Eco Holidays

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 28

There is a great way to see things thousands of miles away without flying - look into space!

You don’t need all that technical, astronomical and expensive equipment to see the stars - there is plenty you can see just with your own eyes.  And what great way to add to your camping experience than to watch distant planets and other-wordly stars pass by through the night.

Obviously the one thing you do need is a dark clear sky to start with, but there are many places even just on the outskirts of cities that will do just fine as well.  You need as little ambient light as possible - so steer clear of huge street lights, football stadiums, airports, late night shopping centers and motorways and you should be fine!

So, below I have listed some things that could enthrall not only your children, but even yourself.  And they are not difficult to identify even by a very beginner!

Venus:
The small gaseous planet next in towards the sun after earth (Sun-Mercury-Venus-Earth-Mars-Jupiter-Saturn-Uranus-Neptune-Pluto (if it’s still in your books as a planet as otherwise it ruins the saying: My Very Energetic Mother Jumps Several Universes - No Problem!).

Venus is best seen right after sunset or just before sunrise due to the way it moves around the sun, but it is the brightest thing in the night sky after the moon - and like all planets: it doesn’t twinkle - it’s a solid light and will be quite low in the sky.  

Orion’s Belt:
These 3 bright stars are in a slight diagonal line and appear in the south if you are in the Northern Hemisphere (north of the equator).  They are part of a larger constellation and once you have identified the ‘belt’ part, you can look out from there to see the 4 other bright stars in each corner so to speak, the top left being Betelgeuse - a red supergiant star, nearing the end of it’s life and ready to explode!

The Big Dipper (part of Ursa Major):
This is a well known constellation of stars in the shape of a kitchen pan, and can be seen in the Northern Hemisphere as well but looking north.  It is basically a square to the right with a curved handle leading off to the left.  It makes up the rear end of the mythical bear (ursa is the latin name for bears).

It’s quite a large constellation to - as opposed to Ursa Minor - it’s smaller equivalent and sort of upside down!  However, Ursa Minor has the Pole Star at the very tip of it’s tail - so can be easy to find in the dark sky as well.

The Milky Way:
You really can see the Milky Way up there on a very clear night.  It takes a while to actually see it as it is a huge expanse of ‘cloud’ - really a multitude of stars all overlaid and twinkling away - some estimate it contains up to 400 billion stars!

All of these stars are actually Suns - just like ours.  They can be different sizes and different colours depending on what stage of life they are in (ranging from 1 billion to over 13 billions years old!) and what elements they are burning.

So, get out there, and have a look!

posted by Catherine on Mar 4

.

If you want to visit Bhutan - you need to pay at least $200 per day for every day of your trip!

Basically the King of Bhutan decided that levels of tourism should be controlled by high taxes - and these taxes should be used to fund the national health care system in Bhutan and to increase levels of education. Good idea?

Well, there is a certain amount of ‘eco’ to it, in that the country isn’t over-run with back-packers and package holiday hotels churning out buffet lunches and free drinks 24 hours a day. The airport can be kept small and no chain stores will set up in the departure lounge!

However, if tourism is so ‘damaging’ should you even go there in the first place?

Bhutan:
High in the Himalayas sits the Kingdom Of Bhutan. 70% of the country is forested and 60% is protected for life by law for future generations. The population are all Buddhists.

National Parks cover 25% of the land and there are some endemic species that aren’t really found anywhere else. The landscape is amazing and beautiful - and virtually untouched by technology and modern accoutrement’s. Cattle draw the ploughs, farmers tend the fields and national dress is seen in every village and homestead. Mobile phones and televisions have only just been allowed in the country (in 1999).

The King wanted to preserve the national culture and this pristine environment - and after watching the influx of hoards of travellers to neighbouring Nepal - he wanted to prevent that in his country - so he set up the current visa system for tourists.

He also gave up his complete power over the country, by becoming a constitutional monarchy where the countries citizens could make the decisions. They haven’t changed anything yet - so he obviously got something right!

Bhutan is currently held up as the best example of sustainable development and responsible tourism in the world.

Travel In Bhutan:
In an extreme version of forced ‘responsible tourism’ everything must be book through a Bhutanese travel agent and there are many other clauses that make sure that all monies stay within Bhutan and all services used are with Bhutanese people. The cost of the visa covers all you expenses when in the country - unless you book luxury hotels or extras that will take you over this lower limit!

Flights- The country only allows their own airline (Druk Airlines) into the country’s airport. Druk Airlines are not affiliated to any other airline so all flights into the country must be booked through them. Basically you need to book a seperate flight to one of their destination airports that Druk Airlines fly to, to be able to then catch their flight into Bhutan.

Accommodation And Food- All hotels, hostels, homesteads or other accomodations must be booked in advance through a Bhutanese Tour Operator - as with all food and drinks. All these locations involve living with local people or staffed through small local businesses therefore keeping the money in the country.

