Eco Holidays

posted by Catherine on Feb 1

Use the MOT test requirements to check your car’s road worthiness for your vacation!

The annual MOT car test for cars covers a whole list of things to check that make your car safe to be on the road. So you can use this before heading off on a long journey like a vacation to make sure that you and your family will be safe.

Obviously, there are parts of the MOT that are not something you can check – like you cars emissions – but that isn’t a safety feature anyway…….

So here is a quick checklist of things to do or look out for on your car before heading away from home (and away from car mechanics, garages and motor stores!):

Seat Belts:
Make sure that all seat belts fit securely into their holders even if you are not planning to use them – as you may need them at some point! Make sure that when sharply pulled they jam up as they should. And all seats should be able to be secured in the upright condition to allow the seat belts to work properly.

Mirrors:
All the mirrors in your car are clean and not cracked. It is not illegal in the UK to drive with a damaged or missing passenger mirror, but obviously inhibits your ability to drive as normal, and could cause you to look behind you when driving to check for other cars.

Boot & Bonnet:
Both of these need to be able to close securely as do all the doors on the vehicle – which also need to open freely as well for exiting the vehicle safely.

Lights:
Check that all your lights are working either with a friend watching in the evening, or by reversing close to a window or mirror in the dark to see that everything is in order. If someone can’t see you are braking or want to turn left or right, they could come right into the back of you!

Windscreen:
Obviously there needs to be nothing on this that restricts your view forward and the windscreen wipers need to clean the entire windscreen and the washer fluid must exit freely. Obviously, a large crack in the windscreen on the drivers side is very dangerous – and that a small crack left untreated could cause the entire pane to crack at any time!

Tyres & Steering:
Your tyres have a minimum tread allowed before they are illegal and too little tread will mean that they will not grip the road safely, especially in difficult weather. So make sure that they are fully inflated as per your guide book and that they have ample tread depth.

If tyres are not properly inflated they will make steering a little bit harder and will also damage the tyre itself and the frame itself. Steering can also be a problem if there is too much ‘pull’ to one side or the other when driving at speed, so make sure this is all checked before you head off on the motorways.

Brakes:
It goes without saying that your brakes need to be responsive to touch otherwise your vacation could be cut very short indeed – so judge for yourself if they could do with being checked before you head off – as a car loaded up with people and belongings can take a lot longer to stop at speed than and empty one!

And finally…..

Recovery Services:
Ideally before you set out on a long journey or if you drive regularly, you should make sure that you a a member of a roadside and recovery company. That way if anything you can’t check for above goes wrong – someone will be at hand to help fix it or to take you to a garage that can!

posted by Catherine on Jan 16

Take a break in the countryside and leave the car at home – 4 legs is all you need!

There are thousands of places across the globe that specialise in horse riding holidays where you turn up and saddle up!

Some are only a few days long and others can last a week or two.  Others just keep coming back to the same place every night, and others trek across vast wildernesses like Patagonia, Canada and Mongolia.

You can do it for pleasure, to learn a new skill or to raise money for charity – but you can do it!

Eco Friendly Transport!
You can cover more distance on a horse when you want to explore and they don’t churn out dangerous emissions and use up valuable gas!

Once you have arrived at the farm or ranch, you can relax and slip into a different world for your vacation.

Instead of sight-seeing in a town or city where you have to drive around to get to anything, you can just walk outside of your lodge and meet your partner.

Even if you want to travel many miles, it will only cost you a few swigs of water to get you there and back!

Reach Those Difficult Places:
Also on horseback you will be able to travel to those places where 4 heels just can’t fit, like up a mountain pass to see a magnificent sunset, or down steep valley sides to get to the isolated waterfall.

And being high up offers you views you might not see on your own 2 feet!

Horse trails use up far less land than car trails – and no trees need to be pulled down to make a road, or habitats destroyed to cater for wider vehicles.

Riding through the landscape therefore has much less of an impact than other forms of transport and it gives you the opportunity to enjoy the whole experience more – as you don’t need to watch your step – the horse does that!

You can watch the landscape change colour in the sunlight, observe the colourful wildlife and birds pass you by – even if they are behind you.  Just hold on to the saddle and enjoy the ride!

Next Holiday?
So next time you are thinking of taking a short break close to home, or farther afield – why not consider a horseback one?

