Sara White is a travel professional and conservation advocate with 30 years of experience in long-haul travel, sustainable tourism, and wildlife protection. From crossing continents on public buses to exploring some of the planet’s most remote wildlife reserves, her career has been shaped by a lifelong passion for wild spaces and the species that inhabit them. As co-founder and trustee of the UK-registered conservation charity Explorers Against Extinction (EAE), and a director of Real World Travel & Conservation and PureTravel, Sara combines extensive industry expertise with a belief that travel, when done responsibly, can be a powerful force for conservation and community empowerment.
Early Travel & Adventures
Sara’s travels have taken her to the edges of the map, from 80 degrees north (Moffen Island, Svalbard) to 55 degrees south (Ushuaia, Argentina), spanning six continents and more than 75 countries, with multiple visits to many destinations.
Her early adventures were defined by epic overland journeys such as crossing South America from Lima to Ushuaia and back to La Paz by local bus, and travelling through North America from Vancouver south to the border with Mexico, and then eastwards and north to New York.
To fund her travels, Sara took on a range of part-time jobs, including time with the education department at the Vancouver Aquarium in Canada, six months working in New Zealand’s agricultural sector, and a post on a remote cattle station in Far North Queensland, Australia.
Occasional misadventures added to the experience – being on a bus held at gunpoint by rebels in Peru in the 1990s and being arrested somewhere outside Mopti in Mali in 2000.
Travel Industry Career
Sara began her professional career at Trailfinders in London. Over the course of nearly a decade she progressed from the sales floor to assistant editor, writing brochures, features, reviewing destinations, and collaborating with a wide range of travel partners and stakeholders.
After relocating to Norfolk, she built a freelance career as a travel writer and lifestyle photographer, contributing to titles including The Times, Country Life, Travel Africa, and EDP Norfolk Magazine, where she became a regular columnist. Her assignments were wide-ranging, covering travel, art, education, parenting, food, sport, health, and lifestyle, and were frequently written from first-hand experience. She also worked as a copy editor in an advertising agency.
Sara has experienced a wide range of travel styles from bare-bones overland journeys to luxury boutique hotel stays and low-impact eco-lodges, giving her a complete perspective on the travel experience. She is often asked to provide ‘troubleshooting’ insights for safari camps, eco-lodges, and travel experiences, offering constructive feedback on guest experience, sustainability, and wildlife-focused programming.
In 2013, Sara joined Real World Travel, where she was instrumental in repositioning the company’s charitable trust as a core part of its identity. She organised a major fundraising event at the Royal Geographical Society in 2015 in support of Save the Elephants, highlighting the role of tourism in conservation.
A life-changing encounter in 2016 with Sudan, the last male northern white rhino further cemented her belief that high-quality, low-density tourism should directly support conservation and community-led initiatives.
Conservation Leadership & Explorers Against Extinction
In 2017, Sara co-founded Explorers Against Extinction, which has since donated thousands of pounds to frontline conservation projects across more than 30 countries. The charity has hosted high-profile exhibitions and campaigns at venues including COP26, the Palace of Westminster, the Royal Geographical Society, The Explorers Club (New York), and the Salmagundi Club (Fifth Avenue).
EAE’s flagship initiative, Sketch for Survival, is now a global art-for-conservation movement, supported by well-known figures such as Sir Ranulph Fiennes, Dame Judi Dench, and Stephen Fry. The campaign has engaged artists from 119 countries, raising both awareness and funds to protect endangered species and habitats.
Sara is a Fellow of the Royal Geographical Society and a regular speaker at events, shows, and in schools, sharing her expertise on the relationship between responsible travel, conservation, and community.
Image: Sara in Svalbard in 2025
