Lake Constance cycling holiday in Austria and Germany

Planet and people

UK Office:
We are well aware of the impact tourism has at home and abroad, and we make every effort to balance the environmental impact of travelling with the immense benefits sustainable tourism can bring to destinations and the people who live there. So we start in the office: we turn off all electrical equipment every night; we use energy-efficient bulbs; we measure print and paper consumption, and re-cycle wherever possible; we print our brochures on paper from sustainable sources, and send them out in bio-degradable packaging.

Leaders & local suppliers:
It’s very rare that non-athletes have the chance to use just their own man-power to explore not one but three countries! But this is exactly what the 300kms of pancake-flat cycling trails around Lake Constance provide: you pedal at your own pace, knowing we’re moving your luggage for you, and safe in the knowledge that, should it ever get too tough (unlikely) you can just pop on the train – taking your bike with you – and alight at the next hotel where your bags will be waiting for you! It’s easy, environmentally friendly, and great for burning off any calories gained the previous day!

Group size:
Having no minimum number means that groups sizes can be small and therefore the trips have less impact on the environment.

Activity:
Walking has minimal impact on the environment as you provide most of the energy yourself and, when you’re strolling from village to village, you can enjoy a relationship with locals in a way motorists passing through never can. On foot, you get off the beaten track, and you’ll find that people treat you as a visitor rather than a tourist. Also, by walking independently, and not having to worry about keeping up with a group, you set the pace so you can soak up the sights, sounds and scents of your surrounds and really get under the skin of the place you’re visiting.

We proactively encourage walking clients to think about travelling responsibly too: packing light, saving water, buying locally and re-cycling all maps and route notes at the end of their trip.