How to make your luxury vacation meaningful

Hello, My name is Christopher Hill, founder of Hands Up Holidays. Thank you for this opportunity to provide you with information about the ways you can make your luxury vacation meaningful by benefiting communities and minimize impact on the environment.

I have been in the eco-luxury travel business for over eight years now, and in that time, I have learned that eco-travel is subject of much confusion. As there are some misconceptions about eco-luxury travel, I decided to offer this guide so that when you select a Tour Operator to help make your vacations meaningful, you can make an informed, intelligent decision.

In just a moment, I will share with you four misconceptions about eco-luxury travel. Plus, I will give you ten questions to ask so that you can get the most out of your luxury adventure. I will finish with six recommendations for making your luxury vacation meaningful.

Let’s begin with some of the reasons ‘luxury travel with a heart’ is a brilliant idea:

By including a ‘giving back’ or philanthropic component, you can travel in the knowledge that you are conserving the local environment or directly helping needy communities;

You can enjoy all the home comforts and amenities of a luxury hotel, but your stay will be all the more memorable thanks to unique properties in fascinating locations;

You’re reminded of the good that can come out of thinking about our environment, and learn about interesting developments and schemes around the world;

Many eco-luxury properties are in remote locations that provide intimate encounters with wildlife or communities, not to mention spectacular scenery.

Now, let’s address some misconceptions about eco-travel:

1. “Ecological friendliness means roughing it.”Environmental concerns and luxury accommodation needn’t necessarily be mutually exclusive. Your trip can easily combine the best of both worlds: amazing, luxury, tailor-made holidays that also respect and benefit the local communities.

Look for companies that work with properties in the ‘eco-luxury’ category.

These are hotels and resorts that have the highest standards of comfort and service while retaining ethical and environmentally-friendly policies, such as recycling, green energy solutions and community programs. They will also likely have all the amenities that you could need.

Don’t worry about having to give up your home comforts – you can still travel in style, with a clean conscience.

2. “Luxury properties are all boring, cookie-cutter resorts.”The range of eco-luxury properties in the world is as diverse as the destinations themselves. Luxury travel has come a long way in terms of innovation and originality in the last decade, and now luxury properties take on a wide variety of forms.

You could find yourself kicking back in a five-star tented camp in Australia, for example. Or how about a stunning jungle lodge in the rainforest of Peru? You won’t want for anything, even in the environmentally-friendly bungalows in Costa Rica, or a lodge in Kenya personally selected by President Obama.

3. “There’s no consistency in accommodation standards across the world. Hotels marketed as 4 or 5 star are often disappointing.”If your travel provider is doing their job properly, they will have researched all their accommodation options thoroughly, making sure that all the hotels and resorts they work with live up to the luxury criteria that they are selling.

Ideally, your provider should have first hand experience, having travelled there themselves for a full site inspection so that comfort levels can be sold confidently and with a full assurance that they live up to the standards to which you are accustomed.

4. “Luxury for me is intimacy and time to myself. I don’t want to be surrounded by hordes of other holiday makers.” If this is a concern for you, look for a provider that can offer smaller, more boutique-style accommodation for your trip. No-one wants to be swamped with masses of fellow travelers – that way it feels like you’re hardly leaving home. The better companies will have a range of exclusive properties on their books – big enough to make them desirable but not too big that you’ll feel crowded.

TEN QUESTIONS TO ASK ABOUT ECO-LUXE PROPERTIES:

1. What does ‘eco-luxe’ actually mean? What it should mean is an upmarket holiday staying in 4 or 5 star comfort without sacrificing the ethical element of your trip. Wanting the finer things in life needn’t be at the expense of the planet or involve exploitation of the local community.

2. Can you actually define a property’s exact ecological/environmental credentials?

Your travel provider should be able to give you an exact rundown of the programs put into place by any specific hotel. These should include, but not be limited to: the way the hotel was constructed, the way it sources and consumes energy, its waste disposal and recycling policies and how it sources its food. There are countless ways a property can harm an environment, so ask for as exhaustive a list as possible.

