South East Asia family adventure vacation

Planet

Accommodation & Meals:
We will spend most nights in comfortable, locally owned hotels and one night at a homestay on an island on the Mekong Delta. This combination of lodgings contributes directly to the community as staff are from the area and food is grown and sold locally. Many of these places also have environmental policies which reduce waste, water usage and energy expenditure. Where meals are not provided, your guide will be able to point out several smaller restaurants, cafes and markets, like Ben Thanh or Cai Rang floating market. There are some weird and wonderful regional specialties to try with plenty of fresh produce available in most areas. Vietnamese meals consist mainly of rice, vegetables and frilled or stir fried meat. The staple dish is Pho, which is a noodle broth with veg and meat.

UK Office:
It all starts at home so we have first worked at reducing our carbon footprint in our UK Offices. Through energy conservation measures and recycling policies, we are proud to be actively reducing the waste produced and our impact on the environment. We support various projects all over the world to try and give something back to the places we visit.

People

Local Craft & Culture:
We do a lot to support cottage industries on this tour, as this is not only a way to directly benefit the locals but it is also hugely fascinating and enjoyable for travelers. For example, in the Mekong Delta, we visit a lot of these small businesses, farms and factories which sell handmade coconut sweets, rice paper, soya bean sauce, popped rice and popcorn amongst other things. Our entrance fees to places including the Cu Chi Tunnels, the National Museum at Phnom Pehn and Angkor complex in Cambodia go towards preserving these fascinating cultural sites and creating employment opportunites for local people.

A Fair Deal:
We work closely with our local operator and ensure that all of our guides are local to the area and that in exchange for their expertise that they are paid and treated fairly. Our leaders and guides have been trained in responsible travel and actively encourage our suppliers, drivers, and other members of our team to respect the environment, protect the culture and support the local economy. They have also completed Child Safe training which enables them to take positive action should they encounter children at risk in the tourism industry as well as educating clients re child protection within tourism.

Charity:
In Hanoi, we encourage groups to have a communal meal at KOTO, which is an NGO that provides a two year course in hospitality, English and life skills training to groups of 16-22 year olds from disadvantaged backgrounds. Students also receive accommodation, food, medical check-ups and treatment whilst they are being trained. Many of the 400+ graduates have gone on to continue developing their careers at KOTO restaurants or have gained employment elsewhere with their training so this is a great initiative to support.

Group Size:
This small group tour has a maximum of 20 participants, meaning that we have a low impact on the environments and communities we visit and are able to ensure that we do not disrupt or lead to the displacement of local people. The small number also allows us to stay in unique, family-run hotels that cannot benefit from coach tours and other mass tourism due to their limited sizes.