There are several reasons why the majority of our holidays in Iceland are small group tours. Mainly because one of the most responsible ways to travel...
Much of Iceland's landscape could double for a Tolkien fantasy - the very earth is hot beneath your tread, spitting out hot liquids, lava, dark ash an...
Responsible Travel
As the pioneers of responsible tourism, we've screened this (and every) holiday so that you can travel knowing it will help support the places and people that you visit, and the planet. Read how below.
Planet
We continue to search out activities that are suitable for our travellers, while also finding suppliers that are making concerted efforts to reduce their environmental impact. This trip includes a visit to an eco-farm in the Hvolsvollur Valley. The farm owners are the leaders in responsible tourism and sustainability in Iceland and will share with travellers the history of settlement in Iceland and the deforestation that took place, making way for farmland. They’ll then show travellers their tree planting project, implemented on their own farmland, and contributing to lowering carbon dioxide and counteracting soil erosion. Travellers are encouraged to get their hands dirty and participate in planting more trees during the visit.
We provide training to trip leaders on water consumption best practices and how to encourage their travellers to follow these principles too. As tap water is safe to drink in Iceland, we encourage travellers to bring a reusable water bottle that they can refill throughout the trip. This reduces the number of single-use plastic water bottles disposed of by our travellers. We continue to work with local suppliers on water management initiatives. For example, encouraging hotel owners to provide water refill stations, and in-room signage requesting short showers, repeated towel use and turning taps off.
People
Our tour leaders provide travellers with an Icelandic language sheet when they join this trip. Leaders conduct a quick lesson to help travellers become more confident with commonly used words and phrases. Travellers can then be polite and friendly in their interactions with locals, using greetings, please and thank you to show their respect. Tipping isn’t customary in Iceland and our local leaders will discuss this with the group during the welcome meeting. This ensures that neither locals nor visitors are made to feel uncomfortable in situations where it might be common practice to tip in other countries.
Our trips maximize the opportunity for travellers to engage meaningfully with local culture and communities. Many experiences on our trips also support traditional cultural practices – whether artisanal, culinary or otherwise. In turn, this helps to sustain and preserve these traditional practices so that future generations may continue to learn, enjoy and benefit from them. During this trip around Iceland, travellers will meet a local stone carving artist, Liston, at his studio in Grundafjordor. He will explain his technique, inspiration and the history of this art form in Iceland. ?
