Guided walking vacations in the French Alps

Planet

Our booking process is paperless and we avoid printing wherever possible. We are a small family run business so do not have a typical head office. Additionally we travel to work together and walk when possible. We make conscious efforts to minimise waste when shopping by trying to choose products with less packaging. We make sure to recycle any appropriate waste from the Chalets. We collect all the recycling and then separate it into the communal bins when necessary, we encourage our guests to do the same. In our village it is possible to recycle a wide range of products including soft plastics. Additionally in the local supermarket there are points to recycle bulbs, batteries and printer cartridges. We do our best not to use single use plastics and avoid providing anything to our guests packaged with single use plastic. We try to lower our carbon emissions by transporting guests together, at the moment COVID-19 guideline permitting, meaning that there are fewer vehicles operating in the valley. We buy food locally and seasonally and promote this ethos to our guests.

We purchase local produce where possible and we corroborate this with our local suppliers, as well as making an effort to source meat products that have not been inhumanely treated. We adapt our menus during the year to favour produce that is in season and is grown locally. In order to reduce water we incorporate vegetarian and vegan meals into our menu. By not using meat in all our dishes, this is one of the most effective ways of reducing water consumption. We feel it is important to share with our guests the environmental benefits of reducing meat consumption. Additionally we promote water saving activities such as taking shorter, cooler showers. However we believe reducing the use of meat in our menus and explaining the environmental benefits behind this to our guests saves more water.

We suggest that guests visit our local national park, where through a payment for parking in the area, the local commune is able to implement projects to protect the environment. This recently included a large-scale project to clear an area of the river after a landslide. Additionally the money from visitors is used to maintain footpaths, preventing the local environment from being damaged with people walking in protected areas. We also suggest that guests use the mountain lifts, as these require a payment the money is then used in part to protect the local environment. The lift company has a wide range of projects to improve the local environment and a Green Globe certified.

People

We provide all our guests with an information pack in advance of their arrival. We make sure that we have communicated any local rules or guidelines that will affect guests. This is particularly important following the pandemic.

As local residents ourselves we have been welcomed into the community. It is this experience that we want to give to our guests and encourage them to speak to and engage with all locals they come into contact with. This includes our local partners who we work closely with to provide the most authentic experience for our guests.

The local community relies on visitors. By encouraging our guests to engage with the local community and activities they are supporting the host community. By increasing visitors to the valley this boosts the local economy, which supports the local community.

As we are the destination supplier, we make sure that should our guest need a guide for their particular activity, a local guide is booked. Our guides are permanent residents of the local community. Where possible we employ local staff and make use of local services. We encourage our guests to visit the local markets and make use of local activity providers while on our vacations. A large proportion of the income derived from our vacations goes directly into the local community and we try to ensure that this benefits small, local businesses.