|
|
Featured sites
When reviewing website links,
every so often you come across a site that is really interesting
or special in some way -the sort of website that adds something
unique. Each month we feature one of our favourite travel sites
-below is the list of those we have featured:
2010
 July 2010: Stuff
your Rucksack -http://stuffyourrucksack.com
The website of TV presenter Kate Humble that gives guidance on
things you can take with you on your travels that may be of value
to charitable projects supporting local communities. Well worth
a read before you set off.
 June 2010: Guludo
Beach Lodge, Mozambique - http://www.guludo.com
A beautiful rustic hideaway and fair trade lodge on the beach
paradise of Pemba. The owners established the Nema Foundation,
whose philosophy is based around giving back to the local community,
with a strong emphasis on supporting women. The lodge offers
guests the chance to relax on beautiful white beaches lapped
by aquamarine sea, observe humback whales in their natural environment,
canoeing or enjoy world class scuba diving. They also take their
protection of Pemba's environment very seriously using solar
panels, water reharvesting, recycling and local education programs
as part of this commitment.
May 2010: Gaps for Grumpies
-you don't have to be nineteen to make a worthwhile contribution
whilst having a life changing experience. This organisation caters
for non traditional gappers, placing you in community development
projects in Ghana and Tanzania.
 April
2010: Girls Travel Club
-founded by Beccy Coombes Burr, GTC specialises in gear for women
travellers. They try to source all their products as ethically
and as responsibly as possible. The site also provides tips,
unusual packing lists, natural remedies and even games for travellers.
There is some seriously good advice on the site (and not just
for women), and if you want to know why you should take an onion
on holiday, visit the website!
- March 2010 -Lanzarote
Retreats -Family run business offering six different luxury
eco accommodations, including self-catering eco yurts, cottages
and villas in stunning locations. All six properties are off-grid
being powered by the solar panels and wind turbines of "Finca
de Arrieta" in the north of the island. The mayority of
the properties are located by the sea, away from the hustle and
bustle of mass tourism.
 Feb
2010 -Madventurer -combination
of award winning volunteer projects and adventures in some of
the most fascinating destinations in the world. They aim to help
local communities in developing countries with volunteer projects,
and at the same time enable travellers to gain life-changing
experiences through cultural integration, challenge and adventure.
Destinations include Fiji, Ghana, India, Kenya, Peru, Tanzania,
Thailand, Uganda. Projects combine volunteering, adventure or
sports projects -rugby, hockey, football, netball, cricket, basketball,
swimming, tennis and volleyball.
 January 2010 -Much
Better Adventures -a travel directory that puts you in
direct contact with carefully selected adventure sports and activity
holidays, tours, courses and accommodation with a strong commitment
to sustainability. Their
mission in particular is to generate more business for small
operators, community tourism, not for profit and charity operations
that cannot normally compete on a such a commercial platform.
- 2009
- Past featured
sites.
 November
2009 -Eco Dharma Centre
-offer courses, events and retreats that support the development
of an ecological consciousness. Retreats take place in in a beautiful
and wild mountain valley in the Sierra de Carreau of the Catalan
Pyrenees. A number of old farmhouses in various states of renovation
together with some low-impact structures provide shelter within
a mountainous landscape of mixed woodland, pasture, scrub, and
limestone outcrops.
 September
2009: WWHOOF -just
in time before the end of summer -World Wide Opportunities on
Organic Farms offers "WHOOFERS" the opportunity to
volunteer on organic farms throughout the world in return for
food, accommodation and the chance to learn about organic lifetsyles.
 August
2009: Surf Algarve
-a surfing and yoga camp nestled in a valley of native cork trees.
The retreat is the brainchild of enthusiastic Australian traveller
and surfer Laurie Quirk. Staying here is a communal experience
with accommodation in a large teepee, or on a small island camp
just across a brook. For those wanting more privacy there is
also the more secluded 'Couples Retreat' in an African safari
style tent.
