10 Local Sustainable Travel Initiatives Supported by VBT Guests

At VBT, we’re passionate about sustainable travel—supporting a healthy planet as well as the local communities where our friends, guests, and colleagues live, work, and play. In addition to our broad company-wide projects—including carbon offsets and a forthcoming transition to biodegradable water bottles, we’ve developed a Travelers Fund, with initiatives to support specific projects in the regions where we travel. For every VBT guest, these Travelers Fund initiatives make a financial contribution to support local culture and sustainability—whether it’s a wildlife conservation project, or a broader initiative to help provide clean water to areas of the world that need it most. VBT’s Travelers Fund primarily supports organizations fostering environmental conservation, supporting local communities, and preserving cultural and historic traditions. If you, like us, love sustainable travel, here are 10 of VBT’s top cycling vacations with local Travelers Fund initiatives for 2024:

Wilderness and Marine Conservation

• Canada: Banff National Park & the Canadian Rockies Guided Tour supporting Yellowstone to Yukon Conservation Initiative: Yellowstone to Yukon’s large-scale land conservation acts as an antidote to climate change and biodiversity loss by connecting and conserving large landscapes. This unique approach reverses habitat loss, prevents habitat fragmentation, and restores natural resilience to climate change—giving wildlife the space they need to move to new places for shelter, families, and food.
• Spain: Balearic Islands, Mallorca & Ses Salines Guided Tour supporting Arrels Marines: The mission of Arrels Marines is to protect and preserve the beauty of the Balearic Sea and islands through the development of projects included in three fundamental pillars: marine conservation; environmental education; and eco-social transition. Arrels Marines is a local organization made up of people from the Balearic Islands—a fact clearly reflected in its values and objectives.
• South Africa: Cape Town & the Garden Route Guided Tour supporting Ujubee: The team at Ujubee researches the Cape honeybee and all other wild bee species in pristine wilderness areas of South Africa. They research the relationship of wild bees to other fauna and flora, and document wild bee behavior and their contribution to healthy biodiversity. Understanding the threats facing South African pollinators promotes greater knowledge of how all wild bees can be protected.

Community Culture, Diversity, and Inclusion

• Vietnam: Hanoi, Hue, Hoi An & Saigon Guided Tour supporting Duc Son Orphanage: Widely respected as one of the most well-run orphanages in Vietnam, the Duc Son Orphanage near Hue is home to around 200 orphaned children. A non-adoption organization, the Duc Son Orphanage aims to develop children’s self-reliance and confidence—as well as a home and future in Vietnam.
• Italy: Sicily, the Noto Valley & Syracuse Guided Tour supporting Addiopizzo: A Sicilian grass-roots movement, Addiopizzo promotes a “cultural revolution” against institutionalized corruption while supporting social justice. The organization assists victims of extortion and usury—providing free legal support during and after trial, both outside and inside the courtroom. The association and its lawyers also bring civil actions, alongside victims.
• South Carolina & Georgia: Charleston to Savannah Guided Tour supporting Penn Center National Historic Landmark District: Penn Center National Historic Landmark District has been at the epicenter of African American education, historic preservation, and social justice for tens of thousands of descendants of formerly enslaved West Africans living in the Sea Islands, known as the Gullah Geechee people. Founded in 1862, Penn School was one of the first academic schools in the South to provide a formal education for previously enslaved West Africans.
• The Netherlands Bike & Boat: Springtime in Holland, Aboard the Princesse Royal supporting Museummolen Schermerhorn: The Museummolen Schermerhorn aims to preserve the valuable cultural heritage of the Schermer, including the Schermer Molencomplex, and to operate the Museum Mill in Schermerhorn. Visitors can see exactly how a watermill works and how the Schermerpolder was formed. A film is shown that explains more about the history of the polder and the development of the polder drainage.

Local Community Stewardship and Rescue

• Colorado: Aspen to Vail, Valleys of the Rockies Guided Tour supporting Roaring Fork Outdoor Volunteers: Roaring Fork Outdoor Volunteers promotes stewardship of public lands by engaging the local community in education, restoration, and conservation projects. Stewardship program areas include sustainable recreation, healthy landscapes, and fire adaptation.
• England: Bath & the Cotswolds Guided Tour supporting the Cotswolds Area of Natural Beauty: The Cotswolds Area of Natural Beauty was designated in 1966, and was created as a way to conserve and enhance the natural beauty of the English landscape and promote quiet enjoyment of the countryside in a way that respects the interests of those who live and work there.
• Maine: Acadia National Park Guided Tour supporting Friends of Acadia: Friends of Acadia preserves, protects, and promotes stewardship of the outstanding natural beauty, ecological vitality, and distinctive cultural resources of Acadia National Park and surrounding communities for the inspiration and enjoyment of current and future generations.