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Going Local & The Environment
Budget Expeditions believe travel should be a rewarding experience, while still preserving the natural state and beauty of the destinations we visit, and respecting the people who make us so welcome.
Supporting the Locals Budget Expeditions endeavour to use local operators and specialist guides on our tours. A lot of the money we spend on tour goes back into the countries we travel to. This includes home-stay accommodation, local transport, locally owned hotels, restaurants and agencies. We also purchase our food from local markets rather than large chains. Our commitment to these local operators means we are constantly putting back into the community and ensuring these businesses continue to prosper. This also empowers local business operators leading to increased confidence and development of their products and services. We also employ many local tour leaders, guides and reps; in South East Asia you could travel with several different local guides on the one tour. Responsible Transport We have made a large effort to ensure that the transport on our overland vehicle tours has a minimal impact on the environment. Our newest overland vehicles are Euro IV emissions compliant, which means that our vehicle manufacturers conform to emission control in order to make their carbon emissions more efficient. In addition, we employ local mechanics for the maintenance of our vehicles. Travelling in large groups using one vehicle also means the overall impact of the group is kept low.
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G o ing L o c a l & The Env ir onment
contributes, but it is equally important to be aware of this and make some positive steps to rectify the problem. There are many companies which offer the opportunity to offset the CO2 emissions from your international flights, and in your daily life, meaning you pay them to reduce the amount of CO2 emissions that you would have created during your flight - every bit counts! We all have to do our bit to maintain the longevity of the planet and our resources. Budget Expeditions pledges to offset their CO2 emissions of their staff when they travel. We are also currently investigating the ways in which we can offset the CO2 emissions of all of the internal flights on our tours. Budget Expeditions Christmas Celebrations Each year, the Budget Expeditions office in Cuzco coordinates our Christmas gift to the local children and one of our drivers has the chance to get kitted out in a Papa Noel (Santa Claus) outfit! Hundreds of underprivileged children gather for hot chocolate, traditional sweet bread and the chance to visit Papa Noel. To top it off, each child is presented with a Christmas gift as BEX tour leaders, drivers and passengers all join forces to bring as much Christmas cheer as possible to the children of Cuzco!
Responsible Head Offices In Budget Expeditions' Head Offices in Sydney, London and Cuzco, all employees respect the environment wherever possible. We are careful to recycle and reuse as many items as we can, and we keep our printing to a minimum. Our offices also use energy saving light bulbs. In Sydney and London, most employees live within walking distance to work. In Cuzco many of our employees are locals. We also purchase our internal tour flights from local agents in Peru which again ensures our money is going back into the local economy. Offset your CO2 The most environmentally damaging impact of travel is the CO2 emissions from international flights. In this day and age it is impossible to deny the damage that every person
Michelle Scavone, Bex Traveller
Budget Expeditions · Price Does Matter · Tours for 18-35's
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