An auction of nearly 50 trips worth more than £100,000 has been launched to support refugees displaced by the ongoing conflict in Ukraine.
The Travel For Ukraine initiative has brought together a wide selection of overseas and UK-based trips donated by the travel and hospitality industries to raise funds for the Disasters Emergency Committee Ukraine Humanitarian Appeal.
The minimum price for all the lots is around 40% of their real value, with prices starting from £200 up to £5,200 for a trip worth £13,000.
Trips include a luxury stay at Soneva Kiri in Thailand for up to four people, a week’s stay at Windjammer Landing in St Lucia and a wellness break for two at the Ananda spa in the Himalayas.
The initiative is the brainchild of Kathryn Brierley, founder and managing director of The Healthy Holiday Company and in:spa retreats, who has rallied friends in the travel industry to donate a wide selection of holidays, working in partnership with travel PR specialist consultancy Travel Tonic.
“Like everyone, I’ve been watching the news and feeling that I really wanted to do something to help,” she said. “The incredible work done by the #cookforukraine movement really inspired me to reach out to my travel industry partners to see if they wanted to join forces and put together an impressive auction of trips where we could reassure people donating that every penny counts.”
As well as overseas trips, there are also UK prizes being auctioned including a night at The Grove in Hertfordshire, stays in holiday homes from Oliver’s Travels and a glamping holiday in Monmouthshire.
The project is aiming to raise £100,000 for the 11 million people who have so far been forced to flee the conflict in Ukraine.
Brierley added: “The response has been overwhelming and I know we have only scratched the surface with the potential for other lots to be added to the auction over the next week.
“I’m especially grateful for everyone’s support as all these businesses have been hit hard in the last couple of years by the pandemic.”
The full details of each of the trips are listed on the auction’s website and bids are open until 11.59pm on Sunday, May 8 when the winning bid for each lot will be announced.