Our commitment to sustainability
Countyhike sell holidays that at its core are very environmentally friendly.
Hiking does not harm the environment. Still our business does include factors which can potentially harm nature and the environment. CountyHike’ complete staff has been made aware of this and so we have instigated policy to control the negative effects of our business wherever possible.
- Waste separation for recycling already takes place in our office, but can be improved upon. We have also cut down our electricity use by installing energy LED light bulbs;
- Stimulating the use of public transport and bicycle amongst staff;
- Taking into account the environment when planning our tours especially in the areas of transport, accommodation and activities and route;
- Adhering to the principles, resolutions and rules of conduct for sustainable tourism of the coordinating branch organisation ANVR;
- Providing our clients with information and tips on how to help care for the environment while on tour;
- Communicating our commitment to caring for the environment to our clients, staff and agents through the website, travel documents and other channels.
It is in everyone’s best interest, not least our company’s, that it will still be possible to have beautiful and fascinating walking holidays in a clean natural environment in the future.
If you would like to know more about our commitment to sustainability, please see our sustainability policy below:
FVW SUSTAINABILITY POLICY_2026
Our company has achieved Travelife Certified recognition.
Travelife Certified is the highest recognition level within the internationally recognised Travelife sustainability programme for tour operators and travel agents.
Travelife Certified recognition is awarded following a comprehensive independent on-site audit based on the Travelife Certified Standard.
During the audit, it is verified that our company complies with more than 200 mandatory sustainability criteria covering areas including environmental management, climate action, biodiversity, working conditions, human rights, local communities, sustainable supply chain management, customer communication and responsible business practices.
The audit confirms that our sustainability management system and sustainability practices have been demonstrably implemented throughout the entire organisation and comply with the requirements of the Travelife Certified standard.
To maintain this recognition, our company is recertified every two years to verify that we continue to comply with the requirements of the Travelife Certified Standard.
More information about the Travelife programme, the different recognition levels, the validity of our current Travelife Certified recognition, the assessment process and the publicly available Travelife criteria can be found on the Travelife consumer website: consumers.travelife.info
If you want to view our official certificate, click here.
In the past 2 years we have achieved:
- In February 2025, we became TraveLife Partner
- In April 2026, we became TraveLife Certified
- To reduce paper use, in 2024, we have launched our navigation App Guibo where all cycling routes are available. When we do print paper for our clients, we always use paper which has a certificate label (such as FSC or PEFC).If customers have already purchased a Pieterpad book themselves, they will receive a discount because we are not required to provide the book.
- Since 2025, we have supported the Moving Beyond Limits foundation. For every trip they book, we donate €5 to this foundation.
Our goals for the next 2 years are:
- We will calculate the CO2 emission involved in our trips and mention this per trip on our website. This will make clients aware of the impact of the chosen trip.
- We want customers to contribute more actively to the Moving Beyonds Limits foundation. We want customers to contribute €5 themselves and maintain our current €5 contribution, so that €10 goes to this fund for every booking.
