VARIETY CARES

Travel With Purpose

OUR VISION IS TO CREATE A BETTER WORLD AT SEA

TRAVEL WITH PURPOSE

'To travel is to immerse yourself’ - VARIETY CARES™ is a creative non profit foundation that ties together a like minded community of worldwide travelers who share the notion that 'to travel is to immerse yourself, with the destination and her people at heart. Our three guiding principals are:

CLEAN OCEANS 4ALL
Our ocean is the natural playground that keeps us alive and allows us to experience the world at its most beautiful pace. We owe it our love.

GENDER EQUALITY 4ALL
Gender equality means human equality; from women empowerment to accepting our gender spectrum differences we create a stronger world for all.

EDUCATION 4ALL
The world is a book, and those who do not travel read only a page. Join us as we share our love for education with youth worldwide lacking access to such.

"We don't just believe in giving back, we believe in giving." Lakis Venetopoulos

OUR MISSION IS TO PROVIDE A SUSTAINABLE SEA-GOING PLATFORM FOR ENGAGING OUR GUESTS IN MEANINGFUL COMMUNICATION AND EXCHANGE OF VALUES WITH THE LOCAL COMMUNITIES WE VISIT.

OUR

MISSION

HISTORICAL MILESTONES

1949

Diogenis Venetopoulos unveils Zeus Tours; The first floating travel immersion company supporting archaeological sites

A black and white photo of the Zeus Tours ventures at Sea as Zeus Cruises

1968

Zeus Tours ventures at Sea as Zeus Cruises + Collaborations with local causes throughout the Mediterranean begin

1990

Zeus Cruises joins Santorini's Akrotiri archaeological site in support

Photo with native people and Variety Cruises' tourists

2005

Variety Cruises expands worldwide immersing into new communities

2011

Variety Cruises takes on its fully fledged Education Prototype & Lamin Koto Shool is launched in The Gambia under Lakis Venetopoulos’ leadership

Black and white photo of a small ship in the sea with tropical islands in the background

2012

Variety Cruises pledges support to the Seychelles Archbishop Scholarship

Variety Cruises - LGBT-friendly small ship cruises, a couple huging and smiling

2013

Variety Cruises pledges support to the LGBTQI+ community + VARIETY PRIDE is developed

2015

Variety Cruises pledges its first Student Scholarship in The Gambia

2016

Variety Cruises supports children's education with Kuntaur Film Festival

2017

Variety Cruises pledges to become a leader of environmental sustainability

2019

VARIETY PRIDE honors THE TREVOR PROJECT at the UNITED NATIONS

Black and white photo of an african kid staring a wall with children's photos

2019

Variety Cares celebrates LAMIN KOTO SUPER SCHOOL

2020

VARIETY CARES celebrates The Gambia with the INSIDE OUT ART INITIATIVE

2021

VARIETY CARES joins TOURISM DECLARES CLIMATE EMERGENCY

2022

VARIETY CARES joins the efforts of THE EXPLORERS CLUB for WORLD OCEANS WEEK

OUR

ACTIONS

1. MINIMIZING OUR IMPACT

Single-Use plastic reduction: One of our guiding principles is to positively impact the areas in which we explore. That is why we are proud to have successfully completed a single-use plastic reduction program across our entire fleet, minimizing single-use plastic items. Packaging from single-portion items such as butter cups, jams or yogurts will be eliminated.

Clean Fuel: Our ships run on Marine Diesel Oil, unlike larger ships that use non refined Heavy Fuel Oil which is polluting and highly toxic. We are currently proactively engaged with environmental agencies that help us measure and lower our carbon emissions and footprint with the goal to be carbon neutral by 2050.

2. RESPONSIBLE & CARING

It is our philosophy to embrace local communities and provide resources to the local industries we visit with the dual mission of providing our guests an authentic local experience as well as to support the communities sharing with us their landscapes, nature, culture, and infrastructure. We source local services including excursions, guides, tour leaders, agriculture products and local resources. In addition sourcing local food and supplies from the local seasonal markets allows for an authentic local experience with fresh cuisine and handicraft products. Last but not least we support local cultures by employing local teams onboard our vessels at every opportunity, sustaining our culture of diversity and our global philosophy.

3. COMMITMENT TO SAFETY

Built under the latest International “Safety of Life At Sea” (SOLAS 2010) regulations and classified by IACS Classification Societies, our vessels provide the ultimate sea going experience with safety and comfort with international standards in mind. Our commitment to safety is a fundamental part of our philosophy and encompasses not only our vessel’s technical safety and state of the art navigation, but also all involved including our guests and staff well being, the communities we visit, and the sustainability and support of the environment we share. The highest of safety standards is what permits our ships to be positioned anywhere in the world.