Neal's Yard Holidays Blog

Green Holidays and volunteering holidays

Jul29

Are you looking for green holidays that also offer yoga?

We have a number of green holidays and eco retreats that collect rainwater, compost organic waste, conserve endangered flora and fauna and use eco-friendly cleaning products. All of our green holidays also offer the creature comforts you desire. Here’s an overview of Neal’s Yard Holidays’ most ecological retreats.

And for your next trip we’ve also got some green travel tips for you – for where ever you’ll be going.

Green travel tips

Don’t forget to be as green as possible on your holiday. Here are our top tips:

Act respectfully: make an effort to learn something about the local culture and language; dress respectfully; ask people before taking a picture of them, or their children or home.

Bargain politely for goods and services and pay a fair price.

Buy local and support the local economy. Never buy products made from endangered animals or plants.

Conserve water and energy: ask for your towels to be washed less often; switch off lights and air conditioning when you leave your room.

Consider recycling: leave your product packaging at home; bring back certain items such as batteries so they can be recycled safely.

Give any gifts or money to a local school or worthy project rather than encourage begging.

Leave no trace: when trekking or hiking, don’t leave any rubbish and collect any that you see; bring your own shopping bag to discourage the use of plastic bags as they often end up in the sea killing marine life and can create problems on land too. Bring your own re-usable water bottle instead of plastic bottles.

Offset your carbon emissions? Offsetting is not the whole answer to climate change but can play a role, see our Environmental Policy for further info.
You can offset your car, train or plane journeys via the charity AtmosFair

Tread lightly: don’t pick flowers and plants or collect pebbles and seashells.

When back home, consider supporting an organisation that works for the environment, people or wildlife of the country you have just enjoyed.

Also see this page for keeping beaches clean and safe. It includes advice that can help clean up the environment and save the lives of sea creatures.

Posted in Green holidays

Tagged Eco Holidays, Eco Retreats, eco-friendly, green holidays, Volunteering Holidays

Ayurveda Tips for Better Health

Jul23

It’s relatively common to feel sluggish in the morning, lethargic in the afternoon and restless at night. According to Ayurveda, to have good health and feel energised, we should live in tune with nature’s cycles. By implementing a simple morning and night routine, you can achieve harmony.

Ayurveda recommends morning and night time practices called Dinacharya. The morning routine promotes focus, a calm outlook and sustainable energy to help you throughout your busy day. The night time routine will help you wind down and prepare you for sleep.

Ayurveda Morning routine

Waking

According to Ayurveda, before sunrise is the ideal time to get up in the morning because of the vata dosha – a subtle energy. The atmosphere is still quiet at this time, which also makes it easier to meditate. Energy after the sun rises, is heavy, which can make you feel heavy and tired. Read more…

Posted in Ayurveda Retreats, Healthy Living

Tagged advice, Ayurveda, Ayurveda Holidays, health, tips

Make your Next Holiday a Yoga Retreat

Jul09

Your first yoga retreat with Neals Yard Holidays c Ditty_about_summer adapted

The thought of going on your first yoga retreat can be daunting. You might have many questions such as am I experienced enough?

Who else will be there? Am I fit enough to keep up with all the classes and activities? Will it even feel like a holiday?

No worries, when you get there, there’s no need to plan anything. It’s all done for you. The days are mostly structured and you will be catered for. So there is nothing to do but relax and unwind, and take it in your stride.

A yoga retreat could be the perfect next step from your regular weekly class if you want to learn more and develop your yoga, or even if you just want to spend more time practicing without all the distractions of life. Most retreats cater for everyone from beginners to fully-practiced yogis and yoginis so there’s no need to worry about your fitness levels.

What are you looking for in a yoga retreat?

Before booking a yoga retreat, be clear about what you hope to get out of it. Having an intention will help you make the most out of the holiday. Next, think about the location. Would you prefer to be in a hot country on the beach or close to home in the countryside? Near majestic mountains or a tropical paradise? It’s usually best to choose somewhere that will inspire you; that gives you the energy you’re looking for. Read more…

Posted in Yoga News and Tips, yoga retreats

Tagged first yoga retreat, yoga holiday, yoga offers, yoga questions, Yoga Retreat

Yoga Holidays in Europe are Good for your Health

Jun19

You may have read our previous blog warning about the dangers of skin cancer during yoga holidays in Europe, (if not it’s here) and while covering up is a must in the sun, we should also be mindful of the amount, or lack of, vitamin D we get.

