Registered as a Social Purpose Corporation (SPC).
About Us
What is Yugen Earthside?
Yugen Earthside is a sustainable travel booking platform and agency that connects mindful travelers to adventurous trips.
- Our platform features a curated selection of sustainable, package trips designed and run by our local partners around the world.
- Our agency arm can help you find and book a responsible trip anywhere in the world, or assist as your sustainable trip planner.
Our Mission: Make sustainable travel easy.
What does "Yugen" mean?
Yugen (pronounced “you-gehn”), is a Japanese word that means:
An awareness of the universe that triggers an emotional response too deep and powerful for words.

Values-aligned travel

What's in our DNA?
Creating a positive environmental and social impact is important to us. That's why we are:
Donating at least 1% of gross profits to sustainable tourism impact projects.
Certified net-zero through Ecolytics.
Including carbon removal through Tomorrow's Air with each booking.
Integrating carbon offsets through Sustainable Travel International into our checkout process.
Applying for B-Corp Certification in 2024.


Our Origin Story
Yugen Earthside was founded by Hilary Matson. After working at Amazon for nearly a decade, she left to pursue a career more closely aligned with her interests and values: travel and sustainability.
Hilary earned her MBA and a certificate in Inclusive & Social Business from HEC-Paris in 2020. During her MBA, Hilary specialized in entrepreneurship and developed a social enterprise business plan. Yugen Earthside was incorporated in January 2021.
What is sustainable travel all about?
Our trips adhere to the three basic pillars of sustainable tourism:
Our Vision:
Inspire and educate travelers seeking to discover and book responsible tourism trips, in order to transform the travel industry into a force used to better connect humanity and preserve the earth.
Our Team: Who are we, and where are we?
Our company is registered in Washington State, USA, and a small team works remotely around the world to run the show.
- Hilary Matson. Founder & CEO. Based in Paris, France.
- Levi Gable. Website Wizard. Based in Paris, France.
- Mora Klappenbach. Website Content Associate. Based in Buenos Aires, Argentina.
- Alice Peace. Blog Contributor. Based in Edinburgh, Scotland.
- Elisa Spampinato. Blog Contributor. Based in London, England.
- Anurag Danda. MBA Marketing Intern. Based in India.
- Giles Hawke. Mentor. Based in London, England.