Why Knowing The Meaning Of This Sign Can Help Save The Planet

Ever find yourself thirsty when travelling and in the awkward position of having to buy another plastic water bottle you really don’t want? A new initiative in Europe is determined to change the way cities operate, sharing the burden of reducing plastic between restaurants and consumers.

Being away from home or the office makes it hard to stay focussed on recycling. Like everything else, habits slip, and it’s easy to find yourself buying more plastic bottles than you normally would at home. Indeed, without easy access to tap water, adopting an environmentally friendly approach is more challenging.
Thankfully, efforts by the initiative Refill are working to ensure it’s as easy as possible to help the planet wherever you are in Europe – all with the use of one simple sign.
The Refill initiative began in Bristol back in 2015. Founder Natalie Fee was alarmed by how many bottles were washing up on the beaches and littering the city. She decided to take a simple action. The Refill campaign focusses on encouraging restaurants and cafés to let anyone fill up their water bottle, for free.

Watch out for these blue Refill signs when travelling in Europe

A simple sticker in the window denotes the organisation as a ‘Refill Station’, and passersby can stop off and fill up their bottles with tap water. There are now over 10,000 refill stations across the UK and more cropping up every day. The initiative is also a growing phenomenon in cities across Europe.

At a time when a million plastic bottles are reportedly bought every minute, a figure that is set to increase by 20% by 2021, such a simple yet useful response could prove wildly effective in combatting plastic pollution.
In Greece, the move to recreate the success of the Refill campaign began in 2017, and it has since signed up restaurants throughout the country. The campaign to transform Greece into a Refill hub was started by Niki Helios, who saw the success of the Refill initiative elsewhere.

Visitors can find stations throughout Greece, with Refill spots currently on offer in major cities, such as Athens, Thessaloniki and Larissa, and islands, such as Paros. In order to make the most of the Refill stations and to find out where your nearest one is, you can download the Refill app for free.

Since you are here, we would like to share our vision for the future of travel - and the direction Culture Trip is moving in.

Culture Trip launched in 2011 with a simple yet passionate mission: to inspire people to go beyond their boundaries and experience what makes a place, its people and its culture special and meaningful — and this is still in our DNA today. We are proud that, for more than a decade, millions like you have trusted our award-winning recommendations by people who deeply understand what makes certain places and communities so special.

Increasingly we believe the world needs more meaningful, real-life connections between curious travellers keen to explore the world in a more responsible way. That is why we have intensively curated a collection of premium small-group trips as an invitation to meet and connect with new, like-minded people for once-in-a-lifetime experiences in three categories: Culture Trips, Rail Trips and Private Trips. Our Trips are suitable for both solo travelers, couples and friends who want to explore the world together.

Culture Trips are deeply immersive 5 to 16 days itineraries, that combine authentic local experiences, exciting activities and 4-5* accommodation to look forward to at the end of each day. Our Rail Trips are our most planet-friendly itineraries that invite you to take the scenic route, relax whilst getting under the skin of a destination. Our Private Trips are fully tailored itineraries, curated by our Travel Experts specifically for you, your friends or your family.

We know that many of you worry about the environmental impact of travel and are looking for ways of expanding horizons in ways that do minimal harm - and may even bring benefits. We are committed to go as far as possible in curating our trips with care for the planet. That is why all of our trips are flightless in destination, fully carbon offset - and we have ambitious plans to be net zero in the very near future.