Responsible Travel

Bali

The retreat centre is in tune with local Hindu traditions and adopts a no drinking or smoking policy. The traditional Balinese buildings were built from local materials and they fit in well with the local surroundings. Yogatraveller are delighted to be bringing tourists back to this beautiful island whose industry suffered so much in recent years. Set remotely in a quiet part of the island, the retreat centre provides jobs for 11 people in the local area. All the food is locally sourced and is prepared by locals. All our excursions are done through small local businesses which generates revenue to the locality. Yogatraveller also donate 10% of our profits to tsunami affected areas of which Indonesia is one. The nature of the holiday: healing and yoga, means we are bringing guests with a higher sense of awareness and we brief all our guests on how to be respectful in this very spiritual and cultural place. The Retreat Bali has donated money to help build a road to the local school and have donate money to all the local religious festivals.

Swiss Alps

Wengen is a UNESCO world heritage site and is protected by local laws as a conservation area. It is also a car-free village which maintains the clean mountain air. Yogatraveller guests will be met on arrival and briefed on mountain safety, preservation and conservation. Ski passes are included and part of the payment goes to the upkeep and protection of this nature reserve. Guests will stay at a locally run family hotel and will get the chance to meet locals and learn about the history of the area. Wengen is a spotlessly clean, safe and environmentally friendly part of the Swiss Alps. The Swiss standards of recycling are leagues above the rest of Europe and we explain these procedures and encourage guests to respect these policies and to get involved.

Thailand

Yogatraveller work only with local businesses. The yoga resort is locally owned and run and uses only local staff. The services included during your holiday/ retreat, meals, the sunset snorkelling trip and the other optional activities offered are all run by local staff. The dive shop we associate with are actively involved in the Reef Check program. This is a survey that looks at the quality of the world’s reefs. We also provide information on the tsunami in 2004 and show how local communities are helping to continue to improve things.

France

The accommodation at this location is at an eco farm, and it has been lovingly restored using locally sourced materials and using local crafts people. Where possible only sustainable and natural materials have been used. During your holiday you will be using local businesses and providing income to the Alpine community. For attending our holiday you will have a tree planted in your name in our Yogatraveller forest in Niger, Africa. We will also offset the carbon emissions for return flights within Europe and one way for flights outside Europe. As we are located in the heart of Europe we encourage guests to take a train to Geneva and cut down on their environmental impact.

Malta

Yogatraveller works with local companies to support this tiny community. We offer peaceful, relaxing yoga holidays in a beautiful environment sensitive to local culture. The accommodation is locally owned and run and during your week, guests will meet many of the friendly locals who dwell in this place. We use local produce in our food, as do all the local restaurants and shops in support the local economy. Family values and traditions are held in high regard here and small villages and communities join together for various festivals during most parts of the year. We provide local information for you to get the most out of the island and to understand and to join in with the local cultural activities. Gozo is a small, proud island which is immaculately clean, safe and friendly. We encourage guests to respect the place, eat the local produce, keep it clean and go out and meet the friendly locals.

Morocco

We will plant a tree for every guest attending one of our holidays in the new Yogatraveller Forest in Niger, Africa. The tree will be named after you! We will also off-set the carbon emissions for return flights to Morocco from Europe and will contribute to offsetting any flights from other continents. We also regularly donate to local charities in the countries we are in.

Green Issues

NEW! Check out the New Tree-Nation Planting report to see how the project is going! Click here
October 2008: we now have 127 trees in the Yogatraveller Forest!
We're very excited about our latest project. We're working in conjunction with Tree Nation and we're growing a Yogatraveller Forest! To counter desertification we will plant a tree for every customer who attends our holidays, in your name! Once you've received your tree, you can follow this project and watch your tree grow! Tree Nation's website has lots of information on the project and the countless benefits to both people, the country and the planet in general www.tree-nation.com

Carbon Neutral

Starting in September, we will be off-setting the Co2 emmisions on all flights within Europe and one-way for flights to Asia (we're hoping you guys will offer the return flight!). We are working in conjunction with Climate Care and they have a calculator where you can see how many tons of Co2 your flight put into the atmosphere and pay to off-set it. You will receive a certificate where you can see how this contribution makes a difference! For more information on Climate Care, please visit their site www.climatecare.org