At World Nomads, we love sharing stories of the world. We believe adventurous travel is an essential part of our lives, and our goal is to inspire fellow nomads to explore their boundaries, travel smarter, and do it as part of a connected global travel community.
For us, responsible travel and ethical behaviour is not just something we want our travelers to engage in. It is at the heart of what we do, and as content producers and ambassadors for our brand, these values extend to you.
When travelers engage with our content, they don’t just choose to do so because of its quality, but also because it has been produced with the highest standards of legal, ethical and professional behavior.
This is part of the trust we have built with our travelers and what our joint reputations are built on. We understand that you are independent. However, as your practices while working on content for World Nomads may reflect upon the integrity of us all, we want to remind you that how you conduct yourself when creating content is just as important as the content itself.
Although your contributor agreement has always committed you to complying with all applicable laws in your work for us, we want to re-emphasize our expectations of all who do business and create content for World Nomads.
Our Content Creators Code of Conduct:
- Provide an environment where any people working to create content or on a shoot (including your employees, editors and talent) – are treated fairly, feel respected, valued, and provide working environments free of unlawful discrimination
- Do not discriminate against or harass someone based on race, religion, sex, national origin, age, sexual orientation, disability, veteran’s status or any basis protected by law
- Respect local customs, dress standards and etiquette. You are responsible for researching and taking local laws and customs into account to ensure that neither you, your colleagues, nor your models/talent/interviewees are put at risk. This includes seeking professional visas and local filming permits
- Ensure that any work undertaken with models/talent/interviewees is covered by an appropriate legal agreement. World Nomads can provide you with talent release templates
- Avoid putting models/talent/interviewees in situations where they may feel uncomfortable or which might lead to feelings or accusations of harassment. We require that you:
- Always ask clearly for consent when featuring someone in your photo, article or interview – make sure they understand the subject you are portraying and how it may be used by World Nomads
- Gain approval from the models/talent/interviewees when portraying or discussing sensitive topics
- Please do not assume that models/talent/interviewees are comfortable – always ask to make sure
- Models/talent/interviewees under the age of 18 should always be accompanied by a parent, legal guardian or chaperone of their choice
- Models/talent/interviewees over the age of 18 should have the opportunity to have another person of their choosing join them at any shoot or meeting.
- In all cases, it is best practice to have a third party present during a shoot or meeting.
- Recreational drugs of all kinds, should be avoided (including as subject matter of stories) during a shoot or meeting regardless of local laws. If drug use is featured in your story and is an important part of the local culture, please speak to World Nomads before including it in your piece
- Always keep the distinction between professional and personal relationships clear
- Never offer nor accept bribes, kickbacks, or other unethical inducements
- The welfare of people, animals, and their environments take precedence over a good story. In other words, don’t harm or manipulate the subject or its environment for the sake of creating an image. This includes baiting wildlife for photographs and other unethical wildlife practises. Check out our Responsible Travel Manifesto and Wildlife Experiences article for more information about topics we would not commission
- We insist on truth in captioning and expect full disclosure in the story behind the photo. The description should be complete and accurate. Not only does this establish trust and lend greater credibility to your image, but it also increases the engagement of the viewer
- Avoid undercover or other surreptitious methods of gathering information unless traditional, open methods will not yield information vital to the public
- Provide access to source material when requested
- Never plagiarize. Always attribute. This includes all formats, i.e. photos, written copy, video, audio, music. Please note that rights must be cleared for all content produced for World Nomads
- We’re a travel insurance company, so please be mindful that there are activities and locations that cannot be covered by World Nomads travel insurance. We won't be able to commission or license content for activities and locations we’re unable to cover. If you think you may be creating content about an activity or location that isn't covered - contact us and we'll let you know if that's the case.
It is good to remember that whenever someone can influence another’s career, such as a photographer can a model’s, there is an imbalance of power that favors the influencer. Because of this imbalance, no matter how slight, please take extra care as the holder of this power to ensure there are no misunderstandings or perceptions of taking advantage.
We will not tolerate any behavior that fails to meet these standards and may take adverse action, including termination of our relationship, against anyone who fails to meet them. If you are aware of any breach of these standards, or if you are being accused of breaching them, please contact us on editorial@worldnomads.com.
We look forward to working with you and ensuring a fair, safe and responsible working environment for all.