3. Can I support properties with a more direct human element? Again, your provider should be able to tell you the properties that they work with that have schemes that directly involve and benefit the local community. Perhaps they work with local schools or orphanages, or their employment and training programs benefit the local people.

4. Have you or one of your colleagues been out there? Nothing beats first-hand knowledge of the destination. Ask to speak to someone at the company that has visited the property themselves and knows the destination inside and out.

5. Are there any health or safety issues? Safety and health are concerns on any trip, and especially when traveling to exotic climes. Your advisor should be able to answer detailed questions about the health and safety issues for the country, region and specific project.

6. Is it ethical to even visit some countries? Some countries have political systems that may not agree with your politics. There’s a debate raging as to whether it’s better to boycott these places or to visit and make sure that local communities get the money they so desperately need and rely on. Ask your travel provider as many questions as you can about what exactly the situation is, so that you can make up your mind with a full set of facts.

7. What’s my carbon footprint going to be? First of all, you should find out early on if your provider is arranging international flights. If you are booking these yourself, most airlines now run programs for you to offset your carbon footprint. Again, you should be referred to a full, detailed list of your accommodation’s environmental policies if you want to look into further offsetting. Some tour operators will offset your carbon emissions on your behalf – ask them if they do this.

8. Will I be able to eat my favorite foods? You’re traveling abroad to experience new things, so branch out with your food choices and you will likely be rewarded with new favorites. If you do have dietary concerns, though, make sure that you see full menus of the property you’re considering. Remote locations may mean

some foodstuffs are hard to come by, but your provider should be able to show you what IS available.

9. How do I know everything is bona fide? There are lots of people jumping on the environmental bandwagon to make a quick buck, so be sure to travel with companies that are certifiably committed to working to

certain ethical standards. Ask if your company is allied or a member of any ethical tourism groups (such as the Ethical Tour Operators group or Rainforest Alliance), or associated with any local environmental projects.

10. Am I insured when I travel? Nothing is 100% in this world, but the best you can do is to make sure that the company you

travel with has liability insurance, as well as measures to protect your payment in the event of their unforeseen insolvency.

It is also wise (and with some companies required) to take out personal travel insurance, to protect you in the event of medical emergency, flight cancellations, etc.

How to book your meaningful luxury vacation?

1. It’s an important decision, so take your time. Talk to your tour operator or travel agent about your concerns and expectations. Research all you can and talk to your consultant for as long as you need. Don’t be rushed into anything.

2. Enjoy your research. The internet has opened up a way to tour the globe from the comfort of your armchair. There are views of stunning sunsets, deep blue oceans and lush forests from all over the world available at the click of a mouse. Feel your way around unfamiliar destinations, and consider eco-luxury accommodation. Ask your consultant to advise you on this.

3. Be adventurous. There are virtually no barriers to luxury travel these days, and if you want to explore the furthest reaches of the desert or the deepest clearings of a rainforest, there are often four or five star accommodation options available, so let your imagination be your only limit.

4. Look beyond the cities. Modern luxury isn’t confined to concrete and steel

skyscrapers. Some of the world’s most exclusive and desirable accommodations can be found in tented desert settlements or jungle lodges. Open yourself up to an unconventional stay, safe in the knowledge that home comforts are still going to be included.

5. Enjoy your clear conscience. Just because you’re indulging in a pampered, luxury trip doesn’t mean that you aren’t doing some good. Your trip is not gratuitously harming the environment, and if your accommodation works with local community projects, you are actually being beneficial to the world that you’re visiting.

6. Make your vacation even more meaningful. Some companies enable you to dig deeper, get under the skin of your destination by a hands-on or philanthropic giving back component. You can still enjoy a luxury experience, and you can spend some of your trip helping those less fortunate or conserving the environment. You are sure to find this experience incredibly rewarding if it is matched to your skills and interests.

