Highlights of Central Europe tour

Planet

As one of our comfort trips, you’ll enjoy real hassle-free travel. Whilst experiencing a couple of bumps along the way is no big deal, it’s fine to prefer a smoother ride. That’s why we sometimes use private transport and taxis to get you from A to B.

We still use public transport where possible though, including bus, tram, Metro and train, which means a journey from Vienna to Budapest is not only more environmentally friendly but great fun too! Also, by choosing something like a cycling trip around the small medieval town of Cesky Krumlov, we’re having a lesser impact than those visiting such places on big tour buses. Small things we do when we visit a place can make a big difference to the local people.

Waste in general is an issue we’re all aware of. As we specialise in small group travel, we choose to travel Central Europe in groups of no more than 12 people (9-10 on average). This way our impact on our destination is minimal, as is the waste we produce and leave behind. In addition, we realised that plastic is not so fantastic and therefore we give out canvas bags to our all travelers at the start of each departure. We encourage the use of these bags every day – wherever you’re going. Whether it’s to shop for souvenirs and snacks or simply to carry around your daily essentials.

Another great way to reduce the use of plastic is to carry a refillable water bottle. These days reusable bottles are available everywhere and while traveling Central Europe refilling them is never a problem because the tap water is safe to drink.

As a company we aim to contribute to the environmental preservation of the destinations we visit and to reduce any negative impacts our operations may have. This translates to actions such as using local transport where safe to do so in order to reduce emissions, observing all national and marine park visitor rules and operating a ‘take in, take back out’ waste management system, to name but a few examples. Through our inhouse foundation we also invest money into environmental initiatives that benefit the planet, including restoring kelp forests to help reverse the effects of global warming and protecting endangered species such as sea turtles and elephants.

People

European capitals like Prague, Budapest and Vienna see large numbers of tourists every day. On the one hand it’s an important income generator for the local economy, but we also need to remember that the local people may get tired of their neighbourhoods being flooded with visitors. We need to acknowledge that in these world-famous destinations many ordinary people are going about their daily lives.

By limiting our group sizes, we’re minimising our impact on this. We also choose to shop in the local markets, teaching our clients basic words and phrases in each local language and educating them about local customs. This shows we’re respectful of and grateful to the communities we visit.

When visiting all these places we also want the local communities to benefit. In that respect, we avoid big hotel chains and instead opt to stay in charming, often family-owned accommodation. We also have great local knowledge and therefore you can expect our leaders to suggest small, off the beaten track restaurants for lunch or bars for an evening drink. It is a great way to support local businesses and the best way to try some of the authentic local products. In the same way, when we go for a sightseeing walk in Vienna or to discover mighty Prague Castle, if we decide to catch a taxi, our leader is most likely going to call someone who he/she knows. This may sound like a small thing, but to our friends and neighbours it may make a considerable difference.