Greece sailing holiday in Dodecanese

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€662

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8 Days excluding flights

More info:An estimated amount of additional costs to cover is 120€ (p.p) for this trip. This will go for food on board (bought and eaten together by the crew), fuel for the yacht and marina fees. Solo travellers welcome, no single supplement. minimum age 21.

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Travel Team

If you'd like to chat about this holiday or need help finding one we're very happy to help. The Travel Team.

01273 823 700 Calling from outside the UK? rosy@responsibletravel.com

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2021: 16 Oct

SINGLE USE PLASTIC-FREE:

As a sailing operator we have seen the devastating effects that throw away plastics can have on marine environments. In view of this we have strived to eradicate the use of these plastics on our holidays.

WATER BOTTLES:

Every participant before arrival receives a packing list (sent in a PDF format) which outlines what is good to bring. We suggest to everyone that they bring a re-usable bottle for drinking (i.e. metal one) to limit the plastic usage which they can fill up at port or on board.
We fill containers with sufficient general use water at the marina for the length of the trip. This water is used for cooking and is stored in fresh water tanks on board. Any additional water for drinking is purchased in 5L bottles (which are refilled where possible when in port from local water fountains or restaurants). Alternatively, participants can bring their own refillable 5L bottle which folds down in their case.

BAGS:

We source products locally before we sail, preferring to buy product loose where possible to avoid unnecessary packaging.
On the first day, when the crew goes for provisions shopping, we advise to people to opt for paper over plastic bags or bring reusable cotton bags with them.

ON BOARD:

Plastic straws, plastic cups, plastic cutlery and crockery is not needed and not welcome on board. Each yacht has its own set of crockery, cutlery and glasses and there is simply no need of buying those. We suggest people to bring along bio-degradable cosmetics which usually come packaged in a bio-degradable bottle.

PARTNERS:

Most of the restaurants we visit serve their food on non plastic plates, tables made of wood and covered with linen table cloth, so the plastic use in this cases is limited to zero. Participants can bring their refillable bottles with them and ask if the restaurant will fill them up from the tap in destinations where the water is drinkable.

EDUCATION:

We send people a packing list that suggests bringing reusable bottles, bags and bio-degradable cosmetics to use on board (it all drains directly to the sea on a sailboat).
We actively talk about plastic on board as we make tests every day of the water quality. We have partnered with WaterRangers.ca and will be testing their sets this season. These tests allow our participants to test the water quality where we sail and add to this important research.

RUBBISH:

From time to time, we spontaneously organize a beach cleanup - we always have big trash bags on board and if we see that a beach we just anchored off is filthy, the skippers go on shore and ask anyone who wants to, to come and join them in the clean-up. We then collect all the plastics that we can and take it with us on the sailboats to the next port it can be recycled with a trash container. We are planning on partnering with Trash Hero.

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Responsible tourism

As the pioneers of responsible tourism, we screen every trip so you can travel knowing your holiday will help support conservation and local people.

Fundamental to our values is a kindness, respect and care for others. This is mirrored in our respect for the natural world that we encounter on our travels.

We travel by the power of the wind and will only use engine assistance in case of real need. This leaves a much lower environmental footprint than with large cruise ships and we have less impact when we are ashore.

We source products locally before we sail, preferring to buy product loose where possible to avoid unnecessary packaging. Each participant is asked to join in the preparation of meals and this means we have healthy, freshly produced meals on board. Any packaging is stored and prepared for collection at the end of the trip.

We are partnering with My Green Trip, a Swiss environmental NGO and plan to take their kits on our travels to help clear rubbish we encounter on beaches and in bays.

We fill containers with water at the marina sufficient for the length of the trip. Any additional water for drinking is purchased in large packs and we ask participants to bring their own refillable containers for drinking water. No plastic drinking straws are allowed and we avoid unnecessary plastic goods like straws, stirrers. We ask all our clients to treat water as a precious commodity on board, bathrooms are shared and time spent in the shower kept to a minimum.

Non bio-degradable cosmetics are not permitted on board, we ask participants to travel light and pack only essential toiletries for the journey.

We support several ancient temples on route by visiting and paying the fees which contribute to their upkeep. We focus on local attractions run by local people and avoid any performing animal events.

By visiting remote and uninhabited bays as well as historic, inspiring cities, such as Rhodes and Kos, we want to show people the beauty of our planet. We want people to be inspired to stay out in the nature and therefore learn to appreciate and respect it.

Once participants snorkel every day and see the clarity of the water and rubbish on the sea bottom, once participants sail and feel the wind, once participants hike and watch sunsets together and see the beauty of the surrounding area, once participants see the clear night sky with thousands of stars, once participants do all these for a week, every day, they learn that our world is really unique and needs preservation.

The Impacts of this Trip

We believe that the sailing is a very effective way of building confidence and team working skills and the structure of the holiday allows solo travellers to join at no supplemental cost. A mix of solos, couples and small groups sets the basis for an enjoyable holiday, where we learn from and help each other during the week.

We tread lightly in the places we visit, such as Rhodes and Kos and make a priority to support attractions that directly benefit local people. We avoid international and chain type establishments.

We have especially made great links with family run restaurants over several years. They create a great atmosphere for our clients and we know that every penny will go to local people.

We like to talk about local cultures and teach the participants what we know about local ways of living. We try to be very realistic and not idealise islander’s life style. Despite that participants of our trips tend to be inspired to change their habits, slow down and socialize more in their lives.

We want to educate people about power of their money and tell them where to shop for the money to go to the locals in the highest possible amount. We try to educate them about importance of locally sourced produce, re-cycling practices, environmental footprint and marine life preservation.

Participants of our trips tend to say that our trips are eye-opening and life changing for them at very many different levels. Get in touch and find out for yourself.