DESTINATIONS SUSTAINABLE TRAVEL | EUROPE
operator ASK THE Paul Conroy,
partnerships manager, Byway
“Intrepid has a common focus on purpose-led
CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT: Sunrise in Durrës; Alpine scenery between Chambéry and Turin; Bari street vendors selling handmade orecchiette pasta; taking souvenir snapshots of the journey PICTURES: Diana Jarvis; Shutterstock/Andrew Mayovskyy
place, though, and I find myself wishing I could stay longer in all of my en route stopovers. In Turin, I book onto a two-hour walking tour with guide Melissoula. She takes us from the Cattedrale di San Giovanni Battista and Porta Palatino via backstreets to the Mercato Centrale and shares fascinating facts about the city’s history. I’m dead on my feet by the end, which proves the ideal preparation for the eight-hour rail journey between Turin and Bari the following day.
TRAVELLING LIGHT Before clients set off, Byway makes them a bespoke Journey Guide – a digital itinerary accessed via their smartphone. It contains all they need to know, including links to seat reservations, hotel bookings and tips for where to eat and what to do at each stop. It’s how I know to buy my Paris Metro ticket in the Eurostar buffet car and, more importantly, it’s how I know I must try rapini (turnip pasta) and moscato (local sweet white wine) in Bari. Throughout the journey, clients can access Byway’s
24-hour support via WhatsApp. This is useful not only for emergencies, but for general queries, such as where to leave my suitcase while I meander along the waterfront promenade in Bari until it’s time to board the boat. There’s something excitingly retro about embarking a huge vessel to another country. Check-in to my overnight ferry is easy and I’m assigned a cabin and tucked up
52 28 SEPTEMBER 2023
33Before clients set off, Byway makes them a bespoke Journey Guide – a digital itinerary that is accessed via smartphone
ready for sleep well before departure. My first sighting of Albania is just after sunrise. Despite the industrial port in the foreground, Durrës and its backdrop of folding mountains look resplendent in the morning light.
SMOOTH ARRIVAL I’m out sipping the first (of many) Albanian espressos within 10 minutes of arriving. I then transfer to Tirana by public bus and check in to Hotel Capital, where the metaphoric baton is passed from Byway to Intrepid and the next stage of the trip begins. I’m here a day earlier than the rest of the Intrepid
group, so I have the chance to explore the monumental Skanderbeg Square, become acquainted with Albanian history at the National Museum and catch the sunset from the Pyramid of Tirana before the others arrive. It may have taken me five days to get here, but having seen the landscapes change and sampled
➣
travelweekly.co.uk
sustainable travel and off- the-beaten path adventures. Offering flight-free
alternatives to Intrepid
customers will open up a whole new market for our services – for customers who are already travelling on a sustainable and
responsible product and
want to reduce their climate impact even further by arriving flight-free.
“It’s also really impactful
for us to partner with other brands to empower the travel industry as a whole
to bring flight-free into the mainstream, making it easier for people to travel more sustainably.
“Travel agents selling
Intrepid trips will now have more flexible travel options to offer their customers, particularly with the use of our trip-building
technology that makes it simple to book bespoke flight-free holidays.”
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72
