Puglia ebike tour, Italy

Planet

CARBON REDUCTION

As a cycling vacation, the main components of our vacations are already relatively low emitters of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases, but we feel strongly that there is always room for improvement in this area. Food is mostly locally sourced and vegetarian food is available at most locations. By choosing to explore Puglia by bike instead of by car, you help reduce both the air and noise pollution in the region.

We are always looking to minimise the amount of driving that is required of our team on the ground. We do this by providing detailed manifests and training our team to plan the most efficient routes for each task. We have seen a considerable decrease in the amount of driving our team are required to do over the last two years and are working to keep things moving in this direction for the future.

ENVIRONMENT AND WILDLIFE

The coastline of Puglia is a beautiful and fragile ecosystem. Littering or moving off marked trails can negatively impact this environment, poisoning sea life or endangering the nesting birds that make their homes along the coast. On this tour, we make sure each of your routes offer the best views, so there's no need to veer off the path and potentially damage these ecosystems.

We've been organising cycling for over 40 years, encouraging this environmentally friendly activity is at the absolute core of our business. The team in Puglia provide all cyclists with a refillable water bottle and share some top tips on how to support the local environment. Ideas such as turning off lights when leaving a room, considering if you need clean towels and bedding regularly and taking no more than one shower daily when possible. We also encourage our clients to stick to marked trails and to take away any waste when stopping off for a picnic or to explore the local area.

At our head office in the UK we recycle paper, card, plastic and metal cans and we always try to use fully recyclable materials for our printed travel documents and marketing communications. We encourage all our staff to cycle when they can and are part of the Cycle to Work scheme. We also like to take part in charity bike rides together each year.

People

EMPLOYMENT, INCLUSIVITY AND DIVERSITY
Each year when we purchase new equipment, we will donate our previous bikes and accessories to local businesses and charities in the local area. We also work with World Bicycle Relief to support bike-led charity projects in developing nations.

LOCAL ECONOMY
All our tours encourage cyclists to get off the beaten track and discover the lesser-known parts of Puglia, such as riding through the hidden coves on your way to the medieval town of Lecce, visits to small wine producers and dining in local restaurants. We also work with local suppliers to organise activities that support the local economy wherever possible and offer advice on bartering to offer a fair price for both the client and the vendor.

Our cycle experts and destination managers will also advise our clients to respect local cultures and traditions when visiting the area and its historic or religious sites such as the Trulli villages of Alberobello. They will also discuss other ways you can consider your impact on the community such as asking for permission before taking someone’s photograph and learning a few words in the local language – often hello, goodbye and thanks is a good place to start.