Uniworld Boutique River Cruises and U by Uniworld announced that they will offer a variety of "Make Travel Matter" experiences throughout India, Europe and the Middle East in 2021 and 2022.
The new experiences will be integrated into the brands' itineraries. Uniworld and U by Uniworld are members of The Travel Corporation’s (TTC) family of brands and founding partners of the non-profit TreadRight Foundation, which works to have a positive impact on the areas/destinations that travel impacts.
Ellen Bettridge, president and CEO of Uniworld and U by Uniworld, said in a press statement that the new "Make Travel Matter" experiences "meet a rigorous set of criteria to identify the ways in which they will truly make an impact.” Offered across TTC itineraries, they're being chosen for the ways in which they directly advance the 17 United Nations Global Goals; those goals were developed by world leaders to create a better future for people and the planet by 2030.
India
While traveling on "India's Golden Triangle & the Sacred Ganges" itinerary, Uniworld guests will have the opportunity to:
- Board a pedal-powered trishaw in the “Temple City” of Kalna to explore the Rajbari temple complex dating back to 1739
- Support local artisans that have been making ornamental brass objects for centuries by attending brass workshops in Matiari
- Visit Mother Theresa’s home and tomb, as well as the local NGO Calcutta Rescue in Kolkata; the latter serves the area’s underprivileged children through health clinics, schools, vocational training and preventative health programs
Europe
"Make Travel Matter" experiences in Europe will include:
- A day on a Dutch Cheese Trail at a sustainable, self-sufficient dairy farm (on the "Tulips & Windmills" itinerary)
- A saffron tasting and lesson on the history of the crop, first planted by 12th-century crusaders in the Wachau Valley; guests will hear from researcher and producer Bernard Kaar ("Enchanting Danube" itinerary)
- Ride into the Austrian countryside to a typical “Mostheurigen" farm, owned and operated by the Bauernfeind family in Linz ("Enchanting Danube" itinerary)
- A tutorial on how Belgian chocolate is made by the sustainable company Neuhof, which uses beans harvested from their own cacao farm ("Holland & Belgium" itinerary)
- A visit to the Doktorenhof Estate near Vennigen to learn about the generations-old traditions used to make vinegar ("Castles Along the Rhine" itinerary).
U by Uniworld’s "Make Travel Matter" experiences in Europe will include the opportunity to go plastic fishing and clean the waters of Amsterdam’s canals during the "Amsterdam & Brussels Bound" itinerary.
Alternatively, on U's "Rolling on the Rhine" itinerary, river cruisers can spend a day on an authentic, family-run apple plantation, founded in 1867 by the Clostermann family.
Middle East
In Jordan, Uniworld guests can visit the Iraq Al Amir women’s cooperative association, which is aimed to provide meaningful employment for local village women while preserving local heritage. Travelers will visit the workshop and explore the women’s handmade paper, pottery and fabrics as well as fresh produce. This is available on the "Splendors of Egypt & the Nile" itinerary's Jordan extension.
To learn more, visit www.uniworld.com.
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