01904 521 936
Our Environmental Responsibilities
As research has shown rail travel is a more
environmentally-way to holiday and generates ten times less carbon
dioxide than flying. We should all take responsibility to minimise
the environmental impact of travel and reduce our carbon footprint.
Small changes can make a big difference to our planet's future.
We appreciate that to reach a few of the destinations on our tours we must first of all take a flight to get there and would encourage you to 'offset' the effects of this.
Sustainable Tourism
All tourism potentially has an environmental, social and economic impact on the destinations involved, and we recognise our duty to respect and preserve the culture of the places we visit. Great Rail Journeys takes this responsibility seriously and has been awarded AITO's 4-star status in recognition of its commitment to the Sustainable Tourism policy. Rail travel is one of the most ecologically-friendly means of transport and using trains as much as possible during our holidays is one way we endeavour to minimise the negative effects of tourism on our environment.
Our Sustainable Tourism practices extend to our Head Office, where we try to minimise pollution and energy loss, and conserve natural resources by recycling products wherever possible.
Further information on Sustainable Tourism is available at www.aito.co.uk/corporate_Responsible-Tourism.asp.
Offset your CO2 emissions
When it comes to carbon dioxide, we all unknowingly over-indulge. Each time we heat our homes or drive the car, CO2 is added into the atmosphere. To reduce greenhouse gas emissions like CO2 and prevent further damage to the atmosphere we all need to work towards a low-carbon lifestyle. This responsibility applies as much when we travel and particularly when we fly. As well as taking steps to reduce your 'carbon footprint' you can neutralise or 'offset' the adverse impact of your flight. Carbon offsetting means donating money to projects, specifically set up with the aim of reducing the level of CO2 in the atmosphere on your behalf, thus making your air travel 'carbon neutral'. In this way we can counteract the damage we cause. Projects include:
- Renewable energy - this replaces non-renewable fuel such as coal
- Energy efficiency - this reduces the amount of fuel needed
- Forest restoration - this absorbs CO2 from the atmosphere as the trees grow
You may wish to offset your CO2 emissions using our preferred Offset Partner, Climate Care. To calculate the impact of your flights, use the Air Travel Calculator on their website. Your donation, entirely voluntary, may be much less than you think - for example, to offset one person's flight from Athens to London will cost just £2.33. As a business, we pledge to offset the carbon emissions generated by the air travel of our Tour Managers, plus the emissions generated by the business air travel undertaken by our office staff whilst researching our worldwide holidays.
Please visit click here for further information.
Forest Stewardship Council
Great Rail Journeys is proud to appoint
suppliers with credentials and philosophies which reflect our
own.
The Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) is an international not-for-profit membership-based organisation that brings people together to find solutions to the problems created by bad forestry practices, and to promote responsible stewardship of the world's forests by rewarding good forestry management. It sets international standards for responsible forest management and accredits independent third party organisations who can certify products to FSC standards.
Its accreditation provides international recognition to organisations to allow their consumers to recognize products that support the growth of responsible forest management worldwide.
Further information is available at www.fsc.org.
Your Financial Protection
The air holiday packages in on this
website are ATOL protected with the Civil Aviation Authority. Our
ATOL number is 3278. Please see our booking
conditions for more information.
ATOL, which is part of the CAA, is a financial protection scheme for UK tour operators and protects you from losing money or being stranded abroad in the unlikely event of our insolvency. All monies paid to us in advance for a booking will be refunded and, if necessary, arrangements will be made for your repatriation back to the UK.
ATOL Protection does not apply to all holiday and travel services on this website. Please ask us to confirm what protection may apply to your booking.
For more information about ATOL visit http://www.atol.org.uk/ and for information about the CAA, visit http://www.caa.co.uk/ or call 020 7453 6424.
