Slovenia highlights holiday, self drive

Environment

We have chosen to include places to stay where public transport is more than adequate for sightseeing so that the car is not used with towns or national parks; the use of such a variety of transport enables you to interact more fully with the locals, to practice your language and to minimise your carbon footprint somewhat. By including the opportunity to visit the National Parks on this holiday you choose to contribute to the excellent record of conservation in recent years through the entrance fees.

We encourage travellers to be responsible with water use particularly on islands and in high season but also careful regarding water waste which can affect fragile ecosystems. The same applies, of course, to packaging and litter waste, buying local produce such as from small stores and markets will usually be packaging-free; recycle or reuse as much as possible - your example may well encourage others to be equally responsible and avoid negative consequences at all levels and in all ecosystems.

As a company we employ responsible policies such as recycling paper, ink cartridges, glass and cardboard; we minimise the use of electricity and conducting the vast majority of our correspondence and promotion via the internet and email, minimizing the amount of paper used for our activities. We also compost waste in our company garden.

Community

Accommodation on this holiday is in, primarily, family run, small hotels. The food in the hotels is primarily sourced locally and a large number of dishes on the menus are home made. We encourage you to engage local guides in places where their expertise and local knowledge will enhance your experience and understanding of the historical context and on the environmental impact of your visit. This is particularly true in the Triglav National Park where in some places tourism income is a major supporter of the local economy - we encourage customers to book activities with local guides and providers who contribute both to the current economy but who also look to the future by training local young people and committing to projects that maintain the quality of the environment and its biodiversity.

As well as supporting the local community and economy directly our holidays also encourage support indirectly. The latter because more interaction with local people and local tourist service providers engenders greater understanding and respect which almost always leads to larger and more careful spending by visitors.