New York to LA small group tour

Planet

We are following the guidance of the National Parks Conservation Association in America and are ensuring that our tours adhere to their guidelines. For example, before entering the park- we show our travellers the information about where to place their trash. On each of our trips, we emphasise the need to dispose of waste responsibly and encourage our travellers to take advantage of the new and, now numerous, water refill stations which helps to eliminate plastic waste. There are now hundreds of places where trash can be recycled and by indicating clearly where these are and having our guides explain the importance (and success thus far) we can play our part in ensuring our groups are responsible travellers within the parks. We operate in a similar manner within the Grand Canyon and the National Park conservation area there.

We encourage all of our travellers to say no to single use plastics and to bring their own water bottles. A lot of our tours are connected via public transport- we take trains across much of the East Coast and up the Pacific Coast and only take flight when necessary. Within cities- we use the metro services and only use minibuses where necessary.

When we spend time on the beach- our adventure leaders stress the need to be responsible and not leave trash on the beach.

People

In the Grand Canyon, we have a session which focuses on Native American culture and emphasise the importance of these lands to these communities. The area is of huge importance to these communities and we are working with the Grand Canyon Trust who provides a series of initiatives designed around both supporting these communities and shining a light on their importance in the region. There are number of visits to Navajo run small businesses that we will include on the trip. We also share links to some of the work that the Grand Canyon Trust is doing in our booking packs to further support their efforts and provide our travellers with the information to build an understanding of the area. There are a really good series of audio testimonies from the Trust that we share with the travellers before this part of their tour.

Our trips are also packed with experiences that are designed to bring an understanding of America’s history and culture. Whether that’s walking Boston’s Freedom Trail, seeing the Liberty Bell or witnessing the grandeur of Washington’s monuments. We also visit the 9/11 Memorial and Freedom Tower and aim to educate our travellers on the recovery efforts made by New Yorkers following the attacks. We also include various opportunities to sample the local cuisine and have a clam chowder making class. We also encourage our travellers to read up on some of the great American literature to be better acquainted with the story of America.

On the last day of the trip, we also arrange a chance to give something back to the LA community with a volunteering trip to one of the city’s soup kitchens. Poverty is a real issue in California and this project helps to give people a lifeline who are struggling in society.