Responsible Tourism

At Planet Rail, we understand that we have environmental, cultural and social responsibilities to the people that live in the regions you visit on our holidays. We wish to respect and preserve both their environment and their way of life for the benefit of future travellers like yourselves and future generations.

We also recognise that environmental pollution is probably the biggest threat to our whole Planet. This is why we promote rail travel as it is one of the greenest ways for you and everyone to travel. People will always want to go on holiday, but at what cost? By using trains rather than planes you can reduce your carbon footprint by up to 10 times which is why we support ‘holidays that don’t cost the earth’
Actions speak louder than words. So we always strive to conduct our business with the minimum impact on the environment. In addition we have decided to make both Planet Rail as a business and all our rail holidays Carbon Neutral at no extra cost to you.
The principles we believe in and encourage you to support are as follows:
  • Protect the environment – its flora, fauna and landscapes
  • Respect local cultures – traditions, religions and the built heritage
  • Benefit local communities – both economically and socially
  • Conserve natural resources – from home/office to destination
  • Minimise pollution – noise, waste and congestion

We will do our best to support our local community here in North Yorkshire, as well as those we feature on our holidays, by using local businesses where possible, such as our web designer.

Helping to protect our holiday destinations

  • We benefit the local economy of the regions we offer holidays to because we seek to work with hotels and taxi companies which are local, family-run businesses. The fact that our holidays are for individuals as well as groups means that we can offer you some smaller family-run hotels and pensione.
  • Travel to and from your destination is always by rail*, with taxis used only for journeys between stations or between the station and the hotel. We also offer you hotels within walking distance of the station, provided they are of a suitable standard!
  • We try to help increase your understanding of the region you are visiting by including or offering the option to go on local excursions which provide an insight into the region’s culture, history, traditions and gastronomy.
  • A good number of our chosen hotels are keen to promote regional specialities featuring local produce in their menus, and some also have an environmental policy relating to laundry, lighting and energy conservation etc. We will be encouraging those who have not yet taken such steps to adopt an environmental policy.

* On our Trans-Siberian Express holiday there is a flight home from Vladivostok

Planet Rail’s office environmental policy

We cannot ask our suppliers and customers to act responsibly if we do not do so ourselves in our office.
  • In our offices we wear an extra layer of clothing rather than use the heating! We use lower energy-use phones and computers and energy-saving lighting.
  • We do not produce brochures so the amount of printed material we generate is minimal. We can also send all your travel documentation and communications to you by email, again saving on paper usage.   If we do have to print anything we use either recycled paper or stationery from sustainably-managed forests.
  • We recycle all paper used within our office, as well as any glass, plastic, metal or cardboard packaging.
  • We use public transport, walk or cycle whenever possible rather than travel by car.
  • We are a Carbon Neutral business and offset ALL our emissions with a financial contribution to Carbon Saver