You don’t need to be an experienced rider either – unless you are hoping to ride up an active volcano – there are plenty of riding centers that take on complete beginners right up to regular riders.  Just make sure the school know your real level before you book.

I once went on a ride for the day and when we started galloping along the beach the chap behind me started making a lot of noise!  When we all stopped to find out what happened he said he had only ever walked on a horse before.  He put down that he was ‘experienced’ because he had ridden a horse that was walking loads of times!  He wasn’t experienced in the right sense – and it nearly lost him his saddle!

So, Tally-Ho I say!

posted by Catherine on Dec 21

Internal flights across all of Europe are a thing of the past with the fantastic train network!

Even though the UK is an island and separated from the rest of the European mainland by the English Channel – you can still get there by train.

And, no.  There isn’t a great big record-breaking bridge between the 2 – there is the Channel Tunnel to Ashford Railway Station; a straight through train route taking as little as an hour to pass from France to the UK and costing as little as €89!

Train Travel:
Although you may have to fly to Europe in the first place, trains are a great way to see the countries you are visiting – and to meet the people.

Sitting on a plane would normally see you enclosed in your own little space, watching a movie no doubt.  And if you did talk to anyone it would only be the person sitting right next to you or the steward.

On a train, you can see everyone, hear everything and watch the great views pass you by outside.  You won’t need movies and inflight magazines to entertain you: you will have mountains, cities, great rivers and tiny villages.  All a magical part of your vacation experience!

Arriving in the UK:
Just hop on any train from Paris or Brussels that’s heading to Ashford International Station – and the UK is a few short hours away!

Once your high speed train emerges from the tunnel and into the UK, you can visit anywhere else in the country if you alight in Ashford – or maybe consider staying onboard and head straight through to London.

The train carriages are sold as sitting only, so you all have your own designated seat and no standing passengers – meaning the experience is all the better!  Almost luxurious!

If it’s only a fleeting visit, go straight to London – stay a few nights.  Explore the many sights of London and a night at the Theatre, then hop straight back on the high speed train at St Pancras and you will be ordering croissants and coffee in Paris for lunch!

Travel Europe:
There are many travel deals for train travel throughout Europe – like buying a 2 week pass, or a multi-destination ticket – many of which include travel to the UK.

Many international train stations around Europe also include other transport links such as long distance coach and bus stations and indeed airports for your departure flights.

And if you are from the UK itself or have been living there, then why not visit Ashford International‘s website for information on departing train times, prices and all other relevant details like parking and connecting trains or buses.

There is no excuse now to fly to the UK when exploring Europe – just hop on board a train!

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 Nov 20

Less miles is good, but fuel-efficient driving is even better!

I know that driving your car less is a great way to lower your carbon footprint, and that always will be true – but you could improve the fuel used when driving by following the golden rules below:

1) Different Day – Different Car
We all have certain things in the car that we need there all the time, like a map-book and a car jack, etc.

But, just because we use the roof rack occassionally or that baby seat for the weekend there is no need to drive them to work every day – or to the stores for your shopping. And that 5 litres of oil in the back is costing you more in gas – every day it’s there!

Every extra pound in your car is using more fuel, so make sure that everytime you plan a day out, you make sure that the car only contains those things that it needs for that one time.

However, that doesn’t mean have less people in your car or only car share with skinny people! Cars are designed to carry 4 or 5 people, so make sure that yours does. Always offer to car share for work and vacations. Just 1 less car on the road in your region every hour can make huge savings over the year – and over the whole country!

2) Bike Racks & Trailers
There are times when you want to have your bikes on the back or the roof, or a small trailer attached to your car to move those awkward items about – but consider the aerodynamics!

There was a recent survey where different bike racks were used on the same car to drive 2 bikes a long distance – and there was quite a staggering difference in fuel economy depending on where the bikes were positioned.

Some bikes created huge drag as the wind hit them when driving at speed and others just created an instability in weight distribution causing the car to perform differently over distances.

And of course they would produce much less drag (and so save more fuel) if they were inside the vehicle – so maybe a longer car is better for certain people?

So, before you buy your next car, van, trailer or bike rack – read the facts about it. Ask the retailer or check online for more details about fuel efficiency – or you could be costing yourself a lot more in fuel than the amount you saved on your purchase!

