Today’s blog comes from Florence Bryce, our Sustainability Officer here at Off the Map Travel.
It has never been more important to take an interest in the consequences our travel habits have on our precious planet. We are becoming more educated and aware of how our carbon emissions are impacting global warming and what we can do to combat the damage caused. As a company we have a duty to protect the natural wonders we want our guests to enjoy. We want to ensure we are doing everything in our power to conserve the breathtaking destinations we, and so many others love.
As a company, Off The Map Travel already has an extremely strong Responsible Travel Policy which we all work within, whilst we try to continuously evolve and improve it. However, since I joined the team I have made it my own personal mission to find out what more we could be doing to protect the Arctic and its precious wildlife. Keeping tourism as responsible and therefore sustainable as possible is a topic very important to me and one I have previously done a lot of research into during my time studying International Travel and Tourism Management at university. I am therefore keen to explore how we can improve our existing policies and implement new schemes which will help us to reach our aim of preserving and safeguarding our destinations as much as possible for future generations to enjoy. I have been researching NGOs and charities we could work with and over the next few months I will be exploring new and innovative methods of conservation in the Arctic.
Amongst several new and exciting summer packages we are introducing this year, I have been working on an Icelandic Eco Road Trip. This is based on the concept of sustainable tourism and has been designed under the responsible travel ethos, focusing on eco-friendly hotels and responsible tourism providers. This trip is the ultimate ‘green adventure’ and we are very excited about it! The Icelandic capital of Reykjavik which use to be marketed as a place of “pure energy” running on geothermal power, has a new aim of trying to become the world’s first carbon neutral city by 2040 and reducing their greenhouse gas emissions from 2.8 tonnes per person to zero. This bold statement has caught the attention of the public and Iceland is becoming one of the most exclusive, adventurous destinations to visit.
Our new Icelandic Eco Road Trip is a round trip, self-drive expedition of the whole of Iceland, taking you through bubbling geothermal springs, breathtaking waterfalls, rugged mountain landscapes and glacial ice caves! Some of the highlights of this trip are; Thingvellir National Park where the Earth’s tectonic plates are constantly moving, exploding geysers and the magnificent Gullfoss Waterfall, as well as hiking behind the Seljalandsfoss Waterfall, hopefully seeing a sparkling rainbow over Skogafoss Waterfall, whale watching, Icelandic pony trekking and much more!
Sounds good right? Stayed tuned for the release of our Icelandic Eco Road Trip in the next few months and updates on our ongoing quest for greener travel in the Arctic! Can’t wait? Get in touch with us and we can help you find your own Iceland Eco Adventure.
Florence
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