Eco Holidays

posted by Catherine on Dec 8

Responsible Travel in association with Virgin Holidays have announced the winners for 2009!

As always, r:travel magazine is being distributed to everyone to let us know which travel companies are exceeding the standards for eco holidays, eco tours and responsible tourism.  Helping you choose a better holiday – and making sure that those companies that make a difference are recognised!

Here is a sneak peak at some of the winners – or go to their own website for more details:

Best In A Marine Environment: Whale Watch Kaikoura – New Zealand:
Offering some of the best whale watching tours – totally staff and owned by the native Maori population.  Not only have they grown this company from nothing for themselves, but the tours are all low impact, and the money has allowed them to purchase some of their ancestral land!

Best Low Carbon Transport And Technology – Alcatraz Cruises – USA:
This small company are really striving to make their tour boats as eco friendly as they can, investing in new technology to reduce nitrogen and carbon emissions – and they have created the worlds first hybrid ferry boat which uses solar energy for power!

Best Volunteering Organisation – People And Places – UK:
Rather than a large scale operation for everyone to choose where they want to go for their volunteering, this smaller company match up your skills to where they are most needed and will be most useful. 

This ensures that your time is well spent doing things that you enjoy and are good at – and you get the results for the community that they desperately need as you are a perfect match!

Best Destination – Cape Town – South Africa:
This destination has been chosen as the best overall location for eco friendly travel and tourism.  Building up for the 2010 World Cup has seen many companies and organisations here investing in huge eco improvements and schemes with support from the Cape Town Responsible Tourism Policy & Action Plan.  Making sure that important eco policies are adopted from the start of projects through to the end.

Hope it helps you choose your next eco holiday!

posted by Catherine on Nov 25

There is an opportunity on the horizon to get support for a mass tree planting session!

BBC Breathing Spaces is trying to break a Guinness World Record for ‘the most trees planted in 1 hour in 1 location’ – and they aren’t aiming low!  The current world record is 18,124 for this record – and they really want to smash it!

It is part of their drive for National Tree Week in the UK, but you can be from anywhere in the world to help them break a more individual record of ‘the most trees planted in 1 hour in any destination’ – currently standing at 653,143!

The Big Planting:
Basically, they will need your group of at least 100 people (and up to 100 helpers) to aim to plant around 20,000 trees (around 3.33 trees a minute) in the specified hour (between 11am and 12 noon on the 5th of December 2009) - so you will need the land (over 5 hectares) and the trees (all suitable for the environment) already planned!

The great thing is that Breathing Spaces will offer advice and support through the whole thing – so if your local group were planning to improve a woodland or parkland, then now would be a great time to do it.

There are of course strict rules governing your planting attempt – as it is a World Record after all – but you will get all the publicity and advice that could make a real difference to your community or local group.

They have prepared a list of guidelines for larger groups to answer all your questions etc, and they would love to help you break the record!

Not Quite So Big?
If you think that 20,000 trees is a bit too much for your group or community – you can still take part in their main event – planting however many trees you want to plant in the same hour.

This way, if you can only plant 500 trees, 50 trees or just 5 trees, they will all count towards the record attempt anyway – without the stress of the full on planting frenzy as described above!

It’s all about improving the environment and encouraging biodiversity – so literally every tree can make a difference. They would rather you plant 10 trees that you could maintain and would improve the environment, rather than rushed in and planted 50 trees that didn’t all survive or were too overcrowded.

So, get yourself onto their website, read all the guidelines and advice – and get pledging!  So far they have had pledges to plant 263,669 trees – way off the current record of 653,143!

Help make a difference – sign up for Tree O’Clock 2009.

posted by Catherine on Sep 30

Staying on a working farm that promotes wildlife has got to be good!

I recently stayed in a holiday cottage in the Weald in Sussex, England for 2 weeks, more out of urgent necessity than anything else (we needed to move in tonight!)

Therefore, my eco wants and needs were rather pushed to one side with the need for somewhere to sleep in the south-east of England with Internet access!

We called one place that looked adorable but was full for most of the 2 weeks, but the owner very thoughtfully and totally of no gain to herself, recommended a friend of hers that was just starting out so would no doubt have spaces! 

