The Northern Way vacation, San Sebastian to Bilbao

Planet

We focus on selecting local suppliers who are committed to preserve the environment. The transport companies we hire use modern vehicles with low CO2 emissions. We also ration our transport so we minimise the number of vehicles in use.

When sending our 'Camino Information Pack' and 'Detailed Itinerary Pack' to our clients, we use electronic format and not paper format. Our paper use is restricted to the Pilgrim's credential as this is necessary for them to collect their stamps in the different towns where they are staying.

Travelers are briefed on local environmental considerations including appropriate waste disposal. They are asked to be considerate not only with the local customs and culture but with the Camino trail they will use.

To reduce international travel:
- We encourage clients to consider taking the train to get to the start of their Camino, when possible.
- We provide details of public transport options to clients for all our trips.
- We use family run accommodation providers and hire local guides.

We ask our clients to:
- Not waste running water
- Not to litter and dispose of rubbish in the appropriate bins
- Pick up litter they encounter on the trails to help keep these beautiful environments clean
- Use ecological re-usable bags in supermarket, not plastic bags, or to put items directly inside their rucksack when possible
- Reuse materials where possible
- Take a reusable bottle and fill it up at the numerous fountains along the Camino,
- Respect all animals that they encounter along the Camino
- Respect all flora and fauna along the trail
- Stay on the sign posted path at all times.

People

Our business model supports suppliers at a local level so the majority of your money goes directly towards helping local businesses and their families in the Basque region. We believe this is the best way to benefit the local economy. For example, we work primarily with small family run/owned hotels in these regions instead of large hotel chains.

For transport we work with local taxis/drivers who are self employed and receive a fair price as regulated by the regional Government instead of large transport companies which tend to pay low wages to their drivers.

These type of hiking packages offer a greater contribution to the local economy and help create more jobs in the local community compared to traditional vacations packages that concentrate the money spent by tourists in one single location. According to researchers, 65% of your money as a hiker stays in the community on Hiking/Walking vacations compared to 15% for traditional beach-resort vacations.

In each town where they spend the night, we recommend three local restaurants so that clients can enjoy the regional cuisine as well as benefiting the local community, avoiding large franchise restaurants. For example, in this package clients can dine in local seafood restaurants in the fishing towns of Getaria and Deba or the unique and renowned restaurants of San Sebastian.