Travel Guidelines
ADVENTURE TRAVELLER CODE OF CONDUCT
The following code of conduct is a guide to how we expect our customers to behave on our MTB and E-MTB tours around the world. By observing them you will have a more enjoyable vacation and will gain the respect of the local people. We ask you to travel respectfully and pay attention to local rules and values.
WHY DO WE HAVE THESE GUIDELINES?
During our mountain biking tours we will be travelling through communities, homes and sensitive areas, and as a responsible tour operator we want our type of tourism to be sustainable and of reciprocal benefit to you and all of these communities. Over the years our guides and customers have made friends whilst travelling in these remote areas, and we don’t want any of these relationships to be compromised.
RESPECTING CULTURAL DIFFERENCES
In the areas that we visit during our mountain bike adventures things may be done differently from where you live and work, which is why we love them, and why you are there. So when dealing with local people please accept their differences and respect their way of life. A traveller who is happy and converses with locals will have a much better experience and will leave a better impression than one who seeks fault.
ETIQUETTE
There are a few general behaviour rules that apply throughout the world:
- Shouting at a member of waiting staff is frowned upon, a gentle hand signal is all that is required
- No smoking in any enclosed public places
- It is impolite to enter a store or restaurant and not say hello in the local language
- In most countries it is inappropriate to express anger in a raised voice. Becoming angry is embarrassing to the local people with whom you are dealing – they will not be embarrassed for themselves, but for you making a fool of yourself
ENVIRONMENTAL RESPONSIBILITY
The world is beginning to realise the impact that our waste management is having on our environment. We have identified the recycling points situated along the routes that we take during our mountain bike holidays, so we ask you to keep any rubbish that you may have, so we can dispose of it into the correct bins when we return to civilisation. There are bins for plastic bottles, paper, glass, aluminium cans and general rubbish.
When our guides are on the hill they will be picking up any litter that they come across, but more importantly, they will encourage you to do the same.
Packed lunches: some of the day rides during our adventures take place in very remote areas, where there are no food stops or support vehicle stops, so we need to carry our lunches with us. We ask the providers of these lunches not to use layers of packaging and when they need to, they use recycled paper bags or reusable containers.
Drinking water: before our holidays commence we supply you with a kit list, asking you to bring your own water carrying device, like a bladder or bottle that you can fill up at a designated place each day. We actively discourage the use of throw-away bottles. In some countries water can be taken from the taps and rivers that we will pass on our daily mountain bike rides, and the guides will be on hand to advise you and dispense purification tablets should they be needed.
FOOD AND ACCOMMODATION
Food is an integral part of any country’s identity. During our mountain biking holidays we will take you to a selection of hand-picked local restaurants and cafés that offer traditional dishes, created from locally-sourced produce. In using a selection of one-man-band cafés to top quality expensive seafood restaurants, we believe that we are distributing the tourism wealth fairly around the areas we visit.
In order for you to get the full ‘experience’ we use small family-run guesthouses, or bed and breakfasts that employ local workers, as far as is possible. If we have to use larger hotels, we opt for non-chain, locally-owned establishments.
As such, we would kindly ask you to respect the accommodations in which you stay during your adventure with us, as if you were staying in the home of a friend or relative. Some examples of things to be aware of are:
- Removing biking/outdoor shoes before entering your room
- Making sure all dirt is washed off when you shower, and not using lovely clean white towels to get dirt off your body
- Leaving wet towels in the bathroom and not on the bed
Being a responsible traveller doesn’t finish at the end of your vacation…
We hope that during your travels with us through some of the wildest and remotest parts of the world you will have learned something from our guides and your experience, that you can take back home with you to your daily life.