%20%20green%20on%20white%20(2).png)
Credit: Julia Kivelä/Visit Finland
Travel Responsibly
From little things big things grow
"Sustainability is sharing, participating and learning, making progress and a difference – together." Timo Järvinen
​
At our core, we believe that sustainability is a collective journey. It's not just about companies displaying labels or membership credentials - it's about all of us, together, making conscious choices that reflect our shared responsibility to the planet. When we each take steps toward more mindful living, consuming, and travelling, we amplify our impact.
​​
In our business we follow these principles:
-
When choosing our supplier partners for our business we always discuss their sustainability practices to make sure that our values don't clash. Most of our partners have gained sustainability accreditation to prove their commitment. Some operators might not carry these 'badges' but still operate their business and live their lives caring for the environment.
​​
-
We offer tours that take you away from main tourist hot spots and thus support smaller operators spreading wealth to their communities.
​​
-
We encourage travel off-season to avoid adding to over-tourism in certain destinations.
​​
-
On location we promote use of public transport (trains, busses, ferries) instead of flying.
​​
-
We offset all air travel through a carbon offsetting scheme.
​​
-
We use Public Transport on our travels when ever practical.
​​
-
We save trees by offering digital travel documents and marketing materials.
What you can do:
-
When booking your travel have a conversation with the service providers to make sure that their values & services are the right fit for you.
​
-
Travel off-beat - taking the road less traveled and visiting under-the-radar spots to avoid crowds is one way to be responsible.
​
-
Travel off-peak - this way you will lessen the impacts of over-tourism when visiting popular sights.
​
-
Fly less - wherever you can, travel overland in a destination instead of taking domestic flights. When choosing your flights, check out their carbon efficiency. Use carbon-offset for your flying miles (eg. GreenFleet for Australians & New Zealanders). If you can, have a longer stay instead of many short holidays.
​
-
Spend money locally - choose locally-owned accommodation, eat at independent restaurants, buy locally made products and choose local experiences.
​
-
Pack re-usable items (like a water bottle and a coffee cup) - the best way to reduce your waste output. Tap water in Finland (and across the Nordic region) is delicious, clean and potable.
​
-
Treat locals & their surrounding with respect - get to know local customs while travelling. A smile will do wonders.
​
-
Leave no trace - when exploring natural sights, tread lightly and leave the place as you found it. Respect the wildlife and their habitat.
​
-
Educate yourself - our founder, Leila Myllymaeki-Hay, recently attended a Regenerative Tourism workshop. Here is a link to a great paper on Regenerative Tourism authored by Dianne Dredge, facilitator of the workshop.
