Motorcycle tour of Greece

Planet

We provide our riders with suggestions on how best to support the surrounding environment. The following recommendations require little effort on our riders part, but will help ensure that any effect they have on the countries visited is positive rather than negative.

Riding through Pindus Mountain National Park and Tzoumerca Natural Reservation will be made respecting the speed limits and without impact on flora and fauna. Please keep on the marked trails and be careful not to destroy the environment. Have a recyclable garbage bag and that the waste will be disposed only on the special arranged areas.

Choose environmentally friendly products:
By using environmentally friendly (bio degradable) sun creams, shampoos and detergents you can help keep the rivers and seas (and therefore the water supply) free from pollution. Rechargeable batteries are a very good alternative to disposables.

Conserve energy:
Be careful not to waste valuable resources. Use local resources sparingly. Switch off lights, heaters/air-conditioning and fans when you leave the hotel room and don’t waste water.

Don’t litter:
No matter how untidy or dirty the country you’re travelling in may look to you, avoid littering. Return glass bottles - If you purchase drinks sold in glass bottles, please make sure that you return the bottle to the same shop, bar or restaurant, as they pay a deposit per bottle. We recommend you try the traditional local drinks: Greek tzipouro, ouzo or locally made beer.

The local run hotels use green energy sources. Solar water heating systems capture the sun’s heat energy and use it to heat water used by their guests. Every day millions of gallons of water are used to wash towels that have only been used once. In order to reduce the quantity of water and detergent the hotels have a Save the planet announcement in hotel rooms. A towel hanging up means I will use again while a towel on the floor means please change. The riders are advised to re-use their towels in order to limit the quantity of water used. Guests who voluntarily opt to reuse towels and sheets save hotels a large amount of water, energy, and money. Voluntary programs that encourage guests to request clean linens when needed also extend the useful life of sheets, towels, and washing machines and dryers.

Guests will receive a pre-trip information pack via e-mail, to minimize the use of paper, which will inform them about issues relating to the place they will travel, some language tips and general advice. Furthermore, our tour guides are well-educated multilingual people who can offer guests their skills as an interpreter and offer up-to-date details on current national and regional issues.

People

The itinerary enables our guest not only to enjoy a great ride but also to connect to the local culture by visiting small rural communities such as Palaios Panteleimonas traditional Greek village on Kato Olympus Mountain. We focus on sustaining the tradition of the regions visited. Stops on the way at local owned traditional restaurants such as the one in Kalabaka, close to the Meteora - Greek Orthodox complex of Monasteries, offering traditional food: souvlaki, tatziki, Greek salad with feta cheese, etc. The riders will stay in local owned hotels and we offer the experience of an overnight in welcoming country inns. Our hosts will be thrilled to introduce the riders to their way of living and prepare for them a traditional home cooked meal.

To make sure the money stays where needed we only use local suppliers and where the itinerary allows us we also use small family run businesses, like in Vassiliki - Lefkada Island, a beautiful small city located on the shores of the magical Vasiliki Bay, where the riders will accommodate in small, family run hotel. This is actually an ideal opportunity to spend more time with the locals but also ensure that the financial benefits of your visit reach the people of the area and not some large companies based outside the region.

Make your visit count, support the local economy. The economic situation of Greece is delicate. Support the local economy so that the money generated stay in the communities you are welcomed into. We recommend buying locally made handicrafts and try the locally produced goods. The Greeks excel in producing olive oil, cosmetics based on olive oil, great feta cheese; everything related to oranges, lemons, etc., will taste exceptional.

Visiting UNESCO World Heritage sites and archaeological parks: please respect the rules and regulations of such parks. The entry fees will help maintain and even restore the precious tourist attractions visited throughout the tour. When in a museum first ask if it is permitted to take photographs. Many museums or heritage sites also ask for a small fee if you use your camera or video-recorder. Be honest – remember the money is put towards restoration and preservation projects. Even though many of the artefacts are openly displayed, please do not touch them to help ensure their longevity.

Pay a fair price for goods and services: Bear in mind that most of the crafts, clothing and carpets on a sale are hand made using lengthy traditional processes. Expect to pay a high price, they are superb in quality and help to preserve local traditions and economies.

Apart from these, we’re making financial contributions for every persons who books one of our tours in the amount of £1 per person to support Saint Daniel’s Foundation project entitled 'A grand father for a nephew – A nephew for a grandfather', helping elderly and orphans, people most in need.

We encourage our guests do a little reading before coming to find out more about their host communities and the environment so that they would connect better with the locals.