I called them hesitantly, knowing that my first concern was the Internet, then availability then price.  In that order.  (Some of the cottages are so highly priced that even if they came with free food the whole time you were there and a complimentary pony, it wouldn’t be worth it!)

Anyway, I called up a friendly man who answered all my questions and gave me his website address to view the cottages.  We had been viewing others and had found that a great many were just large sheds in some-one’s back garden – not ideal really in terms of the freedom to wander about and come and go as you please without the curtains twitching!  However, his cottages were in the middle of the countryside and a delight to look at, so we called back and said we’d be there by 5!

The Cottage:
It turns out that these 3 cottages are part of a rescued 150-year-old barn on the farm (now a fully functioning equestrian center), and had been very thoughtfully renovated up to a high standard and carefully furnished.

They all had a countryside feel to them, with paintings and pictures or the local art and landscapes.  The inside was spacious and showed the beams of the roof space and had a mezzanine bedroom on top.

There were some eco features including a half-bath, reclaimed furnishings and furniture and all modern appliances including an efficient microwave, condensing boilers, gas stove, nicely they had limited electronics but plenty of books magazines and board games instead!

And it turns out that the cottages aren’t the only thing that the landlord thinks are important.

Nature Comes First!
Since taking over the farm, the owner has focused on keeping it preserved.  Based in the Weald – an area of outstanding natural beauty (AONB) – and with centuries and centuries of history behind it, there was a good basis for him to start from.

His ancient hedgerows divide his 80 acres of pasture and woodland, and many were almost 1000 years old from my estimations of noticeable species present (oak, hawthorn and ash to name a few).  He also leaves a good 6 feet of untreated land on each side of the hedges to promote their use as a wildlife haven and hasn’t removed any of them at all – I found his farm on a map from 1880 and they were all still there today.

He had also banned hunting on his land – which has got clear traces of pheasant farming and many a spent shot gun cartridges from the past.  In fact he does the opposite – he helps release animals back into the countryside from his farm. 

He has already released whole families of badgers and hedgehogs, has re-homed a flock of battery-farmed chickens (of which he gave us plenty of tasty eggs from) and has re-homed 2 lovely dogs and 4 feral cats into his clan!  However the 2 owl boxes in the main barn haven’t yet been used permanently – but the pair of tawny owls in the woods make up for that!

A Work/Life Balance.
Being a working farm, he has of course, got plenty of farm machinery all about the place and no doubt his isolated location brings many large vehicles some distance from towns to run a successful business – but I think it is worth it.

Most guests here no doubt never traipse around the countryside like we do, and so all of his land hardly gets disturbed by man – and how frequently we saw fallow deer and how close we were able to get to them before they crashed off through the woodland shows that they are at home here – they like it here!

He has created a veritable British wildlife reserve here, and so what if he hasn’t got composting toilets or a wind turbine?  He has ‘saved’ this little piece of the countryside for the next generation, creating a safe corridor for wildlife travelling around this area which include Ashdown Forest to the north and the South Downs National Park to the south.

And anyway, does ‘eco’ have to mean completely self sufficient?

If you are in this area and want a great place to stay for wildlife and peace and quiet in a beautiful landscape then use this link to get more information on this farm stay.

posted by Catherine on Jun 2

Seriously – think of you favorite wild animal – and then ask yourself the question: What am I doing to keep them alive?

Many people love pandas, tigers, penguins or even great white sharks – but many of us don’t really make a difference to their fight for life on this planet.

What Can I Do From Home?
Watching a documentary about them on TV does actually help believe it or not. If the TV ratings for a show on African Hunting Dogs gets top ratings – they see money they are making and go out and make another one. But to film these creatures, they need to make sure that they are healthy and their habitat is kept safe.

Buying specialist magazines or books can also make larger companies aware of an interest in certain wildlife or habitats so that they focus more on them and possibly invest more money in research and/or protection.

Similarly, you can join a charity or wildlife group that is helping to educate local people to live with dangerous species (as with the lynx), train specialists to protect endangered animals (as with gorillas) or just stop people chopping down their home (as with orangutans)!

Some charity organisations also sell ‘gift’ packs for certain animals or habitats – such as the WWF. This allows you to buy a gift for a friends birthday/wedding/event that actually sends fund directly to your chosen destination!