July 2009 -Ethical Volunteering -an online guide to
getting the best out of international volunteering, and ensuring
that your experience is of value to both yourself and the people
you work with.
- June 2009 -Wild
Swimming -Daniel Start's book on swimming in Britains
rivers, lakes and waterfalls includes location maps, guidance
on staying safe and mouthwatering photo highlights. The is also
chance to contribute and win a free copy of the book by nominating
places for inclusion.
-
- May 2009:
 Consolacion Hotel,
Monroyo. A striking modern hotel located in the Matarraña,
Aragón, one of the most beautiful and undiscovered regions
of Spain. The hotel was designed by architects Camprubí
i Santacana as an innovative project comprising a central
house with communal areas, plus ten rooms built as cubes with
three solid and one glass wall, enjoying interrupted views of
the natural surroundings. The rooms have sunken baths of luxurious
black slate and a chimney suspended in mid air, as well as speakers
for your I-pod. The restaurant serves some of the best regional
produce and the swimming pool, carved from the rockface, enjoys
the same spectacular views.
-
 April 2009: The
Dharma House
A retreat in the foothills of the Cévennes mountain in
the south of France whose aim is to explore a lifestyle centred
around ecological and sustainable ethics, placing an emphasis
on integrating mindful awareness into daily activities.The centre
enjoys fantastic views and is surrounded by olive, almond, peach,
plum, mimosa, fig and apricot trees. The community is active
in growing food and structuring the land with permacultural ideas
and designs. At various times they hold meditation and yoga retreats,
as well as courses on topics including permaculture and green
building.
-
 March 2009: Bulungula
Incubator -working with Bulunga Lodge in South Africa,
this project uses the benefits of backpacker tourism to fight
poverty in one of the poorest villages in South Africa. The village
of Nqileni is beautiful but has has no road, school, running
water, toilets, school, clinic or electricity. The lodge has
helped create thirty five jobs for the village and works in association
with the incubator project to assist people in setting up projects
ranging from fundraising for the village school to the establishment
of a permaculture food forest.
- February 2009: Where
the hell is Matt: in case you are not one of the twelve
million people who have already seen this, turn your sound up,
sit back and enjoy Matt Harding's video.
 January 2009: Deepdale
Backpackers, Deepdale Farm, Norfolk, England -we
have chosen this one because of their leading the way for eco
friendly budget accommodation. As well as the Deepdale Granary
Hostel, they also run a campsite with tipis ready erected, or
bring your own tent or camper van. (perhaps not for the current
weather!) . They have won many awards for their sustainability
projects. Read more about them and other eco hostels on our hostels
pages.
2008
- December 2008: Trelowarren,
Mawgan, Cornwall - the worlds first eco-timeshare -half of the
cottages in this 30 house eco-community are avalaible as timeshares.
The aim of the community is to be completely carbon neutral as
well as self sufficient in food and fuel.
- November 2008: Sadie
Cove Ecolodge -this Alaskan lodge is located on a privately
owned beach inside Kachemak Bay State Park and offers guests
amazing opportunities to interact with bears, otters and whales,
as well as enjoying the peace and tranquility of Alaska's wilderness.
The lodge is serious about its environmental policy, with one
tree planted for every guest who stays, hydro-eclectric power,
recycling and the entire hostel built of driftwood.
- October 2008: Aqua
Dome -an absolutely stunning thermal spa and wellness hotel
set in the Tirollean mountains. Features include a domed, glass-walled
thermal spring hall with two pools and a huge waterfall -two
canal pools connect to the amazing outdoor area, with the whole
complex designed to blend with the mountain setting.
- Sept 2008: Kw'o:kw'e:hala Eco
Retreat, Othello, British Columbia -a wilderness retreat
in the mountains of the Pacific North-West, just one and a half
hours from Vancouver with accommodation in log cabins or 'soft-sided
nests'. Breathtaking scenery on seven forested acres alongside
crystal emerald waters of the Coquihalla River. Meals provided
from their own organic garden.
