Amalfi Coast sailing vacation, Italy

Planet

As a global tour operator, we are committed to operating every one of our trips in a way that respects and benefits local people, their culture and economy, while minimising our impact on the natural environment.

We travel in small groups and wherever possible we use local transport, stay in locally-owned accommodation or homestays, eat at authentic local restaurants, support traditional artisans and small-scale businesses, and provide opportunities for travelers to interact with local people.

On this small group sailing adventure along the stunning Amalfi Coast, we travel with a maximum of eight passengers on board a yacht of between 44ft and 51ft, but we’ll use a smaller boat if the group is smaller. Bathrooms are shared and although there is hot water, we encourage passengers to use it carefully. Toilets are usually operated by hand-pumps and we have recycling arrangements on-board.

Weather permitting, we use the power of the wind to sail the boat as much as possible which means that we have less impact on the environment than if traveling by other modes of transport. When on land, you will mostly hike or walk although we use a car to reach Pompeii and we take a train from Sorrento to Naples.

We visit the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Pompeii, where you will be asked to remain on designated walking paths, use designated picnic areas and use the local water fountains to minimise the use (and discarding) of plastic bottles. We will also hire a local guide for the group, rather than using an audio guide, so as to provide local employment.

As a tour company, our responsibilities don’t stop when our tours end. In 2002, we established a charitable foundation so that our passengers and staff could support grassroots community projects around the world. To date, it has raised over £2million for over 75 projects involved with health care, education, human rights, child welfare, sustainable development, and environmental and wildlife protection. We match every donation made by passengers and pay the administration costs, so every penny that is donated goes to a good cause.

People

During the trip, we shop for local produce for our breakfasts and lunches, which the whole group will prepare and eat together on board the boat. In the evenings, we go onshore to dine at small, often family-run restaurants – including the oldest pizzeria in the world, in Naples - where you can eat local delicacies in the knowledge that you are supporting the local economy.

As well as a Responsible Travel Code of Conduct which we adhere to as a company, we expect our staff and travelers to demonstrate the principles of responsible travel and provide a number of responsible travel tips to facilitate this, for example advice on what clothing is appropriate and respectful. In the case of this trip, while there are few dress restrictions in Europe we request that our passengers dress modestly if visiting churches or religious sites.