Short break sailing holiday in Italy

As a global tour operator, we are committed to operating every one of our trips in a way that respects and benefits local people, their culture and economy, while minimising our impact on the natural environment.

We travel in small groups and wherever possible we use local transport, stay in locally-owned accommodation or homestays, eat at authentic local restaurants, support traditional artisans and small-scale businesses, and provide opportunities for travellers to interact with local people.

On this small group sailing adventure, we use the power of the wind to sail the boat as much as possible which means that we have less impact on the environment than if travelling by other modes of transport. When on land, you will hike or walk and we don’t use any motorised transport on this trip.

During the trip, we shop for local produce for our breakfasts and lunches, which the whole group will prepare and eat together on board the boat. In the evenings, we go onshore to dine at small, often family-run restaurants where you can eat local delicacies. For example, when we visit Procida (the smallest island in the Bay of Naples) we usually dine at one of the unpretentious waterfront tavernas along the marina and encourage passengers to try freshly-caught seafood or local specialities such as spaghetti with sea urchin, so that we are supporting the local economy. In Amalfi, we hike past olive groves and vineyards and in the evening, we can enjoy a wealth of this locally-grown produce at dinner including olives, citrus fruits, and wines.

We travel with a maximum of eight passengers on board a yacht of between 44ft and 51ft, but we’ll use a smaller boat if the group is smaller. Bathrooms are shared and although there is hot water, we encourage passengers to use it carefully. Toilets are usually operated by hand-pumps and we have recycling arrange Bathrooms are shared and although there is hot water, we encourage passengers to use it carefully. Toilets are usually operated by hand-pumps and we have recycling arrangements on-board.ments on-board.

This trip is operated on a carbon neutral basis, and we offset 25kg of C02 emissions for each passenger. We also offer passengers who book their flight through us the option to offset those emissions. We have been carbon neutral since 2010 and since then we have offset more than 45,000 tonnes of carbon emissions by investing in a range of internationally accredited renewable energy projects in destinations where we travel.

While there are few dress restrictions in Europe we request that our passengers dress modestly if visiting churches or religious sites. For example, if you wish to enter the cathedral of Sant'Andrea or convent of the Cappuccini in Amalfi, or the Abbazia di San Michele Arcangelo, a Benedictine Abbey on the island of Procida, we will ask that you cover your shoulders as a mark of respect and we ask travellers to follow other responsible travel guidelines which we provide on our website and at the start of the trip.

As a tour company, our responsibilities don’t stop when our tours end. In 2002, we established a charitable foundation so that our passengers and staff could support grassroots community projects around the world. To date, it has raised over £2million for over 75 projects involved with health care, education, human rights, child welfare, sustainable development, and environmental and wildlife protection. We match every donation made by passengers and pay the administration costs, so every penny that is donated goes to a good cause.