Corporate Trips
Corporate Team Building in the South of France
What better way to give your company an appreciation of nature than by spending three car-free days sailing, scuba diving, kayaking, windsurfing, climbing and mountain biking on an idyllic island off the coast of Southern France?
Whether you wish to prime your staff towards a shift in sustainable thinking, create some space and time for team building and creative thinking or simply reward your employees in an environmentally-friendly fashion, Active Earth’s partner ExplorAider can create the perfect experience for your company. Below is an account of a trip in September 2007. This is what the CEO said afterwards.
“The trip was a huge success, an experience that money couldn’t buy. There was a visibly improved working atmosphere in the office afterwards and each staff member made a point of personally thanking me afterwards.”
Account written by Metage Employee
On a beautifully sunny Thursday afternoon we flew into Toulon Hyères. One member of the party arrived by train as ExplorAider had offered us this as an alternative form of transport.
We walked out of the airport our bags on our backs and in less than five minutes stepped aboard our two luxury fourteen metre catamarans. After a safety brief and welcome drinks we hoisted the sails and headed towards our destination, the island of Porquerolles.
As we approached, the island seemed deserted. Beaches fringed with tall pine trees made one think of a lost island where prehistoric dinosaurs would roam freely.
We washed away any London stress in the turquoise waters, frightening shoals of small fish that darted in all directions, weaving through the swaying plant life and taking refuge under the boat.
Our program was to involve two nights dining at one of the few hotels on the island, the “Mas de Langoustière” and one night where everybody would party and sleep aboard the catamarans.
Some of the ExplorAider staff joined us for a stimulating dinner. Raja our host, who is from the Middle East charmed us with stories of Arabian cultures and jokes about Syrians, who are the butt of many a Lebanese Joke. We returned to the Catamaran via the annex dingy under moonlight. Some chose to spend the night in the hotel.
The next day we were up bright and early. We divided into groups depending on our preferred activity; sailing, windsurfing or scuba diving. I personally did the scuba diving trip, which was amazing. We had our own small boat with great equipment and great guides. We saw barracuda, octopus and a variety of sea life.
In the afternoon we met the others and headed off on a mountain bike trip. As the island is almost entirely protected, it has been spared from the ravages of commercial development and there are very few cars. Consequently there are some amazing mountain bike trails. Everybody regrouped at five pm for a company-wide cycle to watch the setting sun from a high point on the Island. Two members of staff were so invigorated that they opted to run back to the hotel.
The next day we checked out of the hotel and loaded our baggage onto the boats. We had the choice of a sailing trip island-hopping to the nearby Isle of Port Cros or an adventure hike and climb.
The isle of Port Cros is another protected natural wonder. Snorkelling here is legendary as all fishing has been banned for many years. The climbing was extra-special, as ExplorAider had opened up some routes for us that no one had previously climbed. The routes were fun, challenging and above all impressive as we looked down twenty metres to see the waves crashing against the rocks below. Climbing is one of the most engaging and rewarding sports I have ever tried. We hiked and then swam back to our boat.
That evening we moored off the mainland tying the Catamarans alongside each other. The party got going quickly and before long we were all dancing the night away. There was even a moonlit swim in the very early morning!
The next morning we awoke to see that we were almost the only boat moored a few hundred metres off a five kilometre stretch of beach. After breakfast the wind picked up and we spent our last few hours, sailing, windsurfing and playing Frisbee on the beach.
We were about to set sail for the airport when we realised that we were missing Stephen our Financial Controller. Separating him from his windsurfer was not an easy task. We sailed back to Hyères sipping Rosé and eating a delicious buffet lunch prepared by Natalie the boat’s chef.
The departure to the airport seemed almost cruel. We were shuttled onto the beach via the onboard annexes. It took us only thirty minutes to get from the sandy beach to being checked in and ready to go. The experiences of the weekend dominated office conversation for at least the next week and it seems to have had a lasting positive effect on the staff as a whole!
PRIVACY POLICY