By following these six recommendations, you'll gain all the information you need to make an informed, intelligent decision about travelling in style, with a conscience. If you want a cheap vacation that does not take the environment or the local community into account, many companies can help you. Or you can book a hotel yourself.

However, if you want your vacation to be luxurious AND meaningful, then I invite you to browse our website handsupholidays.com, or go right ahead and contact one of our specialist consultants:

email: luxury@handsupholidays.com call: (US) 201 984 5372 (UK) 0207 193 1062 (Rest of World) +44 207 193 1062

Thanks very much for reading. I hope you found this consumer message helpful. If you end up making a booking with Hands Up Holidays, quote “ECOLUXE2013” for free upgrades in all your hotels where available.

On behalf of Hands Up Holidays, thanks again and we hope to have the opportunity to inspire you soon!

Christopher Hill

FounderHands Up Holidays

About Christopher Hill:

"I founded Hands Up Holidays to give you the opportunity to not only see amazing sights, but also to have authentic interaction with local people and give something back in a “hands on” way to local communities through a taste of volunteering.

In my life I have been blessed to have had some incredible travel experiences in over 50 countries, from African sunsets on safari, to swimming with dolphins, to hiking up volcanoes and even gasping for breath in the Himalayas.

But as amazing as those experiences are, my most enduring memories are the times when I have engaged in meaningful ways with the local people: becoming the official photographer at a village wedding in a remote section of North-East Vietnam, sharing chai with Indian farmers, sheeshah with Touareg nomads or copious brandies with gracious Serbian hosts are memories I cherish.

Moreover, when these interactions are overlaid with giving back through

volunteering, they became incredibly fulfilling, inspiring…and life changing. Experiences such as helping build a house in South Africa and teaching English to my host family in a home-stay in Guatemala are great examples, and the lifelong friends I have made as a result and the lives changed were the catalyst for leaving my job in the City in London and setting up Hands Up Holidays.

Through volunteering, and the consequent meaningful interaction with local people, I gained an insight into peoples' lives, and was blown away by how whilst they had little materially but were incredibly rich culturally and socially.

I was both challenged and inspired by this, and I decided to adopt a simpler, more contented attitude to life – being grateful for what I have, rather than striving for more and more possessions.

I started working on Hands Up Holidays in 2003 to make it easy for you, fellow travelers, to have incredible voluntourism experiences and dig a little deeper into a community and give back in ways that enable you to make a positive impact in 3-5 days with a taste of volunteering.

I am passionate about you having amazing travel experiences through Hands Up Holidays. Expect to have a meaningful holiday with us, while at the same time being challenged to look at the world in a new light.

That’s why we are Hands Up Holidays –

“Adventures That Count…for you, and the community"

About Hands Up Holidays:Hands Up Holidays is a luxury travel company with one BIG difference. We are obsessive about you having more than an amazing vacation; our passion is for you to have a remarkable luxury travel experience that you will treasure forever, by combining expertly-led sightseeing with meaningful community development through volunteering or philanthropy. Touch lives, including your own.

So what makes us special?

The secret ingredient that makes our trips so special is the combination of a fantastic tailor-made luxury holiday with a ‘taste’ of volunteering or philanthropy.  Combining the two gives you the chance to get under the skin of a destination and interact meaningfully with the local people and giving them a 'hand up' in life. 

Don’t just scratch the surface: help that African girl have a safe place to live, teach hospitality skills to the Colombian coca leaf grower so he isn’t reliant on an illegal trade for a living, or help conserve elephants in Thailand. In so doing you will find yourself immersed in local life, championing a cause and learning new things, all combined with sights that you want to see, led by an expert local guide.

Some of our clients have been so transformed by their journeys, that it has inspired them to change careers and in a few cases they have even moved to the country of the project.  Now, this might not happen to you, but rest assured that you will have fun and return with great memories and touching stories.