Why is Vitamin D important?

Our body creates vitamin D when our skin is exposed to sunshine, without it we can become ill. Vitamin D deficiency is a major problem, especially in the UK where sun exposure is rather limited to around two months of the year. In the past, vitamin D deficiency was linked with rickets, but recently it’s become evident that a number of other conditions can manifest including muscle weakness and osteoporosis. Pregnant women are at risk of their babies being born with serious health conditions if they are vitamin D deficient.

Symptoms of vitamin D deficiency include tiredness and a general feeling of being unwell, muscle weakness and pain when bones are under pressure. Sometimes there are no symptoms at all, which means that serious health conditions such as rickets can develop without warning. Evidence also suggest that those who live furthest from the equator are at higher risk of developing muscular sclerosis, due to lack of sun exposure. Scotland has the highest rates of MS in the world with around 10,000 sufferers. Read more…

Posted in Healthy Living, yoga retreats

Tagged Europe, skin cancer, vitamin d, Yoga Holidays, Yoga Retreats

Yoga Retreat Skin Cancer Warning

Jun06

Avoid skin cancer, sunburnt back and shoulder

Do you treat your skin with care when it comes to exposing it to sunshine?
Do you know how to read the first signs of skin cancer?

Be careful when jetting off to a yoga retreat this summer because the number of people developing the most deadly form of skin cancer – malignant melanoma – has increased five times since the 1970s new research has found.

Statistics by Cancer Research UK shows that 13,000 people every year develop this harmful skin cancer compared to just 1,800 people a year in the 1970s. The organisation suggests that many factors have contributed to this rise including the popularity of sunbeds and cheap package holidays to sunny destinations. The number of people who develop non-melanoma skin cancer in the UK is in excess of 100,000 every year. Read more…

Posted in Healthy Living

Tagged skin cancer, summer, Yoga Retreat

UK holidays and retreats

May28

Looking for a break close to home? – Here are a few of our favourite spots for UK holidays and retreats, just a train ride away.

If you’ve only got a few days to spare, there’s no need to waste precious time on tackling airport queues and foreign currencies. We have a wide selection of UK holidays, in beautiful retreats all around the country, where you can get away from your daily routine, unwind and relax.

Posted in UK holiday retreats

Tagged Creative Holidays, Detox Holidays, Hatha Yoga, Pilates Retreats, UK holiday retreats, Yoga Holidays

Yoga Getaway Luggage Allowance Guide

Apr30

Holiday luggage with sunhat and sunlotions

If you’re setting off this summer for a yoga getaway then you will need to know the weight restrictions for your luggage so you don’t have any nasty shocks at the airport.

We have recommended Skyscanner in the past for comparisons of cheap flights. Now they also have this excellent infographic detailing the luggage allowances for the airlines that offer short-haul European flights. See below overview at a glance.

Posted in Yoga News and Tips

Tagged baggage, holiday, luggage, summer, yoga getaway

Improve Health and Wellbeing and Enjoy a Holiday Too

Apr15

Health and Wellbeing – and holidays with summer offers

Recent surveys from the Office of National Statistics (ONS) revealed that the number of people from the UK going abroad each year is increasing, while the number of people satisfied with their health is decreasing. Here at Neal’s Yard Holidays, we have the solution. What better way to improve health and wellbeing and satisfy the desire for a holiday abroad than a yoga or wellbeing retreat?

Posted in Holiday Offers, Where to go on holiday in July

Tagged detox, health, holiday, offers, relax, summer, wellbeing, yoga

Our hand-picked Health Retreats for Swimming

Mar20

The summer is the perfect time of year to swim, whether that’s in a pool, a lake or the sea. With hot weather, it’s important to find ways to keep cool and a quick dip can be just the thing, so we’ve picked some of the best health retreats for swimming.

Tagged health and wellebieing, health retreat, summer, Swimming, wellbeing retreat, Yoga Retreat

Does your travel insurance cover acts of nature?

Feb27

Recent UK storm highlights importance of travel insurance

St Jude’s storm in the UK in 2013 has highlighted the importance of travel insurance that covers unexpected weather events.

Cancelled trains and flights left thousands stranded, and if they weren’t adequately insured, out of pocket too.

As in previous winters, there’s likely to be more disruption through storms, flooding and snow over the coming months, so you’ll want to make sure you don’t get caught out. Read more…

Posted in Yoga News and Tips

Tagged Travel insurance tips, Travel tips