Eco Holidays

posted by Catherine on Jul 21

Why buy one car to suit all your needs – chop and change whenever you can!

Just like buying that house with a spare room just incase a friend comes to stay, or keeping that extensive wine cellar just incase you throw a party – or even buying that hat for just one wedding – why do we need to buy something so short term?

To help save resources and to make sure that you always have exactly what you need only when you need it – hire it instead – and that is a very eco friendly choice, wouldn’t you say?

Well, the same can be said of cars; why have a variety of vehicles for the family that you have to use for everything that you need, when you could hire a more suitable car when you need it.

Flexible Hire Cars:
We all still need our family car for shopping and school runs, but do we need the spare ‘nice’ car when we want something less ‘family’. And why compromise on a more economical vehicle in luie of those odd holidays; I mean why drive around in a spacious 7-seater every day just so that during the school holidays you can get the scooters and suitcases in the boot!

Hiring cars is no longer such a hoo-haa, and there are varying prices, vehicles and hire periods these days that can help you make the most of different vehicles for your changing needs.

So if you are looking for long term car hire – why not consider all the options – and get the exact car you need whenever you need one.

Why Change?
Well, a sports car doesn’t do the same thing as a camper van. One is perfect for that romantic fast-paced get-a-way but isn’t really suitable for pulling over in a field and making a bacon sandwich! However the other is perfect for that impromtu lunch and life at a slower pace.

Yet you wouldn’t want both sitting on your drive all year waiting for that break!

So just like hiring your wedding dress, a holiday cottage or even a carpet cleaner – hiring a car to suit your needs is the perfect eco friendly alternative – and why not?

photo credit: Land Rover Our Planet

We can’t all afford a minibus, 2-seater or off-roader – yet these might be the perfect vehicle for our short-term needs. And if driven properly and to full capacity, they could be the most eco friendly choice for your needs.

So if you need a vehicle for more than a month and for a specific purpose – consider a hire vehicle which fits the bill perfectly and make the most of your trip or business needs.

No need to stretch your family car to the limit doing something it’s not suited to!

posted by Catherine on Jun 22

What is the fun in making a whole load of rules about the countryside?

The Countryside code is something that people rarely ever read – and this is for 2 main reasons. Either the people being shown the information are too rude and selfish to consider what might be best for the countryside itself and everyone else sharing in it’s beauty, so they have no interest in being ‘told what to do’.

Or they already know the code inside-out as it is all common sense to the the eco thinker!

I mean how more obvious could it be to anyone that dropping litter isn’t a great way to keep the countryside healthy! If you drop litter here today – what do you expect it to look like tomorrow?

The basic principles of the Countryside code are really just the exact same things as we see everywhere else in our lives – but maybe with sheep instead of hamsters, and oaks instead of rose bushes.

Would you leave the door to your friends hamster cage open after you put something inside? Would you start pulling roses off your neighbours bushes because you wanted a closer look at the leaves? Would you hit your dog waste under a hedge with a stick and into the school playground? While looking around a shop, would you start opening all the doors just to see what’s on the other side?

Strange. Because that is just what people expect to be able to do in the countryside.

How Are They The Same?
Unfortunately, because the countryside (and beaches and woodlands and mountains, moors and marshes) are all free to visit – some people assume that they have no value. And so they treat them as such.

For example, Family A travel to a small village for a visit and decide to wander off up a footpath as it is sunny. As they have not ‘done this before’ they may well ‘lose’ their way, find the path turning the ‘wrong’ way or come across a huge muddy puddle.

photo credit: robertsharp

Rather than thinking that the footpath goes another way for a reason or that the place they want to go might be private anyway – they say to themselves: ‘Well, we can see where we want to go – so if we just jump this fence, we can walk across this dry field and get there anyway’.

Now if you went around your friends house for a visit, walked to the end of their garden and saw a beautiful lake across someone else’s garden – you wouldn’t just bunk over your friends fence and trample your family across somone else’s garden to get to the private lake, would you?

So what makes it OK when it is just a farmers field?

All Are Welcome:
The countryside is usually ‘free’ to enter as many charities and private owners alike want people to experience to wonder and amazing character of the open countryside.

They do this by opening up for private business, extending their existing footpath and bridleway network to allow great freedom of the visitors and by making their land as easy to access and walk through as possible.

However, at any time they can revert to the bare minimum of access for walkers and riders. And repreated trespassing and vandalism will only bring this about sooner.

For example, shops that find large numbers of children encourage thefts restrict the number of children they allow in to their stores. Private Houses and Gardens open to the public often put barriers around precious items, flower beds and lawns and even close of certain rooms – usually due to past visitors damaging or breaking something with their carelessness.

The same could be true for your favourite areas of the countryside.

