Eco Holidays

posted by Catherine on Jan 23

Nothing beats actually doing something – so book yourself on a course.

If you are one of those people who says ‘oh, I’ve always wanted to do that…’ then you need to start doing them!

Sometimes they are such simple things, like going to a local castle, walking along a certain coast, climbing a certain mountain – all of which are usually free, but we never seem to fit them in, even though they are so simple to do.

Other things people might not get round to are new skills – or improving existing skills – where courses can be free, or the cost going to a great cause.

You will never learn how to identify fungi unless you get out there and actually search for them; learning bird calls is impossible without listening to the birds themselves and you certainly can’t learn how to manage a woodland, divert a stream or grow your own food from just reading a book!

Local Courses:
So, by booking yourself on to a course with a local agency, charity or organisation, you will finally get around to achieving something outdoorsy and eco friendly – and have a great time learning!

Build You Own Bug House

Here I have listed some courses and talks that I have found available in local advertisings – things that you could easily do:

Sustainable Building Talk – Local Permaculture Group:
Spend the morning listening to a talk by a leading local expert with a Q&A session – and then have a tour of an existing sustainably built and run eco house and get to see what is working where inside and outside.

Make Your Landscape Photography Come Alive – Local Wildlife Trust:
An intensive 1-day course for landscape photography for beginners and improvers. A few hours in the class room first thing to cover the basic settings, composition and equipment – then out in the field to experiment with emotion, light and adding your own style.

Basic Bushkraft – Local Independant Adult Ed Centre
Covering an array of outdoor skills – you will spend the day with adults all experimenting with basic survival skills. These skills include; green wood-working, shelter building, fire lighting, knots and cooking.

A Weekend With A View – Local Youth Hostels
Stay for 2 days at a local Youth Hostel in a picturesque location – with activites and walks planned throughout. Explore the local area and landscapes with your guide before settling down for group dinner and stories in the evening. Wake up to fresh air and a great breakfast and then head off on more adventures till hometime!

There Is Something For Everyone:
Even if none of those sound like your kettle of fish, then hunt around for other adventures to get you outside and exploring – and hopefully learning a new skill along the way.

Whether its an evening with badgers or bats, woodland or heathland ecology, an introduction to beekeeping or butterflies, or maybe rock pools, painting, basketry and bryophytes! You can always find something you like.

So, no more excuses – do what you have always wanted to do!

posted by Catherine on Feb 18

March 27th 2010 will be the 4th Earth Hour across the globe – and you can get involved in something big!

After the reportedly pointless Copenhagen meeting last year, we need to try a different tack – and I think the Earth Hour is certainly getting results.

Not only is it so easy for you to get involved and make it even more of a success than last year, but it is also an opportunity for you to learn more about the tireless and endless work of the World Wide Fund for Nature (the WWF) and to keep up-to-date with global wildlife news and activities.

The Challenge:
Earth Hour is as simple as turning off your lights for an hour – that really is all you need to do to be a part of this global movement. 

Of course, you sitting in the dark for 60 minutes isn’t much fun and it only involves you – so why not make a night of it with your friends and family.  The more people that are at your event the bigger the impact:

• If they are with you then they don’t have their lights on at home either.
• They will know more about Earth Hour so can pass on the word.
• They will know more about Climate Change and so could lower their impact.
• They will have so much fun that they might organise their own event next year, inviting more people!

There are also massive events being organised across the world and in major towns and cities that you could become a part of too.  And there is even a video competition for Earth Hour this year – you need to create a short video that the WWF can use to promote Earth Hour on the website – and you could win £1000 for your efforts as well!

The Results:
Although turning off your lights for an hour at 8.30pm local time will help visually show the cause – you should really Sign Up on the official WWF page so that your numbers can be counted towards the global targets and be used in official figures.

The numbers of people involved has been steadily rising – and this year they are aiming for 1 billion to join in!  So make your actions count, and be a part of this.

Only 37 days left to sign up – so get organising!!!