Your friends get a cuddly toy, information and magazines all about the dolphin or turtle or whatever – and they get to help protect the wildlife! Rather than buying some consumer gifts and throwing away loads of packaging and sticky tape to haunt future generations – your gift will be keeping those habitats alive for future generations (and yourself) to enjoy!

What Can I Do Abroad?
Obviously joining a charity vacation abroad to actually work with the animals or local communities involved will be a great help. You will be there first hand to help protect your favourite creatures – and learn so much more about them.

You could even just take a vacation to the country that they live in and just support that nation in terms of tourism – maybe booking a tour specifically to see those animals in their habitat. By telling your local hosts and native tour guides that these animals and this habitat were the only reasons for you trip here will make sure that they are aware of the importance of preserving that.

If you went to India and didn’t pay to go see the tigers – why would they bother to help keep them there? Tourism runs like a business – if the tea plantation makes more money than the tiger reserve – guess what might happen? The reserve is taken over by tea!

Make sure that you also tell tour companies the reason for your holiday – I mean if you (and 100′s of other vacationers were asking for a whale-watching holiday in Mexico and they didn’t offer one – I’m sure they would start looking into it!

You must be active in telling companies why you are or are not booking with them. If they don’t know what their potential customers are wanting – they can’t offer it. Don’t just leave them to guess – make the choice for them – make them support your cause.

It may even have a multiplying effect as some people who aren’t so active may book an alternate holiday instead – but if they saw a new wildlife trip on offer in the brochure – they may book it themselves, sending even more funds and interested people to your favorite location or to see your favorite animals!

Basically - you need to get active and show your support for the things you like. Just like you favorite store: if you don’t support it – you could lose it!

posted by Catherine on May 23

Trying to turn over a new leaf in terms of your travel habits? Here are some great ideas for train travel around Europe and The United States.

There is the InterRail Pass for all 30 countries in Europe and the Amtrak USA Rail Pass for all the mainland states (with possible extension into Canada). Both of which are very flexible and just waiting for your adventure to begin.

How Do They Work?
Well you can choose from a selection of options available for each pass type depending on how long or how far you want to travel.  For example do you want unlimited travel for the whole month, or do you just want to get from east to west coast and back again?

Once you have decided on this you can see which of the packages will best suit your needs.  If you are hoping to visit several cities on your trip, then you could focus on the number of journeys included in the ticket rather than the time-scale, but if you want to just go all over whenever you fancy, then the time scale becomes more important.

What Does InterRail Offer?
Interrail offers both types of tickets, so basically you can either have so many journeys within a set period of time – like 5 days travels out of a 10 day period, or 10 days travel over a 22 day period.  Alternatively you can have 22 consecutive days of travel in your package so you are not limited to catching a train to the next town for the day and back if you like a certain hotel. 

Interrail is only available to Europeans – (and you cannot travel in your own country on your ticket) but covers travel to 30 countries, including Austria, Bulgaria, Croatia, Denmark, Sweden, Finland, France, The UK, Spain, Romania, Turkey and Serbia! So, in 10 days you could have covered 15 or more countries!

There are also other deals that you can link to these passes, including local transport networks like the Swiss Pass (allowing you unlimited travel on their network) and of course free or reduced entry to museums or historical sites like with the Great British Heritage Pass.

Alternatively, you can just choose one country to travel in – for example – if you have booked a cheap holiday to Turkey and want to see more without paying the high fees of your tour operator! You can pay as little as £110 for 8 days train travel within a period of a month (you don’t have to be in the country for the whole month) and take day trips to wherever you want from your hotel base! Great stuff!!

The Amtrak Alternative:
The USA Travel Pass allows a slightly different service where it sells you passes with a number of ‘segments’ included. These ‘segments’ are legs of a journey and count as one segment per single get on-get off journey. So if you just travel 10 minutes down the road on your Rail Pass – you use up a whole segment!

As with the Interrail Pass, you do have the option to just buy a normal train or bus ticket locally for shorter journeys so you don’t waste your money on these little bits so to speak!

However, there are many long distance trains that can make this more worth while if you were looking for a coast-to-coast experience! For example you could make it from New York to San Diego in 3 segments (although on is a long long long old journey), or from New York to Miami on one all-day journey!

