Archaeology tour of Eastern Turkey

Planet

CARBON REDUCTION

Transport involves communal travel wherever possible, so the effects of single person transport will be minimised as much as they can be. Local transport is not easily available in many areas, but particularly in the cities and larger towns we try to organise sightseeing so that it can be done on foot or, in Istanbul, using their tram system. Also, keeping our groups small (twelve maximum) means there is no need for huge coaches, and we can instead use smaller minibus-style vehicles.

Most diets can be catered for, including vegetarians who we frequently accommodate on this tour. We utilise local restaurants and partnerships with local people to ensure we are minimising impacts of economic leakage and also the carbon impacts of imported food.

ENVIRONMENT & WILDLIFE

We always use local guides and drivers who have intimate knowledge of the places you visit and how they are fairing in terms of restoration, degradation, and therefore how best to navigate responsibly. We always ask our clients to respect our outlook on this, in being mindful of rubbish, and trying to recycle whenever you can.

We encourage all our clients to bring a reusable water bottle, ideally with a filtration system to replace the need for single-use plastics. We offer a free Water-To-Go bottle (just pay for postage) to all of our UK-based clients when they book, which provides a great chance to try out these amazing filtered bottles in the hopes of converting more travelers to using them on all of their travels.

People

LOCAL ECONOMY

As regular travelers, one thing that never ceases to amaze and inspire us is the kindness and generosity of local people, often people who have very little to their name. We firmly believe that they are who make these places special and that they should benefit from our visit so we do our best to ensure that the benefits of our tours reach as widely as possible into the communities where they operate.

All of our tours in Turkey are led by fantastic local guides, and transport provided by local drivers who ensure that all supplies are purchased locally for your journey. Our first preference for accommodation and restaurants is always locally-owned places as opposed to global chains, as this is often a better experience, but also minimises the economic leakage from tourism spending.

Owing to the very nature of an archaeology tour, interaction with local communities is more limited than other styles of trave. Nevertheless, local economies are enriched by the very remoteness of certain historical sites, in particular the cottage industries that spring up around them.


EMPLOYMENT, INCLUSIVITY, AND DIVERSITY

One thing which is true across all of the countries in which we operate is that we are passionate about ensuring the partners we have on the ground are those with the best knowledge of them. Our local operater in Turkey is staffed by Turkish people from a variety of regions, thus diversifying the representation and ensuring we are providing an inherently more authentic experience.

All of our guides, drivers, and other staff are paid at least minimum wage, if not a living wage or above for fair compensation of the incredible work they do.

Our partners employ women guides in all countries, and we are LGBTQ+ friendly on all of our trips. We are always willing to have discussions with those who may have questions about safety on the ground, visibility, and any other concerns to ensure that our clients are comfortable and confident whilst on our trips.