- August 2008: Kolarbyn -Sweden's most primitive hostel -stay
in a forest hut and really get back to nature with moose safaris,
wolf howling tours
- July 08: Galapita
Healing Garden -healing
centre and sanctuary described by TS Elliot as "one of those
rare and magical places that seems to exist outside time as though
the world only revolves around its boundaries". Stay in
open walled pavilions nestled among protected pockets of forests,
paddy fields, waterfalls and a lake along the meandering river
of gems.
- June 2008: Canvas
Chic -holiday in a tent as you have never imagined it. Stay
a luxury handcrafted Yurt in a magnificent oak forest on top
of a stunning river gorge at Labastide de Virac in the Ardèche.
Canvaschic was founded in 2003 by Lodewijk van den Belt and Ruth
Lawson who wanted to offer a holiday that reflected their love
of the outdoors.
- May 08: Natural
Retreats -their vision is to build environmentally friendly,
luxury residences, founded on sustainable principles, within,
or close to, all the National Parks in the UK. Their first site
at Richmond in the Yorkshire Dales is now open offering luxury
modern eco cabins in beautiful countryside.
- April 08: Plan-it
Earth -family eco activity and yurt holidays at Govena, an
idyllic smallholding run by Rachel and Daid Smart Knight in West
Penwith, Cornwall....and additional discount if you leave the
car at home.
- March 08: OneBag.com
-Doug Dyment's site on the art of travelling light is jammed
with ways to keep your load to a minimum, with packing lists
and advice on what to take with you (and what not!).
- February 08: Earthdive -a global research project for
recreational scuba divers to log sightings of key indicator species
working inassociation with the United Nations Environment Programme.
- January 08: Palin's
Travels -writing and photos from the broadcaster Michael
Palin -including Pole to Pole, Full Circle, Hemingway and Sahara.
Previous sites -our selection
of some of the best
- Visit England North West -the official tourist site for the North
West of England, including Blackpool, Cumbria and the Lake District.
- Organic Places to stay -an extensive guide to small hotels,
farms, bed and breakfasts throughout the world who use organic
produce.
- Black
Sheep Inn -an inexpensive
ecologically friendly hotel perched on a hillside in the Andes
Mountains of Ecuador -having won a number of awards for responsible
tourism, it is a perfect place to discover diverse ecosystems.
- Fat
Birder -huge resource
about birdwatching worldwide with trip reports, country data,
bird information and much more.
- Flight Path to Global Meltdown -George Monbiot's challenging discussion
of the effects of air travel on the environment.
- Been There
-from the Guardian, chance to publish your favourite tips on
the places you have been to.
- Sustrans -the UK's leading sustainable transport
charity, working on practical projects such as the National Cycle
Network, so people can choose to travel sustainably.
- Foreign
and Commonwealth Office
-the huge FCO site has advice on travelling to any country -health,
security, checklists, visas and how to get help if you have a
problem.
- Jet
Lag Travel -if you think
you've been everywhere then try this site -special features on
travel to Molvania and Phaic Tan. Perhaps we should have waited
until April to feature this one.
- One
Bag -the art and science
of travelling light.
- Villarenters -free online service for villa and holiday home
owners, providing a professionally run website and booking system
in return for a small commission on bookings.
- WebExpeditions:
leading source for scientific, educational and adventure expedition
news and information -everything from polar exploration to deep
jungle research, including links to hundreds of current, recent
and historical expeditions, organized by topic and date.
- Climate
Care Emissions Calculator
-how much C02 do you generate with your air travel -well this
site has a calculator to answer just that. You can also make
a donation to the charity to offset your emissions.
- Spirit of the Hills -a
family run business that specialise in walking experiences in
Scotland -the website has some beautiful photographs that really
capture the feel of the Scottish Highlands.
- The
Man in Seat Sixty One
-a must for all rail travellers.
Search this site with Google:
|
|