Read a related article from WWF’s 2009′s Earth Hour.

posted by Catherine on Jan 25

All your outdoor and adventure needs and resources under one roof!

And it will actually be filled with real life adventurers who have travelled to the North Pole, the South Pole, across the Sahara and having rowed the Atlantic! Including Ranulph Fiennes, Simon King and Ben Fogle.

Not only will you be able to listen to these great explorers talking about their inspirations and future plans – you will be able to indulge in some activities you have been meaning to get around to for some time!

And as the Outdoors Show is at the end of March this year, you have plenty of time to research the types of travel and outdoor experiences you want to find the most our about – therefore making the best use of the resources available.

What’s There?
Well, if you have ever wanted to use a climbing wall – you won’t be short of opportunities here, there is also abseiling, slacklining (a bit like tight-rope walking but with a wobbly flimsy line to walk on instead(!)) and even using crampons for some ice climbing too!

And it’s not all about far flung destinations – and for those who like to stay closer to home you can enjoy the careers zone focussing on your 5-year plan (basically seeing what type of things employers you like the look of are looking for in a new recruit and aiming for them with courses and real-life experiences).

Add to this the Wilderness section, where you can get hands on advice about bush-tracking, cooking, and camping whether you are at home, in the Arctic or the desert!

Many UK tourist boards will also be found pitching the outdoor appeal of their part of the country to you!

If you are like me, then you will be wanting the opportunity to take advantage of some of the retail offers – I am looking for new walking boots and a nice fitted waterproof coat.  So, I can find out the best styles and prices beforehand – and hope to get a great deal at the show!

Why Go?
Well, if you have any sort of adventure in your heart and need a tiny bit of a push to really get excited – then there could be no better place.

Yes, there are other travel shows going on around now but this one should really get to the ground roots of eco adventures.  Other will talk only of far-flung places, whereas this show is all about advenutres at home as well.

The UK is a great country and can appeal to all sorts of people – and so why not find out what landscapes and cultures we have here before heading across the world to see what they’ve got!

And, you might just meet someone famous along the way…….

posted by Catherine on Dec 14

This is the story of an amazing 20-month journey around the world without flying!

Nick Tuppin and Holly Gee decided that they were going to travel the world together, but not by buying a round-the-world plane ticket and bouncing across the globe in 6 months!

They wanted adventure – and they wanted it to be an eco adventure.  Whether it’s walking, cycling, buses, trains, or freighters – they will use it!  Talk about inspiring!

And they wanted to give back to the communities they were visiting as well, so they volunteered and worked their way around as well. Working in a school and helping to set up a website are just some of the things that they became involved in along the way.

The Route:
Starting out in France in September 2008, they passed through Spain and across the Atlantic to the Caribbean.  On from there to Columbia and up through Central America, the States and finally out the top through Canada and Alaska in September 2009 to Korea, China and ending up in Nepal for The New Year.

In 2010, the journey will continue across Mongolia and Russia, then down south to Turkey and up across eastern Europe on the Danube river, then hopefully home for May 2010.

So far they are right on track and their latest blog posts show them in Kathmandu.  The articles are certainly detailed and shows how they are getting by – including an impromptu job interview!  It also details about the attempts of locals to get into the British Gurkha Army and their participation in a house blessing ceremony!

They have included some great photos of their journey – every step of the way.  They include maps and historic images along the way too – making you feel like you are part of the journey with them.

Although they do have a history of travel – they are just two ordinary people who had normal jobs and just wanted to make a difference.  So they got up and did something about it!

That could be you!

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 Dec 4

If you have ever wanted to become an eco travel writer and broadcaster – here is your chance!

Every year, the Royal Geographic Society (RGS) offer someone the chance to win the Journey of a Lifetime award, to go travel to and write about a pressing and inspiring story from around the world.

The Award:
The RGS offer a prize of UK£4000 to someone who want to communicate their story – their passion – to the world.  Someone who wants to investigate a location or an event that they feel needs to be brought to a wider audience.

