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Environment
This trip is carbon offset so you can be sure that all carbon emissions generated from travelling on this trip, are offset by investments into sustainable projects around the world including a rice husk biomass project in Thailand as well as hydro electric projects in China and India.
This trip includes Acadia National Park where our travellers have the opportunity to experience this wilderness area and appreciate the delicate natural environments that makes it a highlight. Where we include national parks we provide written information for our travellers to peruse while in transit, to learn of the local flora, fauna and key issues that threaten the environments.
The Niagara Falls are the natural highlight of this trip. The Niagara Power Project features interactive demonstrations, short videos and displays on energy, hydropower and local history.
Once in Canada we leave the big cities behind and immerse ourselves in untamed natural environment. A tremendous amount of scientific research has taken place in Algonquin Park over the years, and the Park continues to provide an important area for biologists and ecologists. Much of this research has taken place at the Wildlife Research Station located along the Highway 60 corridor. We can explore this park on foot or by canoe and appreciate its diverse ecosystem.
In Montreal we have the opportunity to visit the Botanical Gardens, Insectarium and the Biosphere, an exclusive venue to better understand major environmental issues, including those related to water, air, climate change, sustainable development and responsible consumption. The largest building of its kind in the world, its structure reproduces more than 75% of a sphere. Inaugurated in 1995 as the first Ecowatch Centre in Canada, the Biosphere continues to raise public awareness about environmental issues affecting the St Lawrence seaway and the Great Lakes ecosystems. We continue our journey to Acadia National Park in Maine. We camp at environmentally conscious campgrounds. Hiking through this nature park, we follow responsible travel rules such as no littering, staying on hiking trails to not disturb the environment and no swimming in ponts. Optional ranger-led activities are encouraged. Another ecologically interesting area is the Cape Cod National Seashore. We’ll be able sample local seafood and get in touch with the locals at the smaller fishing villages. A whale watching boat trip offers a great opportunity to see these rare sea creatures before returning to New York City.
Community
We travel in small groups of 13 people to minimise the effects that large groups have when visiting remote areas and small villages. It is easier to 'blend in' with a small group and it allows us to stay in smaller properties and eat in more local establishments - where a group of 40-50 would need to eat in more touristy places.
On this trip we'll experience the rich culture and history of the New England states through means of responsible tourism. We'll spend some nights in rustic cabins on campgrounds and prepare our meals over the barbecue grill. Other nights are spent in locally run hostels. We will sample authentic foods and get a chance to meet locals at family run restaurants and taverns.
We have an expert Operations based in the USA so our team is fully aware of current affairs. We have found that local operations is a superior way to ensure the quality and safety of our travellers.
Each year we conduct extensive safety audits to ensure our properties comply with local regulations as well as our own safety requirements. We also conduct reviews of our itineraries to ensure they include as much local interaction opportunities as possible, where our travellers can engage with the locals and learn their way of life and the local cultures of the places we visit. These experiences often make our trips unique.
This company started in 1989 with a passion to get travellers off the beaten track. It was started by best friends who wanted to develop a style of travel that was all together different; wanting travellers to become a part of a country - and not just tourists looking in. Wanting them to have fun, meet people, learn things, explore, and do stuff they could never do at home, to travel by anything and everything, and stay anywhere and everywhere! Fast forward two decades and they now travel to more than 110 countries and offers over 800 itineraries however their philosophy on travel is unchanged. Their core purpose is to enrich people's lives by creating unique, interactive travel experiences. Providing fun, affordable and sustainable travel adventures that are beneficial to local communities.
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!
