Environment

Activity:
Few vacations have as little detrimental impact on the environment and local residents as a cycling trip. Erosion on and adjacent to popular paths is a growing problem in certain places and therefore our trip leaders encourage clients to stick to advised routes in order to minimise this. We do believe in leaving no more than footprints (or tyre tracks!) although this tour actively encourages guests to talk to local people, visit local cafes and restaurants, use markets to purchase traditional gifts and crafts and get a real impression of the Aegean. Every year we also give back to the environment by donating to a conservation based charity and doing a staff volunteering day.

Water:
Water is a really important issue with cycling trips and whilst we must stay hydrated, it is also vital that we have a system for providing clean water without causing lots of waste with plastic bottles. We suggest that instead of repeatedly buying bottled water, guests should re-fill a singular bottle. Our guides can advise where to fill them and where to recycle litter.

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.

Community

Accommodation & Meals:
We will spend the week in a variety of small and/or family-owned hotels and pensions, often located near interesting sights or by the Aegean. By spreading our commerce to several different local businesses, we are providing more financial benefit to the local community. Food is a massive part of Greek culture and where meals are provided (all breakfasts), our local staff are enthusiastic about showcasing fresh produce from the area. This might be bread from the village bakery with freshly squeezed orange juice, local yoghurt, greek honey and organic eggs. Where meals are not provided, your tour guides will be happy to recommend local cafes and restaurants serving traditional fare. This is a great chance both to support the community and to get an authentic cultural experience.

Community:
Along with employing predominantly local staff and using local services (e.g. boat transfers to Galatas and bike hire), we are keen to give support to the community by supporting cottage industries and traditional produciton where possible. One of the highlights of this trip is to visit a winery in Nemea, which is famous for producing exceptional red wines specific to that region. Here guests have opportunity to learn about the function of the vineyard and how the wine is produced. This area is fairly agricultural so our business has a positive impact.

Group Size:
This small group tour has a maximum of 16 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.