The Blue Train, South Africa.
Trains, trains, trains, how we love taking trains. Some of the greenest transportation in the world, train journeys can be unforgettable travel experiences.
The Luxury Travel Bible has released their Top 10 Luxury Terrific Trains list. Here it is:
All studio concerts.
Wherever you’re traveling or living, attending arts festivals is a great way to support local culture and the arts.
In Iceland, the Reykjavik Arts Festival kicks off today. The festival, from May 12-June 5, 2010, will include 60+ events and Icelandic and international artists, from music and dance to theatre and literature.
“This year’s focus will be photography, reflecting the importance of the photograph in today’s culture, in recording reality, in the arts and in all forms of communication,” say festival organizers.
Official festival sponsor Iceland Express is offering special packages which include flights and two to four nights’ accommodation in Reykjavik.
The 2010 festival program includes:
For the full festival program, go here.
Image courtesy of the Reykjavik Arts Festival
Fancy a green budget holiday? traveling greener loves UK ethical travel company responsibletravel.com and its diverse holidays worldwide.
Here are 5 Budget Holidays You’ll Love:
1. Thailand budget holiday. “Express tour of northern Thailand.”
2. South America overland tour. “A cross-continental South America adventure.”
3. Budget vacation in Egypt. “Discover over fifty centuries of Egyptian history.”
4. Budget camel safari in Morocco. “Experience a true nomadic lifestyle in Morocco.”
5. Learn to surf holiday in Spain. “A week of surf and adventure in beautiful Northern Spain.”
Image courtesy of responsibletravel.com
Feel like chilling out in Tuscany with your family? Then check out the family-friendly, Italian spa Hotel Adler Thermae Spa & Relax Resort.
In the Tuscan Hills, the 90-room retreat features sculpted pools of thermal waters for bathing, morning yoga, fitness classes, 130+ custom spa treatments and local cuisine.
Resort rooms have rich wood furnishings, warm-toned draperies and private terraces or balconies overlooking the Orcia Valley.
The Sanoner brothers, the spa owners, “like to live and feel well, relax and have their families with them”, the philosophy behind Adler Thermae.
The spa offers country walks to the village of Bagno Vignoni, nearby cheese factory or vineyards. Guests can borrow bicycles to explore the hills or go on guided excursions.
A daily schedule for children includes arts, crafts, videos, swimming, yoga, exercises and walking or bus excursions. A teen lounge features video games, hiking, mountain biking, trips to local farms and vineyards and special spa treatments.
For more info, check out Adler Thermae online.
Image courtesy of the Italian Tourist Board
Crowne Plaza Copenhagen Towers now offers guests a chance to help power the hotel.
Called the greenest hotel in Denmark, the 366-room hotel has just installed electricity producing bicycles in its gym for guests. For guests who produce 10 watt hours of electricity or more for the hotel, they will be given a locally produced complimentary meal.
Guests using the new electric bicycles will be able to monitor how much electricity they’re producing via iPhones mounted on the handle bars. Starting in June, guests can race against the hotel’s solar panel system to see who produces the most electricity.
The electric bikes will run at Crowne Plaza Copenhagen Towers for a year. If the program is successful, the new electric bicycle initiative will be offered at all Crowne Plaza hotels in the UK.
We walk and we walk and we walk at traveling greener. We’ve walked rainforests; we’ve walked mountains; we’ve walked cities; we’ve walked wine country…and now we want to walk beaches.
There’s a new conservation holiday in Cornwall exploring hidden coves and quiet beaches with BTCV. From April 30-May 7, 2010, the conservation charity is offering the break for travelers who want to work on a conservation project, restoring a footpath in a wooded valley.
Says BTCV:
“Spring is a beautiful time in Cornwall with country lanes abundant with colorful wild flowers and National Trust and other large gardens are at their best with magnificent magnolias, rhododendrons and camellias…There are numerous hidden coves and unspoilt beaches to discover on both north and south Cornish coasts with beautiful sandy beaches just a few minutes away. In addition there are outstanding stretches of coastal paths and interesting inland areas of beauty and heritage to explore.”
Experienced group leaders will lead the project. Accommodation will be at St Margaret’s Park, a quiet park of holiday chalet/bungalows. Food will be prepared by guests using local produce.
For more info, check out BTCV online.
Image courtesy of BTCV
More and more city destinations are offering sightseeing passes that cover museum admissions to public transit.
If you’re traveling to Paris, think about getting The Paris Pass, a sightseeing pass that is a budget and green travel deal.
The Pass will give you access to 60+ Paris attractions including the Arc de Triomphe, Musée du Louvre and the Notre-Dame Cathedral. Users are given priority access at the busiest sights to avoid queues, a free guidebook and other deals and discounts.
The Pass also includes a metro pass with unlimited travel on the metro, buses and RER within central Paris. It is available in two-day, four-day and six-day options. The website features a map tool to plan visits and all the included attractions and special offers.
For more info, check out The Paris Pass online.
Image courtesy of Leisure Pass Group
If you’re a dog-loving traveler, you know it can be challenging to find dog-friendly accommodations. Check out Blue Chip Vacations which offers 170+ coastal and rural pet-friendly properties in the United Kingdom.
One of their properties is the 3 and 4 Fish Cellars (above) which are 400-year-old fish cellars that have been transformed into eco-friendly beach houses in their original old stone.
Situated in the small village of Portwrinkle on the coast of Cornwall, the company says they feature waterfront balconies, under floor heating and allocated parking.
Nearby, dog lovers and their best friends can enjoy South Cornwall’s year-round dog-friendly Whitsand Bay. Walking the South West Coast Path, some 50 metres away, they can also reach the dog friendly beaches of Downderry and Seaton.
For more info, visit Blue Chip Vacations online.
Image courtesy of Blue Chip Vacations
Staying in farmhouses can lead to authentic country living and travel experiences.
That’s why traveling greener loves the idea of Mallorca Farmhouses which offers traditional fincas, country cottages and rustic retreats for holiday rentals. Many of the company’s properties are located within or near rural villages on the Spanish island.
Says Mallorca Farmhouses:
“Mallorca boasts more than simply sun, sea, sand and sangria. Head into the island’s interior and visitors will discover picturesque cobbled villages, thriving local markets, wild pine-clad hills teeming with birds and butterflies and undulating countryside with fields of almond, olive and lemon groves.”
Dreaming of learning to sail in the Greek Islands? No worries, travel companies like Sunvil Sailing will teach you the ropes literally.
Right now, Sunvil Sailing is offering early season deals in Greece in May. The deals feature a week’s flotilla sailing in the Greek Ionian Sea based on two sharing a live-aboard cabin with optional tuition for sailing novices. A qualified instructor will teach novices while experienced sailors will crew their own yachts in the flotilla.
There will be additional charges for learn-to-sail weeks and a flotilla week towards yacht damage waiver, fuel, on-board refreshments and other items.
For more info, check out Sunvil Sailing online.
Image courtesy of Sunvil Sailing
