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What makes a tour ecologically conscious?

They’re finally ready! We’ve got our Japan Alpine tours ready to go!

First, here are the itineraries:

Midsummer 2022 Group Tour: http://kizunatravel.com/itinerary/northern-alps-tour-midsummer-2022/

Fall Foliage 2022 Tour: http://kizunatravel.com/itinerary/japan-northern-alps-escape-fall-2022/

Full disclaimer: this blog entry will also be cross posted to our related photography website.

Today I’d like to talk about ecologically conscious tours.

Travel is good for you; How to make it better for Earth

No one will deny that travel is good for you, and also good for the world. It promotes understanding of cultures different from one’s own and also for the natural beauty of Earth. But how can one take advantage of traveling while minimizing their carbon footprint? We consulted with a leading university specialist who spends her time researching and teaching about this very topic.

The verdict? There’s no way around it. To travel, you’re going to have to emit greenhouse gases. Purchasing carbon offsets is a popular way to counter this, but unfortunately not very effective and has led to the term “green-washing”. This is the thought that “I’m offsetting my footprint, so therefore I can continue what I’m doing.”

What are some things we can do to be more conscious of the environment when we travel?

One advice is to slow down. Literally.

For example, instead of emitting X amount of C02 on flights for a one week trip, slow it down, and emit the same amount for a three week trip, or longer if you can. This means you’ll be zipping around less overall and staying put more.

Another great piece of advice we received was instead of purchasing offsets, plant a tree. It’s really that simple and there are many great organizations doing something similar.

What are we doing to help?

We’ve designed our alpine tour with a few things in mind to minimize environmental impact:

1) Duration – our tour is 3 weeks long, following the above advice.

2) Small group – the tour is designed with a small group in mind – this means more movement will be done by bus rather than having passengers spread across smaller vehicles.

3) Slower pace – the alpine tour is designed with a slower pace in mind. This allows, once more, for fewer emissions and also provides our travelers with the chance to take in more of the local culture.

4) Donation – we donate a portion of ALL trip sales to organizations that are planting trees across Japan. We’re also actively involved in beach cleanups locally and support cleanups in various parts of the world.

More about what makes our Japan Alpine Tour so unique next time!