Globetrotters with an ecological bent are the target of a travel firm in Connecticut that specializes in journeys that help preserve the planet.
”We try to make it a very personal experience,” says Audrey Patterson, owner of Treading Lightly.
Working through local tour operators and organizers of little-known environmental and conservation projects, Treading Lightly arranges about seven trips a year to destinations as far-flung as Bali, Belize and Chile.
”We also do tailored touring,” says Patterson, 50.
The environmental theme was inspired by a trip Patterson took several years ago to Brazil as part of the requirements for completing a master`s degree in environmental management.
Now her travel business brings others to locations where conservation efforts are under way to protect areas in environmental jeopardy.
Her groups are small-often only 6 to 20 people-and the destinations are not always well known.
And though travelers don`t work with environmentalists, they are afforded an ”up close” educational experience that Patterson says instills an appreciation of the planet`s delicate ecological balance.
A portion of the trip fees, which range from about $175 to $250 a day-not including air fare-supports the local preservation effort the travelers visit. ”We really want people to come away with a special understanding of how fragile the Earth is,” Patterson says.
The company also is a clearinghouse for other eco-friendly tours.
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For more information, write to 1 Titus Rd., Washington Depot, Conn. 06794 or call 800-643-0060.