Sustainability is one of the most challenging issues among travelers and tour operators alike. This Earth Day, we want to celebrate the many ways you—as a VBT guest—help us support responsible travel.
Sustainability is one of the most challenging issues among travelers and tour operators alike. This Earth Day, we want to celebrate the many ways you—as a VBT guest—help us support responsible travel.
Published on April 20, 2022
By Ken Lovering, Travel Writer
Sustainability is one of the most challenging issues among travelers and tour operators alike. This Earth Day, we want to celebrate the many ways you—as a VBT guest—help us support responsible travel. Naturally, traveling by bicycle has its own benefits in reducing your carbon footprint. But we all know it takes more than two wheels to positively impact the world around us. And we know that doing good is also about supporting cultural and community preservation. VBT’s Sustainable Travel Committee works to identify and develop initiatives that have a positive impact on the environment, culture, health, education, and economies in the places where our guests visit. This dedicated group of volunteers also champions larger scale global support and smaller yet significant community programs right in our own Vermont backyard. A portion of your trip cost goes toward all these initiatives. So by traveling with us, you’re supporting efforts in sustainability all over the world.
The Roaring Fork River in Western Colorado has carved out a spectacular river valley over millennia. The RFOV acts as stewards of this pristine public land, working with individuals and almost 100 institutional, non-profit, and business organizations to support sustainable recreation and the healthy landscapes that you’ll cycle through during our Colorado: Aspen to Vail, Valleys of the Rockies Bicycling Vacation. In 2021 alone, across 64 project sites, RFOV rebuilt 74 miles of trails, restored 20 acres of degraded landscape, and inspired some 700 students with its Young Stewards Program. And their efforts continue.
Part of the National Park Service, the Penn Center on St. Helena Island in South Carolina has been the center of African American education, history, and social justice for the Gullah Geechee people, descendants of formerly enslaved West Africans. It serves as a local, national, and international resource that supports self-sufficiency, civil rights, and positive change among those it serves, and an educational center for all. VBT guests enjoy a picnic lunch on the Penn Center grounds and have a chance to visit the museum during our South Carolina & Georgia: Charleston to Savannah trip.
One of the most respected and well-run orphanages in the country, Duc Son near Hue, in Central Vietnam, is home to some 200 children. Nuns and volunteers spare no effort in creating a true sense of home where the kids are safe and loved. Their aim is simple: to instill self-reliance and confidence so that the children can successfully head out into the world on their own as they come of age. VBT guests have an opportunity to glimpse daily life here during our Vietnam: Hanoi, Hue, Hoi An & Saigon Bicycling Vacation.
Dating to 1628, this historic library contains a rare collection of about 500 cultural and historical volumes dating from the late 15th century through the first half of the 17th century. It is the only book repository of its kind in The Netherlands. Though the books were preserved through the centuries, the library in its current form was founded in 2006. Conservation, restoration, and preservation of its rare bookcases and furnishings—as well as development of a digital catalog—are all achieved through funding. Lose yourself in these gloriously preserved stacks during our The Netherlands: Holland’s Golden Age Towns & the North Sea Self-Guided Tour.
Like so many countries, Ireland values its cultural traditions and its warm, welcoming villages. To that end, the nation keeps up countless long held traditions and enjoys a deep pride of place. Each year, the Department of Rural and Community Development aims to support vibrant, inclusive, and sustainable towns by sponsoring a contest that the entire country gets behind—the Kilkee Tidy Towns competition, now in its seventh decade. It’s about supporting local communities, empowering residents, and recognizing Ireland’s unique biodiversity in its rural areas. You’ll get a sampling of Ireland’s national pride during our Ireland: Galway & Connemara Coast.
The dreamy vistas of the Cotswolds exude a timeless charm that’s been recognized by England’s “Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty” program. This fairytale region is renowned for its landscapes, geology, wildlife, biodiversity, and cultural heritage. When you cycle among its pretty villages with thatched-roof houses, neatly groomed hedgerows, and expertly laid dry stone walls, you would be forgiven if you thought you were taking a spin into centuries past. Britain’s AONB aims to keep it that way. You can experience the storybook charms during our England: Oxford & the Cotswolds Self-Guided Tour.
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