Noflights.com: Travel without flying

by Abha Malpani on

I enjoy finding websites that represent businesses trying to make-money and help the world at the same time. My latest find is UK based Noflights.com, which as the name suggests, is about traveling without taking a flight.

The company has put together an expansive bundle of travel-itineraries for people who want environmentally conscious travel. From the UK, they have ready packages that, other than Europe, will take you to China, Russia, Morocco, and Turkey. You can travel by bus, train or boat and choose the type of holiday you want basis categories like: “big sky, mountains, lakes”, “6-hours from London”, “tracks less traveled” and “mix-it-up”. They will tailor-make your trip if you want, and if you are based outside the UK you can send them your details and they will sort something out for you.

They promise: “…the lowest price on the market for any of our hotel or holiday products. If you find a cheaper hotel or like for like holiday (either as a package or booked independently) from any other source, we’ll match it and give you £10 back for good measure,” and 10% of their surplus income will be donated to environmental justice campaigns.

Another interesting feature of the site: you can send in a travelogue of any sort and if they like it they will give you a discount or some reward for using it on their site.

The website looks new and has unsurprising issues of a new site: at the moment it does not have enough information uploaded and many links don’t click to anywhere; a bit of scouting around revealed that it launched only about a week ago. Nevertheless, worth checking out.

A new brunt for eco-tourism: human viruses are killing apes

by Abha Malpani on

Humans and monkeys always seem to have had a love-hate relationship. On one side, eco-tourists spend fortunes to see and interact with great apes in their natural environment; on the other side, both monkeys and humans are responsible for giving each other deadly viruses. For example, monkeys gave the human race the fatal AIDS, and now scientists have found some of the most common human respiratory viruses are killing endangered apes. Is this nature’s demonstration of karma? Is there a solution?

Further to this discovery, eco-tourists visiting natural reserves to see apes will be obligated to show proof of vaccination, wear masks and disinfect all clothes and boots before setting foot in ape territory. It is also being recommended to keep a 7-10 meter distance from the apes, which kind of screws up any ape-tourist’s long held desire to take a photograph with the primates.

Eco-tourism has many advantages: the tourist dollar is essential and it helps maintain and protect animals and their environments in their natural surroundings. But, when the disadvantages include direct death of the animals, which may ultimately play a notable role in elimination of the entire species from planet earth, should it be permitted at all?

Eco-Travel Toolkit

by Neil Woodburn on

Now that green is hip and cool, eco-friendly travel has appropriately transformed itself from hippy yurt farms to eco-luxury resorts that help save the planet while also coddling guests with comfort and style.

But that’s not all. Sustainable travel now encompasses the entire travel industry. This is hardly a surprise; those that express an interest in seeing the greater world, tend to also possess the desire to help protect it.

One of the better resources I’ve come across recently to help conscientious travelers seek out the greenest and healthiest travel alternatives is the Eco-Travel Toolkit published in Plenty Magazine (tagline: It’s easy being green).

The Eco-Travel Toolkit breaks green travel down into six categories; Where to Stay, Green Getaways, Up & Coming Destinations, Where NOT to Go, Getting There, and Seals of Approval. Each category is loaded with a bevy of links pointing green travelers in the right “Al Gore” direction–such as towards the very “first five-star green lodge” near Petra, Jordan (due to open in 2009).

While green travel isn’t for everyone, there will come the day that travelers may accidentally find themselves staying in a green lodge without actually knowing it. In the meantime, you may want to check out the Eco-Travel Toolkit and help edge things along.

Eco-tourism in Laos

by Martha Edwards on

According to the Lonely Planet, tourism in Laos is set to soar to all-time highs. I suspect this has to do with the popularity of Thailand as a tourist destination, as people tend to reason that if they’re going all that way they should do the whole shebang. I don’t know if anyone travels across the ocean for the sole purpose of visiting Laos, but it sure is worthy of it’s own trip — which you already know, if you’ve ever been there.

Jungle treks in particular are expected to flourish, which gives some valuable income to to the country and its people — hopefully it keeps the forest from being levelled as well. The Laotian government has shown it’s commitment to Eco-tourism, so let’s hope they stand by their word.
Laos is truly unique place — rugged and undeveloped, friendly and peaceful, full of beauty, both urban and natural. It’s a world away from the bright lights of Bangkok. When I first arrived in Laos, I was amazed by so much, but what stands out is the lack of streetlights in towns (or paved roads for that matter.) We left the Indian restaurant at 9, a full two hours before the country-wide curfew, and hardly found our way back to the guesthouse because of the darkness. I was a city girl who hadn’t realized that the world got that dark at night. I wonder if it will stay like that? I hope so. We all need little reminders like that.

Photo of the Day (6/6/07)

by Adrienne Wilson on


Check out the blues in this shot! It almost makes you want to sing the blues for not being on board the tottering sailboat. This photo was submitted by Matava – The Astrolabe Hideaway Kadavu, Fiji and it looks as though they’re trying to win over some island deprived soul with their series of photos left in the Gadling Flickr pool.

Their caption states: Matava is an eco adventure getaway offering you a fun and unique blend of cultural experiences and adventure activities in the environmentally pristine and remote island of Kadavu in Fiji.

Sign me up!