Central Europe holiday for under 35s

Planet

As part of our responsible travel philosophy we use public transport wherever possible. For example, on this trip we use bus, tram, Metro and train, which means a journey from Vienna to Budapest is not only more environmentally friendly but great fun too! However, when this isn’t an option we do our best to ensure that the private vehicles we travel in are suitable for our small group sizes. For instance, we wouldn’t use a 16-seater minivan if we only had five people on the trip with us.

Waste in general is an issue we’re all aware of. As we specialise in small group travel, we choose to travel Central Europe in groups of no more than 16 people (9-10 on average). This way our impact on our destination is minimal, as is the waste we produce and leave behind. In addition, we realised that plastic is not so fantastic and therefore we give out canvas bags to our all travellers at the start of each departure. We encourage the use of these bags every day – wherever you’re going. Whether it’s to shop for souvenirs and snacks or simply to carry around your daily essentials.

Another great way to reduce the use of plastic is to carry a refillable water bottle. These days reusable bottles are available everywhere and while traveling Central Europe refilling them is never a problem because the tap water is safe to drink.

People

European cities like Prague, Budapest, Venice and Vienna see large numbers of tourists every day. On the one hand it’s an important income generator for the local economy, but we also need to remember that the local people may get tired of their neighbourhoods being flooded with visitors. We need to acknowledge that in these world-famous destinations many ordinary people are going about their daily lives. By limiting our group sizes, we’re minimising our impact on this. We also choose to shop in the local markets, teaching our clients basic words and phrases in each local language and educating them about local customs. This shows we’re respectful of and grateful to the communities we visit. Also, by choosing something like a walking tour around the small medieval town of Cesky Krumlov, we’re having a lesser impact than those visiting such places on big tour buses. Small things we do when we visit a place can make a big difference to the local people.

When visiting all these places we also want the local communities to benefit. In that respect, we avoid big hotel chains and instead opt to stay in charming, often family-owned accommodation. We also have great local knowledge and therefore you can expect our leaders to suggest small, off the beaten track restaurants for lunch or bars for an evening drink. It is a great way to support local businesses and the best way to try some of the authentic local products. In the same way, when we go for a sightseeing walk in Vienna or to discover mighty Prague Castle, if we decide to catch a taxi, our leader is most likely going to call someone who he/she knows. This may sound like a small thing, but to our friends and neighbours it may make a considerable difference.