Basically, you need to give details in advance of where you want to stay during your holiday here and who you are going to using for your food and drink supplies. You will not be granted the visa for your trip here unless all this is booked in advance. For some of the more recent luxury hotels, you will need to pay more than the $200 per day for your stay.

Guides And Tours - Again, these all need to be booked in advance of your trip and can be included in the visa cost - as are National Park entry fees. You need to pay for and be escorted at all times by your local Bhutanese guide, and you cannot visit national parks or certain landmark sites and locations without one.

Extreme tours and helicopter rides for example may well be charged as extras on top of the visa fee.

In Summary:
There is no point planning a visit to this country unless you are serious about seeing specific things within the Kingdom. With a 3 day trip here costing a minimum of $600 it will certainly put a dent in the budget of a long-term traveller.

But travelling there just for a few days could cause more environmental damage than benefits - and the pleasure of taking a longer look at what’s here to be discovered. A flight in and out of Bhutan for just 3 days will rack up your carbon footprint, but will be benefiting the people no end with 35% of your costs going into the government projects, and most of the remainder going to help local communities and pay individual wages.

However, if you don’t visit this nation now, you will miss out on the sheer excitement of being one of the first and the few visitors who step into this magical world.

The Trips:
There are several companies that come up ‘green’ in Bhutan and can offer very different services:

Nature Tourism - specialising in the natural world, they offer birdwatching and botanical tours, entomological tours are also available as are many other niche interest groups. They also take part in community work, forestry projects and river cleaning.

Snow White Treks & Tours - specialise in cultural tours - and can offer some of the best home-stays and festivals while in Bhutan. They offer a huge selection of cultural tours in the region as well as remote trekking in the National Parks.

Yangphel Tours- offers a whole range of diverse trips and tours while in Bhutan and is one of Bhutan’s leading Tour Operators.

Booking the whole trip yourself direct with Bhutanese comapanies can be done but is quite tricky, so try using one of the following companies to be the middle-man and make everything run a bit more smoothly:

UK - www.exodus.co.uk
US - www.mtsobek.com
AU - www.perigrineadventures.com

.

posted by Catherine on Feb 17

.

Instead of visiting a jungle to help plant trees - why not learn how to live there and survive using it’s natural resources?

There is an ethical company that can offer the opportunity to venture deep into jungles, learn a second language, teach children and adults, and even learn to dive. Their motto is ‘tread lightly…. go far’ and they have a great reputation - even training up Bruce Parry and employing him for years!

Who Are They?
Since starting in 1990, TrekForce have offered expeditions and adventures into some of the most remote locations in the world, helping local communities along the way.

They have also been responsible for setting up over 100 new national parks, carried out biodiversity studies, completed hundreds of separate local projects, planted a quarter of a million trees (they are running as a carbon neutral company now) and placed over 600 teaching assistants in over 300 community schools overseas.

They also run packages for charities and CSR - Corporate Social Responsibility - which can boost big company profiles and help to attract future employees.

What Do They Offer?
As part of their packages - and depending on how long you can travel with them - they offer a whole host of skills and experiences. These include the following:

Jungle Training - Instructors will help train you to set up camp, how to navigate, find food and water and basically make it through the night in the jungle.

Explore New Locations- They will set you on a challenge in some remote location at the request of the country you are visiting. This could include cataloging and mapping new areas or archaeological sites - never before visited. It could include building or repairing important structures for research and community support - and supporting local wildlife and conservation.

Living With Host Families- While traveling into these areas you will live with families across the region, learning the language and the culture. You can travel independently during this time, or spend more time with the local community.

Teaching - You have the opportunity to be placed as a teaching assistant within local schools within small or large communities. You may well be involved with field trips, helping to practice your leadership and language skills along the way.

Diving Lessons - Some courses end in a dive party having learnt PADI basics in location, then you can enjoy the clear waters to refresh your mind after all the hard work of the previous months!

Where And When?
Eco holiday destinations include Guatemala and Belize, Ecuador and Peru, Borneo, Papau New Guinea, Nepal, Morocco and Australia.

The adventures range from as little as 2 weeks (basic jungle skills) for around £1200, all the way up to 5 months (the full package) for up to £4100 - that’s less than £30 a day!!!!  Cheaper than a night in a Bed and Breakfast!

And don’t forget that that price includes a pre departure meeting, all meals and accommodation, transfers, training and emergency back-up - and a meet-up reunion afterwards. Not bad in my book.

The trips to Ecuador and Australia include the long term possibility of working there for up to a year from as little as £900 fully supported, and there is also an extended course where you can train to be a qualified expedition leader for over £6000 - this is real serious stuff and could lead you on a whole new career! Just ask Mr Parry about that!!!!!

Are you up for the challenge?

.