Exploring the World by Rail
Reducing the carbon impact of travel
Protecting our Planet
Making a positive impact in the destinations we visit
Helping Communities Thrive
Celebrating local cultures and supporting independent businesses on every holiday
From panoramic mountainscapes to pristine waters, our rail and river cruise holidays allow you to savour every moment of the journey, with experiences that bring to life the history, local culture and traditions of the places we travel to.
As travellers, we need to take care of the places we visit so they can continue to be enjoyed by generations to come. Sustainable travel aims to minimise the environmental impact of a holiday whilst maximising the positive impact for the communities we visit. It's a shared responsibility, a way to help protect our beautiful world for the future.
Choosing a rail or river cruise holiday is a great first step to travelling more sustainably. For us, the journey is a very special part of the experience and choosing to travel by rail has the added benefit of reducing your carbon-footprint, with rail widely considered to be one of the greenest ways to travel.
Our excursions are led exclusively by local guides and where we can, we include walking tours, a more environmentally-friendly way of exploring places. To make sure our holidays benefit the local community, we'll often choose family run establishments, rather than large-scale hotel and restaurant chains.
When it comes to river cruising, our stylish Amadeus river cruise ships use the latest fuel-efficient technology, with water and energy saving practices as standard, providing eco-friendly luxury. We embrace the best waste management practices to ensure we're reducing plastics and recycling, and when it comes to dining, we are committed to serving local produce, brought onboard at each port of call.
Research commissioned by our partners at Eurostar found that travelling from London to Paris by train instead of plane reduced carbon emissions by up to 92% per passenger.
Read our Travel Responsibly and Sustainably by Rail blog for more information about the environmental benefits of rail travel.
Travelling at home and abroad, is a great way to experience different cultures and traditions and we want to play our part in ensuring these are respected. Our local guides are expert story-tellers and help you uncover the history of the places you visit in celebrating local customs and communities.
Our tours make a positive contribution to local incomes and the wider tourism economy. We work closely with local experts, hotel partners and rail operators to create the perfect inclusions for your holiday.
Whether dining in local restaurants or visiting independent wine growers, our tours seek out experiences that support the local economy.
We are proud to incorporate the principles of sustainable travel in our tours. Supporting communities and cultures is at the heart of any travel experience, and it's with this philosophy in mind we invite you to think sustainably too.
Looking for inspiration? Our Tour Managers and teams have shared some of their favourite holidays to help you find your next adventure with sustainability in mind. Discover lots of ideas for your next rail tour or river cruise holiday, whether that's staying at an award-winning eco hotel or visiting world-class conservation projects.
It's a sad reality that our world is changing. Amidst heart-wrenching pictures of starved polar bears and annual forest fires across California, Australia and beyond, we find ourselves at a turning point in the Earth's natural history.
Sustainability is an increasingly important topic. According to Euromonitor, two thirds of consumers globally now want to have a positive impact on the environment through their daily actions, and choosing a sustainable holiday by rail is a great way to incorporate more eco-friendly activities into your leisure plans.
Big corporations and governments need to be the ones leading the charge on implementing policy to help slow the effects of climate change and create a fairer world for all, but most of us want to contribute in some way. It can actually be easier to make a difference on holiday than in 'real life'.