- and woman-owned public benefit corporation, Kind Traveler’s goal is to mobilize a new generation of travelers into a powerful economic force that enhances the health and wellbeing of people, animals, and the environment in societies all over the world. As CEO, Co-Founder, and Editor-in-Chief of Kind Traveler, Jessica Blotter, M.A., Ed. is also a journalist, speaker, and supporter of social justice.
The heart that loves to travel is the heart that can do good deeds for the entire community, including the environment, people, and animals. Because of this, Jessica founded Kind Traveler, a veteran- and woman-owned public benefit corporation that operates as the first socially conscious Give + Get hotel booking and education platform in the world. Through a network of 150+ destination-specific charities linked to Kind Traveler, travelers can have a positive impact on the communities they visit.
The process is simple: Through the Kind Traveler Give + Get booking platform, travelers gain access to special hotel rates and benefits in exchange for making a minimum donation of $10 (or more) to a reputable local charity that has a positive impact on the area visited, or to a charity of their choice. All donations go to charities in full. Travelers have the option to plant trees with Arbor Day Foundation and receive a positive impact report with every reservation detailing the results of their donation. The Kind Factors of each Kind Hotel, which highlight how they are promoting individual wellness, community impact, and environmental sustainability locally, are also available to visitors to Kind Traveler.
By 2023, Kind Traveler will represent 150+ charities worldwide as well as Kind Hotels and tourism boards in 22 countries. In addition to receiving international recognition from Newsweek (Future of Travel Award), Fast Company (World Changing Ideas Award), Travel + Leisure (Global Vision Award), Lufthansa Innovation Hub, and UNWTO, Kind Traveler has been cited in more than 500 news articles. Kind Traveler, a Blue Startups portfolio company, is a signatory to the Glasgow Declaration, a member of the Female Founder Collective, the Future of Tourism Coalition (FOTC), and 1% for the Planet. A warrior for good, a paradigm shift, and an idea with the potential to grow into a global movement, Kind Traveler is supported by regular people like you who enjoy traveling, by nonprofit organizations committed to improving the world, and by hotels and other distinctive properties that feel a duty to give back to the communities in which they operate.
About the Leader
Jessica Blotter is the CEO, Co-Founder, and Editor-in-Chief of Kind Traveler, as well as a journalist, speaker, and member of the Center for Responsible Travel’s board of directors (CREST). Blotter and co-founder Sean Krejci considered the question: “What if we could create a way for travelers to easily make a meaningful positive impact within the communities they visit and, in turn, be filled up with a greater sense of joy and purpose while traveling?” after seeing heartbreaking poverty, polluted swamps, and the plight of emaciated dogs roaming the streets in Belize. KindTraveler.com was the solution after years of development.
Blotter oversaw the research and development of the Kind Traveler brand and business model and now directs the team in forming alliances with upcoming Kind Hotels and nonprofit organizations to provide opportunities for visitors to have a significant positive impact in the places they visit.
Blotter has been mentioned in more than 600 news publications since introducing Kind Traveler, including The New York Times, Conde Nast Traveler, Newsweek, Fast Company, and Travel + Leisure.
Blotter has spoken at TEDx salons on “The Future of Travel: Purpose is King,” as a finalist at the UNWTO Tourism Tech Adventure Pitch Competition in Chile and the Lufthansa Innovation Hub’s Changemaker Challenge in Germany, and as the keynote speaker for the Tahoe Chamber’s Annual Summit on Responsible Tourism and MMGY’s Summit at Vail Forum (2020). (2019).
