Lebanon and Jordan tour

Planet

LEBANON:
On this tour in Lebanon, to help protect the environment, we avoid any domestic flights. and the associated CO2 emissions as much as possible. We also conduct many of the included sightseeing tours on foot to reduce the amount of driving each day.

Drinking water and the waste associated by single use plastic water bottles is something we are working hard on in Lebanon as well as other destinations. All travellers are encouraged to bring their own refillable water bottles and we are rolling out a program of providing large water canisters in our vehicles on group tours to take refills from. We are also offering water filtering bottles to travellers, all of which can vastly reduce waste generated by our customers both during the tour and on an ongoing basis.

Our Lebanese guides are strict in monitoring and preventing littering to protect the sites we visit and waste bins are provided in all vehicles. If trash cans are not available, we facilitate the collection and later disposal of any waste generated during our tours.

Many of the sites we visit whilst in Lebanon are incredibly important historical and natural wonders, and we encourage our travellers to treat these sites as such, sticking to marked paths, not climbing on ruins, picking wild plants or flowers, and avoiding disturbing the local wildlife as much as possible.

JORDAN:
We know that making the positive difference we aim to achieve will not be an easy task. However, our enthusiasm and commitment towards our travel responsibility mission is far stronger than any obstacles. We believe that in order to achieve any objective, the company has to have accurate policies and procedures for the employees and the guests to follow in order to reach our goal.

We have decided that the environment is a major component of any local community and any negative effect on the environment would directly have an impact on the lives of the inhabitants of the local community. Therefore, we have drawn up a strict environmental protection policy that all our employees and travelers have to abide by. For example, we recycle empty ink cartridges. A company collects them and disposes of them in the correct manner.

The desert area of Wadi Rum has to be conserved. Travellers are encouraged not to dispose of their waste while in the desert areas. They are also encouraged not to pick any plants that grow in the rocks or on the arid areas. The entire Wadi Rum is a protected area so all plants, animals and area has to be respected and taken care of.

As responsible travelers, we recognize the need to reduce our plastic consumption and provide sustainable alternatives to our customers. That's why we've partnered with Water to Go to offer a fantastic solution.

Water to Go is a company on a mission to tackle the issue of plastic pollution by providing travelers with reusable filter bottles. These bottles are not your average water containers. They are designed with advanced filtration technology that allows you to safely refill your bottle from natural water sources, taps, and even in places where tap water is not typically considered safe to drink.

People

LEBANON:
On our Lebanon and Jordan Tour we aim to see more of the country and its people than just the main tourist sites. We therefore work with locally owned boutique style hotels or deluxe guesthouses whilst in Lebanon.

Our Lebanon tours are all run by local Lebanese guides, as we feel they can provide both historical information and more insight into modern day Lebanon and culture than international tour leaders.

We also try to consider the social and cultural aspects of the local community and how to respect the customs and traditions of its inhabitants. Our tour notes will provide advance information on dress codes and particular local customs, and our guides will expand on this in their explanations during the tour. This means we can create valuable and rewarding opportunities for our travellers and allow local people to mingle and exchange ideas and thoughts without causing any unintended offence.

In Lebanon, we support local crafts makers and artists by visiting a couple of carefully selected local shops and a vineyard in the Ksara Caves. Here travellers can learn about the historic methods of producing wines as well as purchasing souvenirs if they wish. We also aim to visit homebased manufacturers whenever possible where delicious Za’atar and Sumac are produced using traditional methods. All products sold in these shops are sourced from the surrounding local communities.

Furthermore, we provide each traveller with a tipping guide or arrange a tipping kitty that will help to ensure that those numerous people working hard to make sure our holidays run smoothly and are a great experience, are rewarded as they should be.

JORDAN:

We promise to support the local communities of Jordan. We will do this by employing local guides, using local handicraft shops and recommend shops to our travelers so that their holiday spending contributes to the people of Jordan. Furthermore, we provide each traveler with a tipping guide. By doing this we set a concept of tipping and gratuity for every person who will offer a form of service to the traveler.

We have also considered the social aspect of the local community and how to respect the customs and traditions of the inhabitants helping us operate our tours. We always provide our guests with all the information needed to understand the community they are visiting and we create valuable opportunities for the travelers and the locals to mingle and exchange ideas and thoughts.

We educate all our staff on the real life situations in Jordan. Sales consultants will use this information to inform potential travelers of the correct information and dangers that they may face. By creating long lasting relationships with our local ground handlers, we are able to establish what needs the community has and through their information we can inform our travelers what they can contribute to the local community from their home countries.

Street children are seen in many of the cities of Jordan. We don't encourage travellers to directly give children money. If they wish to make a contribution, they may speak to the tour guide on whether there are donation strategies available. We are always seeking for donation options and our aim is to establish one in Jordan in the near future.

In Jordan, travelers are encouraged not to tempt children or any locals with food and sweets. The culture has to be respected at all times.