3) Creating a Draught
The same goes for having your windows or sunroof open as well. The air flowing into the windows or over the sunroof cause drag on the car, making it use more fuel to keep the same speed.

Close them for most of the faster portions of your driving to be more fuel efficient, using your vents to create a cool draught. Using the air conditioning uses a lot of fuel too – and make the engine work harder, putting it under more strain than it needs!

4) Clean Cars
Do we all really need them? Using an inefficient automated car wash can use over 100 litres of water per wash – that is just totally unnecessary – and that’s what younger brothers and scouts are for!

With a bucket of warm soapy water and a sponge – you could save endless gallons of water being wasted – and help earn someone some extra pocket money!

Although, make sure they wash on gravel or grass rather than the road – otherwise the soapy bubbles will flow straight down the drains rather than percolating through the soil – so could possibly cause low level pollution or diseases!

And anyway, as long as your vehicle has clear windows, lights and licence plates – the rest doesn’t matter really if you are on vacation – or driving through woods or countryside. Why clean something that is going to get dirty again? Save it for a special occasion……..

posted by Catherine on Sep 10

Here I continue with some other areas where I found it difficult to remain green while on vacation…..

On The Buses:
The buses ran very frequently and we didn’t want to hire a car so we stuck with public transport – however – there was a slight problem.

All the buses were churning out black fumes as they trundled along the badly laid streets over-filled with us tourists. Some said ‘12 standing’ but we were hanging out the door alongside another 20 or more people holding on for dear life.

There was no chance at all of us walking anywhere due to the excessive heat, but we were not going to be the only ones waiting for a newer bus to come along to satisfy our eco-needs!

The Hotel Itself.
Now this should have been a safe bet as we had searched it’s details before booking – but they don’t write everything down!

The towels were needlessly replaced everyday even though we followed the instructions to ’save water’ and hung them on the rails, and there were other little things that were not in the description.

For example the giant plasma TV screen in the reception lounge and dozens of little ones dotted around with hotel advertising on them. Then the total reception ‘re-furb’ where they replaced all the furniture overnight!

The main hotel had 3 separate lifts even though it wasn’t that big, and also had 2 separate buildings – each with their own lift too! But when you had got back from a day out and were sweaty and exhausted and with bags of shopping – did walking up to the 5th floor seem a sensible option! I can see why they put them in – or why people don’t like it when they aren’t there.

They also didn’t supply some of the basics needed for a kitchenette, so we had to go and buy all the missing things. So rather than the hotel buying bulk washing-up liquid for example and decanting it into the rooms when you arrived – they didn’t offer this – therefore forcing everyone who came here to go and buy their own.

Now, there were 41 self-catering rooms in our building and some people stayed for a few days, a week or 2 weeks. So it is possible that in the 2 weeks we were there over 100 visitors have had to go and buy washing-up liquid and scourers, etc…… And of course – the containers are too big for such a short time, so did people throw them away when they left!

So, Finally:
It’s alright to say that we should mention these things to our hotel or the stores involved, but many of it falls on deaf ears as I found out! Many hotels cannot afford to make the changes and many see no need as we readily accept what is there.

Over the years people have learnt to expect certain things and accept certain things, and so for a few decades yet, things won’t change. Unless you specifically book into a newly built eco lodge, energy-saving and environmentally advantageous things won’t be as standard. (And why visit a new-build when there were plenty of existing hotels about in the first place?)

Some things won’t change due to accessibility laws: for example, the lifts will have to remain for those with prams or wheelchairs; and the air conditioning for those who are old or young or otherwise unable to tolerate high temperatures.

We need to make some things ‘dirty’ like dropping litter and smoking in restaurants have been to make more people a bit more thoughtful when it comes to using the resources in hotels.

The National History Museum in London has put signs on their lifts suggesting, in a very polite way, that healthy people should really be using the stairs instead. A great start.

posted by Catherine on Aug 14

Welcome to the second part of this article – so I’ll get straight on with it.

Now, think about the alcohol.  What if half the people on your plane were carrying a 2 liter bottle of alcohol they had brought cheap at the airport to drink on holiday?  Just imagine the extra weight involved for the plane to take off. 

