POLICY AIMS
Escapades Greece is about authentic local travel experiences with premium character.
We are opening doors of local homes and traditional family run business to travellers looking for authentic ways to experience & support locals.
We believe in deep connections of travellers with local people and with the essence and nature of the place visited.
We create the way for this deep connections to happen. We believe once you experience and understand the locals and their place, you would like to support it to stay authentic as you found it in the first place and bring piece of it back home.
We craft unique, immersive tours for travellers and tailor team building activities for companies interested in hands on experiences and interacting with local Greeks.
All prices are fully inclusive of transport, accommodation, meals and activities (the hotels used are hand-picked, family owned boutique hotels that are using locally produced products and operated by locals from the region only). The only additional costs are flight tickets, money for drinks or personal expenses. There are no hidden extras.
ECONOMIC RESPONSIBILITY
What are we trying to solve?
- Make tourism more inclusive and create an additional income for small farm producers (tourism is the key production power of Greece and it has an accelerating growing trend)
- Support protection of local cultures and traditions. We assist in motivating young adults to continue in farming business and stay in their birth places by bringing additional opportunity for their family business
- Provide meaningful and active holidays options out of summer season and away from the well-trodden tourist trials and high-rise resorts. 50% of tourists are coming in summer season only and mostly are offered with basic travel packages with very limited activities and no opportunity to meet authentic locals and its culture out of capital and a few famous islands
We are using local rental company and local drivers, hiring certified local guides where applicable, recommending (arranging) local restaurants and most of the meals we are organizing during the tour are sourcing food from the farm that is hosting guests or neighbouring local producers. Local guide is accompanying group visits to local communities.
ENVIRONMENTAL RESPONSIBILITY
Full and comprehensive details of tours are available in paper-free form on our website and social networks. The office uses recycled and recyclable materials wherever possible.
All communication with guests is happening through Whatsapp group and here we share all details needed prior, during and after the trip.
Escapades Greece, where available, biodegradable or reusable containers for packed lunches on all tours. Refillable bottles are used to transport water and welcome drinks. Where water is a scarce commodity passengers are made aware of the need to be frugal with its consumption.
All passengers are educated about the fragility of the ecosystems that we visit and are asked to behave accordingly. Our experienced guides provide any necessary clarification of appropriate behavior.
We partner only with the local farms, small enterprises, hotels and restaurants that are having sustainability high on their agenda.
All gifts/souvenirs we are giving away to our guests are local products with environment friendly packaging (i.e. boxes made of sea grass).
SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY
We are creating authentic, hands on, with premium character, local experiences
Our concepts are the result of combining the essence of destination, nature's harvesting seasons and it’s most important element: its people.
Our guest are looking for meaningful experiences, ways to learn and support local culture and traditions. With our partners we are providing exactly this. We are providing experiences where one can participate in daily lives of locals, learn the way they make their products, crafts, harvest. Experiences are hands on and giving pleasure of making something on your own and sharing it with your co-travellers and hosts. We provide travellers with suggestions of ways to minimise negative impacts on local cultures by embracing local ways and learning about local ways.
Who are our partners?
These are only local people that are running their family businesses with passion and “meraki”
They are opening for travelers their homes, showing them how they do what they do and they will offer to try their products. By opening their homes and workshops, by sharing food with guests around the same table, one will experience the best Greeks have to offer – warm hospitality!
