In Optimist Travel we will not only be reporting on the world's best
and most popular holiday hotspots but will be seeking alternative forms
of holidays likely to appeal to those who prefer to give something back
to the planet and perhaps, in the ...
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As South Africa prepares itself to host the Responsible Luxury Summit in May 2008, the Optimist reports on why this country is gaining a reputation as the leader in philanthropic activities designed to benefit the local community. ...
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"Voluntourism" – combining elements of an adventure holiday with charitable work – remains one of the most remarkable travel revolutions of the last ten years. ...Read more >>
"Haute Qualité Environnementale" or HQE is the French standard for green building, and airport operator Aeroports de Paris (ADP) is embracing it in a big way. ...Read more >>
Nominate a winner for The Virgin Holidays Responsible Tourism Awards 2008 Awards, and you could win an unforgettable holiday for you and a friend. ...Read more >>
Novotel Hotels Group has announced its commitment to the international environmental certification programme, Green Globe, to achieve certification of its worldwide network by 2010. ...Read more >>
Make way for the "GGGs" or the Green Globetrotting Girls , a new breed of travellers leading the change in attitude towards alternative travels. ...Read more >>
Hands Up Holidays, the tour operator who blends travel with meaningful volunteering experiences, has launched the 2008/09 brochure and a revamped website announcing eight new trips to Asia Pacific and Africa. ...Read more >>
The Guardian said it: "It's the age of the amateurs". Travel Photographer of the Year (TPOTY) 2007 confirms what we amateurs know all along, and what the mainstream media finally, grudgingly acknowledges: Amateur photography rules. And digital is ...Read more >>
What is thought to be the world’s first “green” reward card has been launched to encourage travellers to not only become more aware of their carbon footprint but allow them to earn points for being ecologically aware. ...Read more >>
Bikeworks, an East London community interest company, wants corporations to consider recycled bicycles as a part of their green travel planning. ...Read more >>
Luxury travellers can make a huge difference to the local community. Jane Kaye-Bailey founded The Butterfly Tree project in aid of rural Zambia. ...Read more >>
Rawnsley Park Station, an eco retreat located in the heart of the Flinders Ranges, 400 km from Adelaide, South Australia, offers travellers an "environmentally sensitive" experience – free...Read more >>
UK travellers can still take their canine and feline pets, and even ferrets, to the European Union on holiday - as long as their obtain special passports for their pets....Read more >>
The airlines are employing the best creative and technological brains from all over the world to produce sustainable solutions onboard. The aviation industry is the first to initiate the carbon offsetting scheme and leading the way for numerous ec...Read more >>
In 2004 I visited Niger, an impoverished West African nation, where I hired a professional guide and camels and spent five weeks hiking in the desert. ...Read more >>
Starting from April 2008, seven resorts in the Cayman Islands are piloting a new initiative, being put in place jointly by the destination and its private tourism sector, to bring about improved environmental performance within the industry.
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If you want to see at first hand how luxury tourism and sound eco practice can go hand in hand head for the Machu Picchu Sanctuary Lodge located beside the sacred Inca ruins of Machu Picchu in Peru....Read more >>
A new-found enthusiasm for cycling is being reported by tour operator Inntravel, which says it has noticed a marked increase in demand for holidays on two wheels. ...Read more >>
If you fancy a skiing break without the need to fly to your destination, or even take a ferry, there's good news from "North of the Border" -- the snow has arrived, with good conditions at the Scottish resort of Glenshee, which offers a good range...Read more >>
A new book, "Green Rooms", which provides an independent insight into more than 100 eco-friendly and ethical places to stay around the world is the first in an ethical travel series entitled New Leaf being produced by AA Publishing and on sale fro...Read more >>
If you prefer to reduce your carbon footprint by avoiding flying when you take a break, responsibletravel.com has made it a bit easier by coming up with a list of more than 180 holidays which offer the choice of travelling without going anywhere n...Read more >>
There are many reasons to visit the Malaysian island of Langkawi but perhaps the best is to see for yourself the sheer, virtually-unspoiled natural beauty of the place. You notice it within minutes of landing at Langkawi's sparkling new internatio...Read more >>
It is the city of Sugar Loaf Mountain; the statue of Christ the Redeemer, towering high above Corcovado; the beaches at Copacabana and Ipanema and perhaps above all the annual carnival during the week leading up to Lent, billed as one of the great...Read more >>
Touch down in Iceland, step outside the ultra-modern Scandinavian-style terminal building at Keflavik airport, the gateway for Reykjavik, and, as you peer through the gloom out of the car window you could be forgiven for thinking you are the butt ...Read more >>
Many people take the view that the Lake District is as close as it is possible to get to paradise on earth, and they could be right. ...Read more >>
There is hope at last if you desperately crave some Sunshine after what seems like an endless winter but don't want to shell out a fortune to travel to the Caribbean or Thailand or some other exotic far-flung – and expensive to reach – destination...Read more >>
Think of Spain and what comes to mind? The beaches of the costas, perhaps; the nightlife and 24-hour club scene of the Balearic island of Ibiza, much loved by those who thrive on too much alcohol and little or no sleep; the cool of Barcelona with its...Read more >>
It is a lucky coincidence that many South African Airways flights from London arrive in Cape Town in the morning, a super time of day for your first experience of this magnificent city. ...Read more >>
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