Intrepid Travel has expanded its range UK and Ireland, making its domestic portfolio larger than ever before.
The adventure operator has eight new trips in Scotland, England and Ireland and says the expansion follows increased demand for closer-to-home holidays.
Tours are designed to support local communities away from the usual tourist trail and have a low carbon impact.
Most are centred around walking and hiking, with experiences including trekking through Ireland’s Wicklow Mountains, hiking through forests and paddocks with reindeer in the Cairngorms, and exploring Hadrian’s Wall with a local guide. Families are catered for with an active walking holiday through the Scottish Highlands.
Zina Bencheikh, managing director EMEA at Intrepid Travel, said: “The response to our initial range of UK holidays back in June was very positive – clients told us they loved seeing their own country from a new perspective. I’m excited to be able to bring our UK customers even more ways to enjoy the Intrepid experience they love, but closer to home.
“These trips are all about supporting local communities, getting active and sampling the different food and drinks of the region.”
Intrepid said closer-to-home trips had become a priority in all its markets, and helped its wider mission of reducing global emissions and setting up Intrepid for a low carbon future.
Offering more domestic trips was one of its key actions when Intrepid recently committed to science-based targets. Globally, the operator will have more than 100 domestic holidays available in 2021 for its Australian, North American and UK customer base. As with all Intrepid trips, the range will be 100% carbon offset and designed to have a low carbon footprint.
Adhering to Intrepid’s Safe Travels protocols, all travellers will complete a health screening at the start of the trip and be required to wear masks in certain settings, in line with local regulations.
Groups are accompanied by a local leader who has received specific Covid-19 training covering hygiene, sanitation, physical distancing, PPE and supplier monitoring.
Intrepid recently introduced a new Flexible Booking policy, which permits changes to travel plans 21 days before a scheduled departure, allowing for new travel dates or an entirely different trip with no change fees.