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During our trip, the group leader and local guides take active steps to ensure our groups behave in an environmentally responsible manner. All travellers are given a responsible travel bag at the beginning of the trip as we have plenty of opportunities to shop at local markets and say no to plastic. We also encourage travellers to eat with a reusable set of chopsticks to avoid the waste of a throwaway pair at every meal.
We encourage the use of “tea flasks” for drinking water (or tea, like the locals do!) so as not to purchase multiple plastic bottles. Safe drinking water available in all our accommodation and transport. Any bottles that are purchased are given to the community of waste collectors who rely on this for an income.
This trip visits remote, off-the-beaten-track towns where we stay in simple but comfortable guesthouses and locally owned hotels. During the trekking we stop regularly at local cafes and restaurants. Spending money locally in this way helps benefit the local communities you will visit.
Wherever possible we take local transport in China. This can mean anything from public bus, trolley bus, tram or subway. We also have the opportunity to explore on bikes and on foot and travel overland on all our basix trips. This offers a fascinating experience, and a chance to get face to face with locals.
When taking trains we travel 2nd or 3rd class (hard sleeper in China) which is the way the majority of locals travel - this gives us maximum chance to meet and share stories, food, games and the journey with local travellers.
During our stay in Xi’an, you will have the opportunity to visit Huiling, a Chinese-run charity which provides support and education for young adults with disabilities.
We show our support for conservation in China by an included visit to the Giant Panda Reserve in Chengdu, where all money received from entrance tickets is put towards conservation of this endangered species through research, breeding, rescue and education.
There are also plenty of opportunities to visit markets, whether to shop for a cooking class, bargain for a souvenir, or taste a local delicacy at a night market. These times give you a great opportunity to interact with the locals and enjoy the smells and colours of the country. Food left over after group meals is collected and boxed up to be left where homeless/street people might easily find it and take it without them having to go through garbage for a meal
We include informal local language lessons to give our travellers a head start into understanding the culture and communicating with the people we meet along the way.
All suppliers issued with RT recommendations in their local language and leaders and groups act as “ambassadors” for spreading the RT message beyond just our travellers but also trying to involve the local tourism industry.
At the end of out journey we encourage our travellers to donate unwanted clothes, toiletries or other goods which we then distribute to local organisations.
Our tour leaders are all Chinese locals.
We invite every traveller who books a holiday via us to send in a review. Because we don't run the holidays they're completely independent and unedited... remember to read between the lines though, as two people on the same holiday can have different views!