Imagine if all footpaths were fenced in; Open Access land was restricted back to the by-ways and gardens and houses were closed of?

Imagine also that due to the cost of repairs and alterations due to damage by visitors was placed on future visitors.

I remember a whole host of places that used to have ‘free parking’ or ‘free entry’ all year round – and churches that were left open all day.

That is not always the case anymore. More and more landowners, farmers, clergymen and charities are finding that unquestioning hospitality and generosity just are not traits that keep things ticking over.

Times are changing, but hopefully people can too!

Please pass on the Countryside Code to whoever you take out with you on your eco adventures. Pass on the reasons – not the rules – and hopefully you can change a few yourself.

posted by Catherine on Apr 10

Throw out that traditional ‘city’ guidebook – write your own eco adventure guide!

We all try to make sure that we see the oldest church, tallest tower, biggest fountain or a giant shoe – but what about the landscapes surrounding us? Do you find out where the local wildlife lives? Where the local people go and relax or where the more remote landscapes off the tourist trail are?

If not – then you aren’t having an eco adventure – you are having the same ‘adventure’ as a thousand other tourists who passed by.

By finding out a bit more about your destination first, you can discover so much more when you are travelling – and will have a better eco holiday that you ever imagined.

The Landscapes:
It might sound boring to research the rock types and weather patterns of your holiday destination – but by finding out things like whether the rock is ‘hard’ (granite) or ‘soft’ (limestone) you would know whether there would be a lot a water on the surface, the likelihood of caves and what plants and animals you could see.

photo credit: DaveBleasdale

For example softer more porous rock types like chalk and limestones don’t hold water so will be reasonably dry landscapes and any water features will usually be seasonal or man-made. And this affects the wildlife and plants you will find.

Other rock types might produce totally different effects and environmental diversity – which could make for some very interesting places to visit on your vacation.

The Locations:
By looking at the niche habitats and weather patterns – you could find out where the most pleasant places to visit are.

You may well avoid India in the monsoon, and the Caribbean during the hurricane season – so why visit a desert at the hottest time of day, or a tropical coastal location before the afternoon sea breezes come in?

Locals know all the secrets to making the most of the day – so if the locals don’t go out until the afternoon – you know to copy them! What do they do instead and where do they do it?

I remember when I first went to Malta I was back in my flat by 6pm and stayed in all night as I was totally knackered from all that sun. But 1 night I needed something important, so popped back out to the shop and found the entire local population out on the boulevard socialising!

Kids on bikes, couples, babies in strollers and games of chess all going on – there wasn’t a single seat free for about 2 miles of promenade! I had wondered why the prom was so wide with so many benches when I hardly ever saw anyone there – but of course it was too hot during the day to sit in the sun!

Learning a bit more about somewhere isn’t so hard – and then you could find you get a lot more from the experience.

posted by Catherine on Aug 24

Make Your Eco Holidays More Eco Friendly By Setting Your House To Work

Rather than leaving your home empty while you go off on your eco holidays – make it work for you – and for the environment.  I mean what’s more of an eco waste than an empty house?

Now we have all heard of ‘house swaps’ – but that means that you have to take your holiday in just the one place – and agree on how long for with the other person – but there are a few more options open to you while you are away.

1) Special Events:
If you live near a well-known location or event – why not coincide your trip to allow you to let out your home for a great price!

It’s not just about the ‘really’ famous places these days either as there a local festivals and events popping up all over the place these days.  Especially if you have a property right in the action – or far from it!

Peak season in the Lake District or the South Coast could be a great time to go away yourself.  Your home would be looked after, secure and making you some funds for next years holiday while you are still enjoying this years!

2) Your Front Garden:
Even before you go away, you could be finding a person who needs a parking space right about where you are living!

Thousands of people drive into work every day looking for that elusive safe parking spot where they won’t get a ticket.  What better place than your front garden!

If you can find a ‘tenent’ for your gravel before you head off then there is always someone visiting and leaving your home everyday while you are away – for added security – and you aren’t wasting that patch of land either!

3) Your Back Garden:
If you are lucky enough to have something great in your garden – like a tennis court, pool or riverbank or whatever – then why not consider ‘renting’ it out while you aren’t there?

Of course you could rent it out while you are at home too – but while you are away those resources are going to be wasted.  So share them out – either free or for a small fee if you like!

People also need a place to camp in small villages or remote footpaths – so maybe a small donation for your unused garden wouldn’t be too much trouble for you – maybe give a share to a neighbour who checks up on things too.

Obviously make sure that everything is safe and secure before leaving and that you are covered on any necessary insurance or health and safety things to cover yourself – as you sometimes need to these days!

Otherwise – enjoy your holidays knowing that they are twice as eco friendly as everyone else’s!

posted by Catherine on Feb 13

Eating out when abroad needs a little extra caution than when eating at home!