Great Rail Journeys is a member of the Association of Independent Tour Operators, an organisation representing over 150 of Britain's best specialist tour operators. Members of AITO strive to create holidays with high levels of professionalism and a shared concern for quality, personal service and customer satisfaction. The Association encourages the highest standards in all aspects of tour operating and all members are fully bonded for clients' protection, in compliance with UK and European regulations. Great Rail Journeys - like all other AITO members - are also bound by the organisation's Quality Charter.
Exclusive Membership
AITO sets criteria regarding ownership, finance and quality which must be satisfied before new companies are admitted to membership. All members are required to adhere to a Code of Business Practice which encourages high operational standards and conduct.
Financial Security
An AITO member is required to protect money paid by customers to the member for any holiday sold under the AITO logo. This protection applies to customers who are in the UK at the time of booking or to overseas customers who have booked directly with the member. Members have to comply with UK Government Regulations in this respect. Members submit details of their bonding or guarantee arrangements to the Association on a regular basis.
Accurate Brochures and Websites
All members do their utmost to ensure that all their brochures and other publications, print or electronic, clearly and accurately describe the holidays and services offered.
Professional Service and Continual Improvements
All members are committed to high standards of service and believe in regular and thorough training of employees. Members continually seek to review and improve their holidays. They listen to their customers and always welcome suggestions for improving standards.
Monitoring Standards
AITO endeavours to monitor quality standards regularly. All customers should receive a post-holiday questionnaire, the results of which are scrutinised by the Association.
Sustainable Tourism
All members acknowledge the importance of AITO's Sustainable Tourism guidelines, which recognise the social, economic and environmental responsibilities of tour operating. Those demonstrating their achievements beyond the pure acceptance of this principle are recognised by the award of 3, 4 or 5 star status.
Customer Relations
All members endeavour to deal swiftly and fairly with any issues their customers may raise. In the unlikely event that a dispute between an AITO member and a customer cannot be settled amicably, AITO's low-cost Independent Dispute Settlement Service may be called upon by either side to bring the matter to a speedy and acceptable conclusion.
For further information about AITO visit www.aito.co.uk or call 0208 744 9280.
How was your holiday?
We are proud of our holidays. Please give your feed back on www.aito.com/q so others can see how satisfied our customers are. AITO independently monitors its members and their standards.
Great Rail Journeys, the UK's market leading tour
operator for escorted holidays by rail has scooped two prestigious
prizes at
The Press Business Awards, one of Yorkshire's premier award
ceremonies.
The glittering event, which took place at York Racecourse, seeks to recognise business success within the region and reward exceptional performance.
Great Rail Journeys was in a celebratory mood after clinching the 'Growth Business of the Year' title and then adding the event's ultimate accolade, 'The John Guy Memorial Award for Business of the Year'.
Judges were hugely impressed with how in the past two years the tour operator's offerings had more than doubled, from 63 itineraries to over 130, responding to the growing demand for escorted holidays by rail. During the last financial year turnover has soared by 17% to more than £50 million, whilst passenger numbers broke 35,000 for the first time.
Great Rail Journeys is a tour operator member of ABTA, the Association of British Travel Agents, and our ABTA number is V2170. ABTA's main aims are to maintain high standards of trading practice for the benefit of its members, the travel industry at large and the consumers they serve. Both ABTA and its members help holidaymakers to get the most from their travel and assist them when things do not go according to plan.
As an ABTA member, we are obliged to follow the organisation's Code of Conduct. This ensures that our customers receive a high standard of service, fair terms of trading, and clear and accurate information on issues such as passports and visas, health requirements, and details of any alterations to your holiday. In the event of things going wrong, the Code of Conduct ensures that we respond to any complaint within strict time limits.
For further information about ABTA, the Code of Conduct and also the independent arbitration scheme available to customers if you have a complaint visit http://www.abta.com/ or call 020 3117 0500. Alternatively, ABTA may be contacted at the following address:
ABTA
30 Park Street
London
SE1 9EQ
Tel: 020 3117 0500
Fax: 020 3117 0581
Email: abta@abta.co.uk
Website: http://www.abta.com/
