The Balkans food holiday, small group

Planet

The vast majority of food on this tour is locally produced, so the food miles for included meals are very low. For example, for the meal in Bitola, all ingredients are organic and come from the family’s private gardens. In addition to this, we visit and support many small scale, artisanal producers, farmers, and cooks. The way the food is sourced and produced uses many traditional methods, this low intensity production protects and, in many cases, support the natural environment.
Our group sizes are small, with a maximum of 12 passengers, so the group uses few resources compared to a larger group. This small group size means we are able to travel using a smaller vehicle.

The water quality in Greece is excellent and it is safe to drink tap water practically anywhere in Greece. This plays an important role in achieving our goal of minimising plastic waste. We always suggest bringing a reusable water bottle as this really helps cut down on waste and additionally, give out canvas bags at the start of each trip. Our travellers can then use them every day, whether to go shopping for souvenirs or for carrying those daily essentials.

People

This tour ensures money is kept within the local community by supporting local businesses, traditional food production methods, and ensuring our group has lots of interaction with local people. In Kotor, the group visit a local family home for a traditional lunch and tasting, this small scale tourism gives the family the ability to make additional income and share their culture with our travellers. The trip also includes Tici, where we visit a second generation, family run olive farm. Our hosts share their second-generation, organic olive oil production techniques. In Dihovo, a local beekeeper will teach the group about the honeybee as they share their secrets – you’ll get hands-on with an open beehive demonstration. All of the ingredients are organic and come from the family’s private gardens. In Ohrid, our groups will have a hands-on cooking class run by local women, who will teach the skills required to make local pastries with wild porcini mushrooms, considered to be a specialty of this region! All accommodation and transport is locally owned and the tour is led by a local tour leader.

This tour offers a chance to indulge and explore Greek culture at its best. On this trip you will be staying in a conveniently located, family-run hotel. With four nights here you'll help support a local business at an important time, so unpack and settle in. It also percolates money beyond into small businesses that supply the hotel and in this way money is spread throughout the island. Syros is a small island not overrun by tourism, so it is a great chance for you to meet the locals and learn some of the Greek language - one of the oldest European languages.

This small group tour has a maximum of 12 participants, allowing us to have a low impact on the communities we visit and meaning we can ensure we don’t disrupt or lead to the displacement of local people