You can’t always trust other peoples cooking and levels of hygiene especially when you are in a different country – as they have different levels of acceptable practices.

Even if you find a restaurant that seems clean out front and has other customers in there you can still act with caution on certain foods as they are more likely to cause your tummy a problem!

Ask For It Rare!
If you are ordering steak that is ‘well done’ how do you know that it wasn’t an old steak that had already been cooked some other time, and by overcooking it for you, you will never know!

Monday Munchies!
The first day of the week will normally mean that ‘fresh’ ingredients like fish will not be that fresh as there are not usually deliveries over the weekend.

And most of the popular ingredients and wines will have sold out over the busy weekend so may not be available on the Monday leaving you to eat what wasn’t so popular!

The Food Of Love?
Ordering oysters may be romantic or ‘exotic’ but the bacterial gut infection you are likely to get from eating them is neither!  People who have to deal with the result of their consumption never do!

I Don’t Like It!
Never send something back to the chef just because you don’t like it.  If the chef has made a safe and hygienic meal for you and you personally think it is too spicy or whatever – you can’t expect him to accept responsibility for it.

And asking him to cook it for you again or if you order another dish, he may not be too pleased to serve you up his best – and the waiters will get the brunt of his comments about you!

Wash Your Hands!
If you are in a pretty decent restaurant, but the toilets are disgusting – think about what hygiene they expect in their kitchens!

Some smaller cafes and out-of-the-way places don’t even have toilets – so just look at the people going in and out of the kitchen and think if you would like them to touch your food and plates!

And The Sauce?
It is well known that sauces and gravies can be used to cover up the appearance of foods, so do be careful when ordering creamy or stew-like dishes.

And the Hollandaise sauce and others that need refrigerating back home could really let you down abroad.  And many sauces are not made to order so have been stored somewhere and in something.  Can you be sure of the hygiene of either?

Bon appetit!

posted by Catherine on Mar 21

How To Reduce The Impact Of Your Eco Holiday:  Toiletries.

I’m not talking about refusing to wash for months and growing dreadlocks – I want to discuss some effort free ways to make more of an eco-impact on your chosen destination.

People travelling today don’t want to have to lower their standard of living to be environmentally friendly – there are of course many people who are happy to live out of a rucksack and wear the same clothes for days on end! 

However, if you don’t want to lower your standards to help save water and become more eco-friendly – then take a look at some of the following tips  – and they don’t include the well-repeated ones like ‘turn off the tap while brushing your teeth’!!!

1) Try to source biodegradable toiletries.  This way you can still have your luxury thickening, gloss-inducing shampoos and your extra invigorating shower gels – but you know that they won’t wash off you and into a sensitive water course affecting wildlife and landscapes.

2)  Make sure you locate yourself some biodegradable suncream too- as this is likely to wash off of you and straight into the sea and rivers – now there’s a nasty thought.  There are many adventure parks and natural waterways (like the cenotes in Mexico) that will check your sun cream before entering – making sure they are biodegradable!

3)  Find yourself a brand of leave-in hair conditioner that you like.  This will save plenty of water as you won’t need to use water for the rinse part.  Many people leave the shower head running while rubbing their normal conditioners in before rinsing – wasting even more water!  Why not leave the product protecting your hair for longer as well as making a difference.

4)  And why not leave all other toiletries at home that aren’t essential.  Do you really need to be moisturising your fingernail cuticles while trekking through jungles?  Or changing the color of your toenails midway across a desert (after using nail polish remover!!!)?  No you don’t.  Take essentials only or buy multipurpose products to do the same jobs.

5)  It’s a great idea to save small bottles during your everyday life especially to travel with.  These smaller bottles are perfect for travel toiletries without taking up too much room in your luggage – and you will use them again and again rather than dispose of them abroad. 

Many people take half empty larger bottles from home, planning to dump them on vacation and make room for souvenirs on the way home!  This may well put too much pressure on your destination and could rule out a return visit in the future….

6)  As a man, why take all your shaving paraphernalia if you are travelling about?  Why not grow yourself a beard while you are away and keep a photographic record of it’s journey with you!  Maybe get on a social networking site and have your friends see you like never before – I mean could you keep your job at the bank with a great big bushy beard? 

No such fun possible for the ladies – but why not let your hair go natural if you normally tame it down at home.  Ne need for straighteners and anti-frizz potions – just get yourself some great head scarves or bandanna’s and change your look for the vacation.

7)  Another one for the ladies would be personal hygiene.  Make sure if using towels or tampons (non-applicator of course) that you use the lowest possible protection to reduce the amount of waste created.  By using products designed for ‘extreme conditions’ when there is really only a need for ‘standard protection’ requires a larger product and more resources – it also means more ‘rubbish’ to be disposed of by your hosts.