Whether it is about a local village close to your home or on the other side of the world, a small family-run enterprise or a global event, whether it affects a few people in one place or thousands across a continent – it doesn’t matter.

Its your version of ‘their’ story – and they help you make the most of your time too – they offer you radio and broadcasting training from the BBC so that you can best create and record your journey – even recording it for a Radio 4 documentary.

And of course the winner will feature in their own magazine Geographical – with last years winners article in the December 2009 edition.

The Details:
You only need visit the RGS website to read the guidelines for applicants – and you can also learn about previous winners stories and watch their video diaries.

Basically, you need to let them know the outline for your independent journey – and why it needs to be you that tells the story!  And you need to pick somewhere to go that is different to the norm – and some aspect of that journey that makes you unique and your story unforgettable.

You need to be at least 18 years old – and it could be you alone or you as part of a small group of travellers – but it must be something you alone are doing – it can’t be part of a tourist trail or charity event organised by others.

The guidelines make it almost look too easy to apply – there is virtually no previous experience needed to apply, and the first stage is just to send them a brief overview of what you are thinking of covering.  There are interviews later down the line and the 2 finalists play it head to head for the winner – but that is a long way off.

Just put pen to paper now – and it gives you virtually a whole year to think about the final details – the closing date isn’t until September 2010!

If you are enthusiatic about something – this could be the best way to explore it and share it with the world!

Certainly something to think about.

posted by Catherine on Oct 20

There is no longer any good reason to not be concerned about carbon emissions!

If you even have one tiny part of you that is seeking to become more eco friendly, it must be to reduce your carbon emissions and helping to reduce (considerably) your by-products and those of your workplace, friends, societies and any other groups of people you can!

It’s true that saving wildlife, reducing deforestation, species conservation, cutting poverty and the like are all very, very important – but if we don’t stop the world heating up like a giant radiator – none of these will matter.

How much more difficult will it be to preserve the habitat of an endangered species of turtle when people are struggling to feed their families?  How can you justify preventing agricultural development of a vast area of natural rain forest when food isn’t growing anymore in the fields that people have used for centuries?

They all becomes a bit less of a concern when human lives are becoming threatened instead!

There is a whole host of information out there about cutting your carbon emissions, and trying to make more ‘eco’ choices for your energy, your travel and your home and business, and it’s always great to support any new ones that come onto the scene. 

If the number of ‘green’ internet sites increases and the number of ‘green seekers’ online increases, then larger bodies can see that they need to start becoming interested too.  Lots of voices all saying the same thing make changes happen!

One such new site is CarbonCredits.cm, which has a growing selection of relevant articles about the environment and tips for reducing your carbon footprint.  It also has very up to date comments and reactions to current affairs!

It’s called global warming because it involves everyone on this earth, regardless of where they are, how old they are and what they want for their family and friends.  Unfortunately, the time has passed for someone just recycling their newspapers to make a difference – it is all caught up in a giant web.

The sooner we get the governments themselves to start doing something – the sooner we can all start thinking about something else worth our time and energy!  The longer we put off making a big difference to our carbon emissions, the less chance we have of recovering what we have lost.

It’s time to think big and act on your environmental concerns – otherwise just surviving might be your biggest concern!

posted by Catherine on Dec 4

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Hello and welcome to this new, fantastic blog about eco holidays and adventures. It will fill your hearts with joy at the wonders of eco living and traveling.

Not only can you now take your eco holidays in style, but you can also take them on whichever continent you wish and at a reasonable price. And we are here to help.

This blog hopes to cover all the greatest eco destinations, the most exciting eco adventures, tips on finding the best eco holidays for you, and advice on planning and extending your adventures wherever you are and whatever you are doing!

Choices include underwater adventures, cultural community-living, wildlife-friendly safaris, reclusive rain-forest lodges, snow-covered mountain retreats or even just a great weekend away in your nearest National Park.

So, from here on in, there is nothing but great holiday ideas, tips for responsible tourism, helpful contacts and facts, facts, and more facts!

Enjoy.

TravelCat