I recently read an article about ethical holidays, and thought that might be a great way for us to take a break from our desk jobs and actually do something useful with our time off. Can you suggest an ethical break to suit us?
Chloe Wood, Wimbledon

Dear Chloe,

You and your husband aren’t alone in searching for a more useful, fulfilling way to spend your holidays. Responsible travel is a real growth area within the industry, and there are plenty of options to choose from.

If wildlife conservation floats your boat, how about 12 days’ sailing and dolphin observation in the Alboran Sea? Changes in environmental conditions mean the common dolphin isn’t as common as it once was, and Earthwatch is running a European Commission-approved scheme to document the range, social behaviour and ecology of dolphins in an effort to better understand their habitat needs.

Volunteers join the traditional wooden sailing ship Toftevaag in Almeria, and spend the next two weeks rotating between a variety of tasks, from keeping watch to observing dolphins and other sea creatures. There is also the chance to learn new skills, such as how to record environmental data or how to identify sea life. If that sounds a bit strenuous, volunteers also have free time for beachcombing, birdwatching or sightseeing in colourful coastal villages.

Accommodation is basic, with your own bunk downstairs and hot showers when the ship stops in port most evenings. There is also the romantic option of sleeping on deck, in what the crew calls the “thousand-star hotel”. Cooking is communal in the boat’s snug galley, using fresh foods bought along the way, and at port stops you can try the local cuisine. There are only seven places on each two-week trip, so be sure to book quickly in order to get a place. Prices start from £995 excluding flights.

If you’re a confirmed landlubber like me, you could combine a long weekend helping in a centre for abused chimpanzees with a longer break in historic Girona. The Mona Foundation was set up to end the exploitation of primates in captivity, and runs one of the only primate sanctuaries outside Africa, providing a home for rescued chimps and other primates. As many of the animals have been abused in the past, you won’t actually be able to touch them, but there are plenty of other activities you can help out with over this four-day programme, including observing the behaviour of the chimps, preparing their food, and designing and building new enrichment devices to stimulate them and encourage them to play or forage for food. There is also a day off for visitors to explore Girona.

Prices start from £240, and include two-and-a-half-days’ training and supervision at the sanctuary, transfers from the local train station, four nights’ accommodation with breakfast, and lunches while at the Mona Foundation.

If you’re looking for a more relaxed way to help a project out, Responsible Travel has a few different options. A visit to a gorgeous country-house retreat in a rural area near Alicante contributes to its programme of restoring stone-walled terraces, so that they can be organically farmed in a traditional Moorish way. The hotel is environmentally managed, using mainly solar power and recycling water.

Accommodation comprises spacious apartments, available on a self-catered or bed-and-breakfast basis, and prices start from £450 per week. The grounds of the hotel stretch for 12 acres, so there’s plenty of room for all guests to have privacy, or you can just relax by the communal swimming pool. The coast is 20 minutes away by car, and there are good opportunities for hiking in the surrounding area. If you can arrange a visit at fiesta-time, the local town, Jalon, is really lively, with bull-runs, giant paellas cooked in the town square and colourful parades.
 

Find out more:
earthwatch.org
fundacionmona.org
responsibletravel.com