Both types of tickets are readily available online or through agents – who can help you choose the best package and also give you great tips – from £110 up to £582 for Europe (kids under 3 are free)and from $389 to $749 for the US Pass (kids under 2 are free). Students can get great discounts too!

So where are you going?

posted by Catherine on May 17

Get your Kids Involved With the Wildlife In The UK, by joining one of the National Societies!

There are so many wildlife and nature groups in the UK, that there is always a reason to take you vacation locally and teach your kids about the very place they live in.  And as everyone is staying closer to home thie year – why not make the most of it and join a national society to get some great goodies and free entry for great days out!

Kids need to learn about the animals in the world – and it’s all fair and well teaching them about lions in Africa and Emu’s in South America – but what about the animals they get to see almost everyday!  Shouldn’t they know about those first?

Well, below are 4 great nature clubs that the family can become a member of to get to grips with where red squirrels live and what Robins eat.

RSPB – The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds.
There are over 100 RSPB reserves in the UK – and each one offers a perfect insight into local bird species as well as the mammals and invertebrates that share their habitat.

They have a Wildlife Explorers Club for the youngsters, meaning that they get magazines, information, posters and stickers as well as free entry to all the sites and member events.  You can join up to 3 children from the same address for just £25 for the year – and they get a free gift depending on their age group.

The WildLife Trusts Across The UK.
There are 47 Wildlife Trusts covering the British Isles with over 2,226 reserves – most with visitor centres offering maps and advice – and all are free to enter.

However, you can actually join with your local wildlife trust rather than a national membership, and get regular updates on their reserves and their Action Diary of events.  You can join the Family Watch membership group where your children can attend events and win merits for their actions – learning more all the time.  You can even encourage your child’s school to join as well!

You don’t have to join just your local Trust – you could select one where you normally take a holiday – and volunteer while you are away.

The Woodland Trust. 
1,000 woods covering 20,000 hectares – all completely free!  You can take you family to any of these sites for a great day out, including those with restaurants, large open areas and information stations.

Kids can join the Nature Detectives Club which gives them related information about the woodland habitat and regular competitions to enjoy.  There is also the opportunity to get their Teacher involved with a special membership package, where they get equipment to use in their classes.

WWT – Wildfowl & Wetlands Trust. 
With only 9 sites in the UK, this is a charity that you won’t regret joining!  Not only do you get to see an amazing array of both British and migratory wetland birds at close quarters – you also get to see some exotic and endangered species face to face as well!

Kids can feed the birds from their hands, follow the trails across boardwalks and through woodlands as well a pond dip for bugs and shellfish.  All sites have an amazing amount of information for the family to enjoy, with large sculptures dotted around – and of course the famous nene geese that the founder saved from extinction!

Our wetland areas are also declining far too fast for some species and so joining this society will be making sure that the country has something left for your kids future!

Stay Local & Enjoy Local!

posted by Catherine on Mar 11

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The One Life Live show is on in London this weekend, and will be a great place for you to find inspiration and advice for your eco holidays.

Although the actual show is about making that change to get a better work/life balance – there is plenty there to offer the eco traveller!

Many travel and volunteering companies will be there to offer you travel plans, charity treks, responsible tourism advice and to basically make sure that if you want to travel you will get the chance.

The Show:
There are 8 zones for the show offering all sorts of companies up for a chat with you – and if you come well prepared you can get all your eco answers in one sitting.

There are also many free seminars on offer throughout the few days covering topics about volunteering, life changing adventures and advice on planning that grown up gap travel – even some on how to make money while you travel and getting qualified to teach abroad too.

What’s It Like?
Well, I have been several times myself, and it is a great (but tiring) day out as there is so much crammed in!  There were so many companies there that I hadn’t heard of – or some I knew that were offering something different!  There was a whole overland adventure vehicle for you to explore, yurts and canoes – plus the chance to sign up to adventure travel magazines at a massive reduction.

Of course there are also people running the stands that have already done what you are planning, and many who have even lived in the countries you want to go and visit – so make sure you talk to as many people as you can – and make sure you live the only life you have.

This one right now!!

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