THE ESCAPIST Travel news

SUSTAINABLE TRAVEL MADE EASY

For many of us, our travel plans are increasingly motivated by a desire to reduce our carbon footprint and to look after the destination we are visiting and its local community. According to Booking.com’s latest sustainability report, 83 per cent of global travellers think that sustainable travel is vital. But with the rise of eco-tourism becoming such big business for hotels, tour operators and tourist attractions, sometimes telling the green from the ‘greenwash’ is easier said than done. Enter Flockeo. The creation of French social enterprise Murmuration, this newly launched community platform makes things a breeze for travellers to calculate their environmental footprint, get in touch with sustainable tourism professionals, and choose eco destinations via an interactive map that combines satellite and statistical data. The map itself provides lots of info about each region – from the ecosystem potential to the risks related to water and urbanisation – and to boot, this data provides a clear picture of the challenges and opportunities that exist in certain areas while also monitoring progress over time to ensure that sustainable tourism practices are actually having the desired effect. fl ockeo.com

The ESCAPIST

Slow and sustainable. Lauren Ho on what’s hot in travel right now

Brush up your photography skills with Don McCullin

TRAVELLING IN GOOD COMPANY

Reimagining travel through a new and exciting lens, The Luminaire creates individually crafted journeys around the world of depth and enlightenment, led by a collection of preeminent experts from naturalists to historians and archaeologists. Among this so-called ‘Guild’ of thinkers is renowned photographer Don McCullin, who will head photography masterclasses on a private four-day journey through Somerset, giving guests the opportunity to learn about photography directly from a master of his craft. theluminaire.com

SWISSTAINABILITY

With the ambition to become the most eco destination in the world, Switzerland is taking things to the next level with its new sustainability strategy, Swisstainable. It includes a number of initiatives such as traffi cfree destinations (the country already has 11 car-free resorts), promoting green accommodation, and – in boasting the highest spending per capita on organic products in the world – championing conscious consumption. Elsewhere, the country has a number of Swisstainable assets too, such as Europe’s fi rst house to be heated using hydroelectric power, which is located above the Grimsel glacier. myswitzerland.com

JAPAN IS BACK

With Japan fi nally opening up to the world this summer, Walks Worldwide has revealed two small group, guided itineraries: Ancient Trails of Japan and Trails of Northern Japan. Led by a walking ‘sensei’, the journeys will give walkers the opportunity to discover ancient pilgrim paths, stay with welcoming locals and enjoy traditional customs – from forest-bathing to hot-springs – all against a background of outstanding scenery. walksworldwide.com

FIVE HOT NEW OPENINGS

PASSALACQUA, Lake Como, Italy

The sister property to Lake Como’s iconic Grand Hotel Tremezzo, Passalacqua, an 18th century villa, reopens this summer with 24 suites, tennis courts and an al fresco cinema. passalacqua.it

GLENEAGLES TOWNHOUSE, Edinburgh, Scotland

The urban outpost of Scotland’s Gleneagles, The Townhouse will be home to 33 rooms, a member’s club, a wellness space and a terrace overlooking St Andrew Square. gleneaglestownhouse.com

WELLNESS FIRST

With many travellers looking to maintain or enhance their personal wellbeing when on holiday, it comes as no surprise that the wellness tourism industry – a $720 billion market pre-pandemic – is big business. Making the most of this rising trend, CV Villas, a London-based villa holiday tour operator, has just launched a dedicated wellness collection, which comprises a carefully curated selection of villas that includes amenities from saunas and hammams to state-of-the-art gyms and yoga studios. cvvillas.com

ETT HEM, Stockholm, Sweden

In celebration of its 10th birthday, Ett Hem has added two new adjacent townhouses with ten further guestrooms, three residences and a gym, all with the same warm design ethos. etthem.se

OFF-GRID CAMPING

With bookings for campsites in the UK already up 33 per cent this year, they’re likely to feel a little crowded. For those who want their space, Wild With Consent connects campervanners with consenting landowners, allowing them to get off-grid legally. Due to popular demand, the company has launched the 2022 season with a bunch of new nationwide locations from Devon to the Scottish Borders and Northern Ireland. wildwithconsent.com

AMAN NEW YORK, New York, USA

The new 83-suite hotel and its 22 residences occupy the 100-year-old Beaux-Arts Crown Building, transformed to include an Aman Spa spread over three-storeys. amannewyork.com

ISLAND ADVENTURES Making the most of the trend for longer trips, Olympic Holidays – also known as The Island Specialists – takes all the hassle out of the logistics and, to boot, it has expanded its much-loved Island-Hopping Experiences to include three new Greek Islands alongside a new foray into Malta and Gozo. olympicholidays.com

SOHO HOUSE COPENHAGEN, Denmark

For its fi rst Scandi property, Soho House has landed in Copenhagen, where a member’s club, a terrace, and a Club Cecconi’s restaurant will take over its former Customs House. sohohouse.com n

LOOKING FOR A BESPOKE WARDROBE… OF EYEWEAR?

To celebrate his brand’s 20th anniversary, luxury eyewear designer Tom Davies is o ering one lucky winner a private oneto-one consultation worth £10,000

Maybe you recognise his specs from the big screen: Tom Davies’s frames have been featured in everything from The Matrix Resurrections to Disney’s Cruella and Marvel’s Spiderman, as well as on celebrities including Ed Sheeran, Heston Blumenthal and Victoria Beckham.

The designer’s glasses brand has five luxury boutiques, all in distinguished London locations: Sloane Square, Knightsbridge, Covent Garden, Royal Exchange and Canary Wharf. The boutiques offer a truly unique bespoke service for customers, with frames created using only the highest quality materials, principally natural buffalo horn, precision-engineered titanium, 18ct gold, silver 925, and the finest Japanese acetates.

What’s more, the state-of-theart Vision Clinics in each boutique are among the most advanced in the world. Using the latest Zeiss equipment, the experienced optometrists view a patient’s eye health in greater depth than that of a non-specialist hospital, able to track even the smallest of changes over time so you can be confident that any issues will be quickly picked up and treated.

For more information, visit tdtomdavies.com or purchase Tom’s as-seen-on-screen eyewear on iwearbritain.com

WIN

A complimentary state-of-the-art eye examination, plus private one-to-one consultation with eyewear designer to the stars, Tom Davies. Tom will create three pairs of unique frames for your individual style requirements.

TO ENTER

Visit countryandtown

house.co.uk/

competitions. The competition closes on 31 July 2022. Terms and conditions apply.

TERMS & CONDITIONS: The prize is subject to clinic availability and must be taken between Monday-Friday. The prize must be claimed no later than 30 November 2022. No cash alternative is available. Prize includes three pairs of bespoke frames and prescription lenses (if required).