Highlights of the Greek Islands holiday

Planet

Conscious that we are travelling in a fragile environment, we try to minimise our impact on the areas we are travelling through by adhering to strict environmental guidelines and educating Tour Leaders and customers on the ‘do’s and don’ts’, such as saving water, this is especially important in the Greek Islands given the shortage of water in the summer months.

We use a number of public ferries rather than flying from island to island, which is a low impact choice, as well as fun and a great way to meet local people and take in the sea views.

During our free time on each of the islands we give you the chance to explore on foot and by traveling around the islands on public buses, so to again keep our environmental impact to a minimum. On these walk we’ll often visit local shops to purchase supplies for a picnic lunch, so that a variety of different businesses economically benefit from our visit. On our walk from Thira to Oia there will be the chance to stop at a local cafe to enjoy homemade ice cream mid way through our walk.

As a travel company we are continually looking for ways to improve and are proud to be ‘Responsible in everything we do’. Education is key, and so all staff, Tour Leaders and partnering suppliers are trained in responsible and sustainable tourism. At our Head Office, we continually strive towards a sustainable and planet-friendly working environment, including having solar panels installed and a company commitment to reducing our plastic usage.

People

This trip to two of Greece’s most iconic islands gives us a fascinating insight into Greek culture. We’ve been operating in the Greek islands for many years now and have built up strong relationships with the small and often family run hotels we stay at, the taxi firms we use for transport and the various small tavernas where we enjoy delicious, authentic Greek food. They’re all local and locally owned, meaning that the money you spend stays within the community.

Making sure that our trips benefit the communities that we visit is a key part of our responsible tourism policy, and you can be confident that we are doing just that on this trip. We think it also gives you a better and more genuine experience too.

We use a local Greek Tour Leader on this trip who know the country very well and who will help to give us a unique insight into the history, customs and culture of the islands and get us that bit closer to the local people. Our Tour Leaders are trained by us in the importance of responsible tourism with guidance given on how they can make a difference.

As a company we have valuable and longstanding partnerships with UK charities Toilet Twinning and Send a Cow, plus many smaller initiatives and projects around the world. We’re members of the UK travel industry body AITO because we believe it’s important to share our knowledge and experience, as well as learn from other operators.