How many hazards did you spot?
Don’t worry, we have seen them all too…and probably a few more besides!
My role at Schools Worldwide is the Technical Advisor; I am an International Mountain Leader and have led over 50 expeditions, many for school and college groups across the globe, and am involved in the safe planning and management at every stage of your journey from planning to review.
All of our trips and expeditions are Risk Assessed, it’s a commonly used phrase, but what does it actually mean? For us it means we go through every aspect of your expedition with a fine-tooth comb, from the accommodation to the altitude, the likely weather, the trek and the city tours.
We work closely with our ground agents, we recce the routes, we discuss the projects with the communities we are working with, we collate information from every reliable source available and make a decision as to whether this part of the itinerary is going to be safe, manageable, and if needs be, can be evacuated from.
Are we managing every single risk? No, of course not, it’s impossible! But, using years of experience of travel in the destinations we take teams to; we are researching our options, putting in place support and making informed decisions at every stage. From a trip first being designed, to the ‘second to none’ safety and back up in the UK, through to the highly qualified and experienced leader who deals with the highs (and yes, occasionally) lows of an adventurous expedition, you can be assured, we have plans in place.
So, what do we do if something does go wrong? Sickness, injury or even the worry of a lost passport, our leader, in-country agents and UK team will do all they can to sort it, and support the team members and staff. Just as importantly, we have a robust and thorough review after every expedition to make sure that issues with a trekking route, problems with a campsite or changes in a political situation are all taken on board and we make sure that we adapt our plans and itineraries to ensure that each team has the best possible adventure with us.
We want you to know that we have done the groundwork. We know the best places to go to for a fantastic sunrise in the Namib Desert and what time to visit Vlad’s castle in Romania, as much as we know what the dangers are on a drive on the mountain roads in the Leh valley, and which medical facility to use in Bucharest. We are a team of dedicated and experienced professionals and we are always striving to improve our expeditions for your team.
Contact our Schools Worldwide team to discuss your next overseas adventure.
