Green Travel Links

United Kingdom:
Green Tourism Business Scheme: The UK certification scheme that rates tourism-related businesses on their green credentials. www.green-business.co.uk.

Sustrans: The UK's sustainable transport charity whose vision is "a world in which people can choose to travel in ways that benefit their health and the environment." It co-ordinates the National Cycle Network, which provides over 9,000 miles of signed cycle routes in the UK. www.sustrans.org.uk.

Kynance Cove, Lizard Peninsula, Cornwall

Traveline: The UK's national portal for bus, coach and train information. www.traveline.org.uk.

SailRail: Take the train and ferry to Ireland, it's not half the slog is used to be! If you're travelling from London, there's a fast train to the ferry terminal at Hollyhead and the ferry crossing to Dublin can be less than two hours. SailRail is a partnership between a number of the UK’s train companies, ferry operators and Irish Rail: www.sailrail.co.uk.

The Man in Seat Sixty-One: The best place on the net for information on train travel to the continent. www.seat61.com.

RailEurope: For booking international train travel. www.raileurope.co.uk.

InterRail: For train passes in Europe, plus includes info on which ferry services you can use with your InterRail pass: www.interrail.net. For UK travellers, there's also this useful site: www.internationalrail.com.

Aferrytocom: For booking ferry travel within the UK and abroad. www.aferry.to.

Car Share: Directory of car-sharing sites in the UK. www.carshare.com.

Important stuff for Holidays Abroad:
European Health Insurance Card: The EHIC entitles you to reduced cost (or sometimes free) healthcare treatment where treatment becomes necessary during a temporary visit to other countries of the European Economic Area or Switzerland. It has replaced the E111 form. For more details, including a full list of countries covered along with details of their 'health systems' go to: www.dh.gov.uk/travellers.

For up to date travel advice and tips for British travellers including travel advice by country, visa information and entry requirements, have a look at the Foreign & Commonwealth Office’s (FCO) website: www.fco.gov.uk/en/travelling-and-living-overseas.

Travel Health: The following two sites provide information on recommended vaccinations and other health tips for travelling abroad: www.traveldoctor.co.uk and www.masta-travel-health.com. For specific information on Malaria: www.malariahotspots.co.uk.

International:
The Association of Independent Tour Operators: AITO is an association of over 150 of the UK's independent tour operators, including ethical travel companies such as NatureTrek, Rainbow Tours, and Tribes Travel. Read AITO's responsible tourism policy here: www.aito.co.uk/corporate_Responsible-Tourism.asp.

The Travel Foundation: The UK charity set up to manage tourism more sustainably. www.thetravelfoundation.org.uk.

Looking for a clean beach? More than 3,200 beaches and marinas in 37 countries currently have Blue Flag certification: www.blueflag.org.

Costa Rica's Certificate for Sustainable Tourism: A well-respected eco label for green accommodation in Costa Rica: www.turismo-sostenible.co.cr/EN/home.shtml.

Greenbox, Ireland: A collection of eco holidays in North West Ireland. Tip: if you look for 'Greenbox' via a search engine and come across "a unique range of plastic plate heat exchangers targeted at the heat recovery and air conditioning market"... you've gone wrong! Go here instead: www.greenbox.ie.

Fair Trade in Tourism, South Africa: A stringently applied trademark awarded to ethical South African tourism businesses that adhere to Fair Trade criteria such as decent wages and working conditions for their staff, and can show they promote local culture and try to limit their impact on the environment. www.fairtourismsa.org.za.

Green Resort Guide: A searchable directory which lists the green initiatives of over 200 resorts worldwide, so you can see which ones are doing their bit for the environment and which ones offer little more than tokenism. www.skiclub.co.uk/skiclub/resorts/greenresorts/default.asp.

The International Ecotourism Society: Long-established US-based membership organisation, which provides useful information and guidelines on ecotourism around the world. www.ecotourism.org.

World Wide Opportunities on Organic Farms: The idea is that you work for several hours a day in return for board and lodging. Not for dossers! But if you're prepared to put the work in it's a great way to travel around on a budget: www.wwoof.org.

Interesting stuff for green businesses:
NetRegs provides free environmental guidance for small and medium-sized businesses in the UK, including hospitality, leisure and tourism businesses. NetRegs is a partnership between the UK environmental regulators – the Environment Agency in England and Wales, SEPA in Scotland and the Northern Ireland Environment Agency (NIEA) in Northern Ireland: www.netregs.gov.uk.