Greece
The Travelers’ Ripple Effect
Walk on the Beach with Sea Turtles in Greece Sea turtles are a special group of animals with universal appeal. Some of the most magical experiences a traveler can have include participating in sea turtle hatchling releases on moonlit beaches, witnessing nesting mamas digging deep sand pits at high tide, and donning dive masks and descending below the waves to watch sea turtles munch on coral and glide through cerulean shallows. It is Finding Nemo come to life.
Many coastal travel destinations do an incredible balancing act of seeing sea turtles as a tourism highlight while also recognizing the responsibility of protecting these animals and their habitats and promoting their longevity and health. You can play a part: If you are vacationing on the Greek islands of
Crete, Zakynthos, or various locations in the Peloponnese, join the Archelon Sea Turtle Protection Society on a sea turtle beach walk. You’ ll be alongside an Archelon volunteer and a handful of other guests for a stroll along one of Greece’ s significant loggerhead sea turtle nesting beaches while learning about fragile ecosystems, sea turtle lifecycles, human impacts, and ways you can help. And if your timing is right, you may see fresh sea turtle tracks in the sand, sea turtle nests or turtle hatchlings.
In sea turtle nesting regions throughout Mexico and the Caribbean, sea turtle lovers can join in a hands-on experience, usually beginning around dusk, to gather with community conservation groups at sea turtle nesting beaches to help safely usher sea turtle hatchlings into the sea.
Play with Potcake Puppies in Provo Maybe you’ re a fan of sea turtles, but you prefer the idea of something that’ s even more hands-on … maybe even involving some sand-flinging. You might be an excellent candidate for a Potcake puppy play date. Potcakes are a breed of dog found throughout the Bahamas and the Turks and Caicos, and their populations are often mismatched with the number of homes available for them. This means many of them end up in rescue shelters. The good news is that if you have a few hours, are traveling on the island of Providenciales in the Turks and Caicos, and you want to have an immediate positive impact in the community, you can take a Potcake for a walk. Travelers can head over to the Potcake Place K9 Rescue for snuggles, wet kisses, and general puppy love, followed by a socialization walk with one of the dogs. These walks are an important piece of the adoption equation, because they ensure the rescue pups experience new sights, smells, and a variety of people, all of which are crucial in their development and increase the likelihood they will find a forever home.
The K9 Rescue will set you up with everything you need for your socialization walk; you only need to bring yourself and your wide-open heart. You’ ll love heading out under the vast blue sky of Provo, sinking your feet( plus four paws) into the sand, and having beach playtime and exercise with your adorable little( albeit temporary) good boy and best friend. Feel good introducing your pup to curiously sniffable objects, hole-digging, and wet, sandy feet knowing that this joyful endeavor is truly serving everyone.
Potcake dog
16 · ESCAPE Spring 2025