And – as people expect to be able to buy duty-free on the plane as well – the airline will be carry liters and liters of the stuff themselves – just in case!  Make sure you aren’t the people who buy it from them – it only means that they will keep supplying it.

Anyway – it would probably only cost people a few extra $’s at most to buy brand name or generic versions of their favorite alcohol at their destination (helping the local economy as well – rather than the global airport firms). 

And most travellers probably haven’t even thought that the extra cost in fuel will no doubt be added to costs elsewhere on the flight – or onto the airline ticket prices for the following year!

So, to help the planet out, follow a few simple guidelines here.

1) Don’t buy your duty free goods on the plane – that way airlines will stop carrying it.  They won’t carry things that never sell.  It just doesn’t make good business sense.

2) If you need to buy your alcohol or perfume before your trip – then buy them at the airport instead.  Then you are not encouraging the plane to carry them – and so in the future – only the drinkers themselves carry these on board rather than the airline carrying enough for everyone!

3) Many airports offer a service where they hold your purchases at your departure airport for you to collect on your return.  This will save you carrying fragile bottles around the airport with you there and back.  Think about using this service for anything you buy duty-free unless it is vital to your vacation. 

4) Some airports even have a tax-free store on the arrivals side – so you can buy your cheap products just as you set off for home – having carried nothing all the way.  Not every airport does this and they don’t hold as many items – but if you research your airport before flying you could save all the agro of carrying everything on the plane – as well as the extra fuel.

Multiply these ‘savings’ up to the other 500 passengers on the plane – and we are getting somewhere!

Add this to the other 500 planes that leave that day – and we will start to see some real changes, and you could be a part of that!

posted by Catherine on Aug 11

Could 1 liter of Bells Whiskey & an extra large bottle of Tommy increase your carbon emissions?

I think that they could if they were tax-free goods you brought at your departure airport!  Then multiply that up by everyone who ever travelled on a plane this week – and that’s some serious extra emissions right there!

We always talk about the little things adding up – and so it is your responsibility to help take those first tiny steps towards the solution.  It may put you out a little bit and mean that you have to plan a bit further ahead than others – but it is all worth it in the end.

So, What Am I Talking About?
Well, for just this 2-part article I am going to be focusing on the extra weight we might be taking onto a plane with us, just because we aren’t really thinking about the bigger picture. 

For example, planes use more fuel the more weight they carry – and we all have a maximum baggage weight when we check in so that’s a given.   Only we can make things worse from here.  Say we buy loads more stuff in duty free and then take it on the plane – are we making things worse?

What if we all refused to buy canned drinks on planes – how much weight could we save them?

What if we boycotted the sale of tax-free alcohol on flights – would it make a difference to our trip?

It is certainly obvious that the sale of glass bottles of perfumed water are just wasting valuable fuel – so why do planes still carry them?

The Answer?
Us – it’s all our fault.  We buy these things (even if only occassionally) and that is why they stock them on board.  Products on airplanes are exactly the same as in stores – if people ask for them – they get stocked.  If people buy them – they order more.

You might only have ever brought one thing on a plane, but there were about 500 other people on that flight too – and on the 30 other flights that morning that left the same airport.

So lets just think about the impacts of just 2 things here that could help to reduce your impact on your future flights.

Duty Free Alcohol & Perfume:
As soon as you get to the airport and through to the lounges – many people head for the duty free stores to get cheap alcohol and some tax-free perfumes.

Both are in glass containers and contain liquid – both of which are very heavy for their size.  Therefore this extra weight is now coming all the way to your destination with you – weighing the plane down. 

And in the case of the purfume, we usually want to savethe most money possible – so we buy ourselves a jumbo sized bottle of our favorite scent.  And we are well aware that even a well-worn scent in a normal sized bottle will last us several months – so why on earth are we buying the largest bottle we have ever seen – and taking it away with us on a 2 week vacation – we can’t expect to use it all while we are away!

Therefore, the whole thing is going to be carried all the way to your destination, left in the room the whole time we are there – then it will be coming all the way home with you – minus a few squirts!  And it is fragile, so could get smashed at any point anyway.

Think of the energy it takes to do that, all the extra care you take with it and it hasn’t added to your trip at all – in fact probably got on your nerves a bit.

Well, read Part 2 to find out how you could still get your favorite smell without all the hassle…..

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?