South Carolina self drive vacation in USA

Planet

We strive to offer destinations that allow tourists to immerse themselves in the nature of a place. At Montage Palmetto Bluff, they have a conservancy dedicated to the development of research about the alligator, turtle, bird and white-tailed deer. They offer a number of classroom activities including documentary viewing as well as monthly lectures and weekend excursions with naturalist guides. The ‘Montage’ hotel brand itself is committed to operating and implementing ‘green policies’ across all its hotels, including the use of LEED technology, water-quality management practices and green housekeeping initiatives.

On Hilton Head Island, we encourage our travelers to use the Breeze trolleys, which limits the amount of traffic and emission released on the island. We also work with hotels who abide by the ‘Lights out for Sea Turtles’ initiative where everyone is asked to minimize light from buildings after 10pm near Hilton Head's coastline for the sea turtle's annual nesting and hatching season.

People

We are committed to working with suppliers who give something back to the community. We have chosen Belmond Charleston Place as the hotel for this itinerary as they have a fantastic community programme called Teach the Need. The 6-week programme teaches young people from disadvantaged backgrounds the skills they need to thrive in the hospitality industry. Classes are taught by a variety of volunteers at the hotel and over a hundred people employed in Charleston restaurants graduated from Teach the Need, including five at Belmond Charleston Place.

We also work with a tour company on Hilton Head Island who have created their own foundation that works to get children in the local community outside to develop their understanding of nature and the environment through water-based activities and educational programmes.

We are passionate about ensuring that the communities we work with will benefit from the tourism we provide. We are also committed to ensuring that we use local guides and that we are always recommending locally owned, small business such as cafes, restaurants and excursions in order to support the economy in the city of Charleston and neighboring islands to help these communities thrive. This itinerary provides you with the opportunity to meet local guides who live and breathe conservation in South Carolina.