Never flush anything like this down the toilets (even back home) as most developing countries ‘sewers’ barely work with just toilet tissue in the first place.  Make sure you dispose of them carefully and hygienically and warn you hosts if close contact may be encountered!  Don’t dispose of them outside either as they will attract vermin and dogs.

8)  Another thing never to throw away or flush down the toilet are medications or any sort.  They could poison not only wildlife – but people as well.  Always take unwanted medicines, treatments and contraceptives to a chemist who will dispose of them safely.  Try not to take too many with you in the first place – generic named products are available almost everywhere you go – and are probably cheaper anyway!

9)  And finally – try to find an alternative to every-day disposable contact lenses!  The waste involved in this is not good for any environment – but especially not in developing countries – unless you bring them all home with you.  Decide on an alternative that suits you, either monthly lenses or your old-fashioned eye-glasses!!

Now get packing……

posted by Catherine on Mar 16

How do you know that the cultural tour that you have booked to Africa isn’t interfering with the local peoples habits? 

Can you be sure that the ‘authentic’ village trip in South-East Asia is actually with the permission of the locals or are they being invaded by tour operators?

Can you even be sure that the money you spend on the trip is going towards the people you will be visiting or photographing?

What To Look Out For.
Basically, you need to find out that the trip your are booking is authentic.  Are the people and the culture you are going to see actually a true representation of the actual communities – or is it all just a big show for the money?

Obviously, you can read up on your chosen destination first to see if there are details on their lives and the country you are planning to visit before hand – or you can travel with an expert who would have the communities interests at heart – and have an ethical policy to prove it. 

Even if a company was recommended by your friends as being ‘really good’ – you may still want to find out their policies regarding your own set of ethics.  The last thing you want is to spend a few thousand pounds on your trip – then to find out that the money you spent is leaving the country with you when you go home rather than making sure this location will still be here in the future for other visitors!

Don’t forget – 2 companies running the same trip can charge the same price – but one company might keep all the money to themselves – whereas the other may well feed 10% of that money back in to the community for their future and the longevity of that ‘perfect’ location.  Make sure you know which is which!

Who Is ‘Good’?
If you contact a great responsible travel company -  they will be happy to answer all your questions with enthusiasm, will have written policies on their ethics and possibly progress reports on their current activities – and will no doubt have customer and local testimonials too. 

If you contact a standard travel company that does cultural tours – but has less ‘culture’ and more ‘money’ in mind – they may well delay showing their responsible travel guidelines to you, offering to show you something else or have them posted to you ‘as soon as they can’.  They may even just not have one!

They may be a member of a basic ‘umbrella’ group that has certain standards – but are they happy to talk about it?  Can they stand up to exact questions about where the money from your trip gets spent and which members of the communities they work closely with to improve their tours and relationships with local peoples?

This latter agent may offer you a better price – but will it be the better tour, for you or the community you plan to visit?

8 Great Things To Insist On:
Here is an easy to read basic list of things that a responsible tour company should offer as part of their service to you and to the locations you wish to visit:

1)  They should clearly display their responsible tourism details and codes of conduct in brochures, their offices and on their website.  They should know what it says themselves and be happy to answer any questions you may have regarding it.

2)  They should also be able to offer you good, current and clear advice about the community, it’s culture and the local environment.

3)  They should offer some basic details about local customs and the do’s and don’ts for each culture they visit.  This should be highlighted to you without waiting for you to ask – as it is essential to conducting responsible travel.  This should be given before the trip is booked to avoid any issues upon arrival in the country.   

4)  You should be able to find out from their representatives about how the community is involved in the tour and the roles they play in supporting your travel while you are in the villages – and how they do so even after you have left.

5)  They should be happy to offer details of your local contacts in location and how they function as a company or association.  This group should be the main port of call in the destination – ie – the company you book with back home shouldn’t need a constant presence in their villages or towns.

6)  You should also be able to find out who your guides are in location and what training or qualifications they have received with money raised by previous tours.  Details of home-stays and community projects that your tours will be supporting is an essential part of your trip.  Why go there if you aren’t interested in preserving their culture?

7)  As a result, your package should not be ‘too cheap’.  Ask to see the percentage of your costs going to your agent, their community, transport costs, etc.  Paying less usually means the local people get less – but make sure you find out if paying more means they get more too!!!!

8)  Check on current groups sizes, as a responsible agent would not ‘over-run’ a village or environment with large numbers of buses, boats or tourists as this could damage the ecology  – and maybe even the local community’s opinions of travellers!  Many agents will want to support several villages, so will rotate destinations to limit numbers and to support a larger community.

There are of course many other things that a tour operator can do for the community and for yourselves, but these main points should help you pick out the more responsible companies and make a more informed decision for yourself and for your money!