Why: Pyrenean Odysseys Ethical Travel

Pyrenean Odysseys uses its members expertise and long experience in the  Pyrenees to offer great value holidays to people from all over the world.  We love the place we live and work in, and enjoy showing people around it.  The philosophy by which we live our lives is reflected in our business – simplicity, good times, environmentally and socially responsible living and innovative learning experiences.

As a partnership of professionals, rather than a entity that exists in its own right, we have limited overhead costs and can offer our clients innovative all inclusive packages where different partners each offer one part of the overall service.  It’s as simple as that; you deal directly with one of us (generally whoever you book your holiday through) and we then all work together behind the scenes to ensure you receive an integrated service.  The person who sells you your holiday is your holiday co-ordinator and your point of contact, but each of us takes responsible for providing a particular part of the service (accommodation, guiding, mountain activities etc).  All members of the partnership are legally registered in France to undertake the activities they do, and Hotel Les Templiers has official ‘Atout France‘ (the national tourist board) tour operator certification with a deposit bond allowing us to take deposits and provide ‘all included’ packages.  All payment passes through Hotel Les Templiers so all holidays are certified under this scheme.

Social Responsibility

The partnership arrangement of our business highlights the socially responsible nature of Pyrenean Odysseys.  Many UK  tour operators rely largely on seasonal workers from outside to staff chalets and guide walking groups.  While seemingly innocuous, providing a ‘working holiday’ for the staff, and English speaking workers, these jobs are what Naomi Klein (No Logo) calls  “McDonalds jobs” – jobs that are inevitably transient, a step on the way to ‘something better’, university or a career change, or simply a career break.  They are not meant to be permanent, or provide income that employees can rely on to build a future.  They do not help to build the future of the local community either.

Shipping in seasonal workers inevitably takes employment opportunities from residents of the tourist destination – perhaps you cannot imagine earning a living from cleaning hotel rooms, or waiting tables, but plenty of people do.  It is these people who built their lives in the beautiful places tourists visit, who send their children to the local school, and who ensure banks and postal services remain open in small towns.  While selling the idea of an experience, or a career break, in a lovely location, these “McDonalds jobs” provide no long term prospects for either the shipped in staff, or the local inhabitants who live in the tourist location and need to find long term employment in order to remain.  The employer pays into no retirement, health insurance or unemployment schemes.  While this may allow you to have a relatively cheap holiday, and the tour operator to maintain their margin, it does not build livelihoods for people, or societies, or infrastructure, or schools.  In France, where the “social charges” employers pay for employees health, retirement and unemployment benefits add around 50% to the salary it is very tempting, for both employers and employees to opt out and find other solutions.  But this should not, and cannot be, a long term solution.

All staff working for Hotel Les Templiers, and Pyrenean Odysseys, have a French contract, we pay into the French national schemes for retirement, health and unemployment benefits for us and all our staff.  In short we contribute to the society in which we live, and from whose resources we benefit.

Environmental Responsibility

Since arriving at Hotel Les Templiers seven years ago Siân and Laurent have done much to improve the environmental performance of the hotel.  New roof insulation, full wall insulation on the north and east facing walls, environmentally friendly building materials when renovating the attic, environmentally friendly cleaning products and methods, an all organic breakfast buffet, introduction of local (lamb/mutton in particular) and organic produce in the restaurant, and a general philosophy where the environmental impact is considered in all decisions.  In the next year the hotel will begin the process of being certified under the European Ecolabel scheme.