You can do enjoyable, satisfying and
much-need work
in less advantaged countries.
If you
choose a teaching placement, the children will benefit enormously from having you
there - it can
make a difference to their lives, their opportunities and
their future.
On receipt of your application, the
Travellers Project Co-ordinator for the country you’ve chosen will liaise
with you about your placement. They will discuss with you what you hope to
gain out of your project and will then ensure that you and your project are
mutually suitable. Once the placement has been arranged to suit your
requirements we'll confirm your placement (subject to approval and your
reference) and you’ll be sent the relevant documentation needed to get the
ball rolling. We will stay in touch with you and are available to answer any
of your questions during the preparation for your trip.
‘Dear Elizabeth,
Thank you so much for all the help that you've provided. No wonder your
customers are so happy :)’
As your departure draws near, you’ll also
receive details of your accommodation and hosts as well as contact
information to give to your family and friends so that they can keep in
touch with you. We’ll also provide you with the contact details of other
volunteers who will be going out around the same time as you so that you can
contact each other before you leave. If we are arranging your flights, we
will do our best to put you on the same flight as another volunteer so that
you have company on the trip over.
A sad tale: Unfortunately, we get
quite a few emails like this one - "Hi, I wonder if you could help. I paid a
lot of money towards a company I thought was legitimate in Kenya to do a
conservation project. It turns out that they are big fat con men. I have
already booked my flights from September 1st until October 2nd 2006.
I really do not know what to do. I have already had all my injections etc so
it will be silly to go back on everything and not go at all.
Would you be able to fit me in with you guys ... I saved everything I had
and lost it. I will do anything!!"
Our Promise: By choosing Travellers
you have the reassurance of knowing you're with a genuine organisation with
14 years' experience and many thousands of happy volunteers who have had
excellent, worthwhile projects - we'll look after you right through to the
end of your project.
YOUR FINANCIAL SECURITY: In accordance with
The Package Travel, Package Holidays and Package Tours Regulations 1992,
all volunteers booking with Travellers from the 1st of November 2008
onwards are fully protected for the initial deposit and subsequently the
balance of all monies paid, including repatriation if required, arising
from cancellation or curtailment of travel arrangements due to the
insolvency of Travellers. There is no requirement for Financial
Protection of day trips, and none is provided. A certificate detailing
this cover will be given to you as evidence of cover at the time you
book up to a maximum value of £3000. This Insurance has been
arranged by International Passenger Protection (IPP) Limited and
underwritten by Insurers who are members of the Association of British
Insurers. IPP insurance is mandatory for all
volunteers who book after the 1st of November 2008 and costs between £8
and £15 depending on the length of your placement. IPP insurance will be
issued to you upon booking and subsequently charged to you via invoice. Once issued, policies are non-refundable and cannot
be changed. If you have booked a placement with Travellers before the 1st
of November 2008 and would like to have IPP Insurance issued please
contact us and we'll make the arrangements for you.
WHAT IS INCLUDED IN YOUR PLACEMENT FEE?
All your FOOD AND ACCOMMODATION is included in the
price (unless otherwise stated) during your placement.
WE MEET YOU AT THE AIRPORT - regardless of whether we
make your travel arrangements or you choose to make them yourself - there
is NO extra charge.
If we book your flight, we ensure that you have a
CHANGEABLE RETURN TICKET - because many Travellers have a wonderful time
and extend their stay. A changeable return ticket ensures that you can do
so if you choose.
When we receive your application form, we’ll confirm
your placement (subject to references) and send you detailed documentation
on your work, destination country, visas, arranging flights, insurance,
ideas on things to take with you and what to pack etc.
You will also receive a Safety Guide with travel tips,
put together by Travellers to help you travel safely.
If you're doing a teaching placement, we also send you
a Teaching Guide to help you prepare. This will assist you in planning
lessons and give you ideas for topics to use in your classes.
If you choose to volunteer as a sports coach with
Travellers, we provide you with a year’s free subscription to a Coaching
website, Soccer Clinics Europe, who are very kindly providing membership
at no cost to you because you are doing a voluntary project.
This subscription will allow you access to over 4,000 pages of the best
interactive, online soccer and football coaching information. With this
membership (which normally comes with a price tag of £39.99),
you automatically become a member of the International Coaches Association
(ICA) and join a community of coaches from over 65 countries
Before your departure we will help you with all stages
of planning your trip, from arranging your travel dates to co-incide with
others, booking your flights or helping you decide what to take with you.
Whilst you are on your placement we will stay in touch
with you to make sure you are having a great time! Many of our volunteers
stay in touch long after they have come home to keep us updated on what
they have been doing. We love to hear your feedback!
LIVING IN YOUR HOST
COUNTRY - Your Accommodation and Food:
Some volunteers relaxing in their School Accommodation, Malaysia.
Curry! Sri Lanka's staple
Rest House Accommodation, Malaysia
Some volunteers relaxing with Roshan, our Sri Lanka Manager, at
the end of the day
Hostel, Argentina
Most of our Volunteers make life-long friends with their hosts, with their
students and their work colleagues and in many cases they visit
each other after their placements have finished. This is one of the many
exciting aspects of our programmes and one of the most satisfying!
Accommodation: Unless otherwise stated, all your accommodation and food is included in your programme and in most
cases your meals are cooked and provided for you. The type of accommodation and
the standard can vary depending on location and type of project you're doing. Sometimes it can be quite luxurious and at
others it can be more spartan and basic, but in all cases we ensure that it's
clean and safe.
Travellers uses many
different types of accommodation, for example ...
In some of our destinations you live with
a local family. Some families will merely house and feed you and leave you to
your own devices, but most families will 'adopt' you and make you an integrated part of their
household.
On the other hand, in some of our destinations you could live
in a Travellers house with 5 to 15 other volunteers - you're surrounded by
people who are just as excited as you are to be there! Many volunteers get
together in groups to spend weekends exploring the country.
On some projects volunteers live in dormitories or rooms on a
school campus and take their meals with the children and staff. You may also share an apartment with another Travellers
volunteer or you could even stay for a short while in a hotel. You may stay for
your entire placement in a Guest House. On some conservation projects you could
be camping on-site - it all depends on where you are and what programme you're
doing.
Food:
All your food will be provided, unless otherwise stated. If
you're in an apartment or sharing with other volunteers, you may have to do your own shopping and
cooking, and in this case you'll be given a weekly or monthly budget to use as
you wish for your food. The budget will be sufficient to cover basic meals, but
won't include enough for 5-star dining or wine or beer. In most travellers
houses or in host families food is almost always provided and cooked for
you. Food is usually local cuisine - if you are in Sri Lanka or India, you
will eat rice, curries, and other local dishes, in South Africa, you may
have lots of BBQ's!
If
you're a vegetarian or have any allergies, this is taken into account when we
arrange your placement. One of the joys of travelling is sampling the
cuisine. Eating out in most of our destinations is very cheap and in South
Africa, for example, barbecues are a way of life! A steakhouse dinner with
all the trimmings (with a HUGE steak of 400g / 1 lb in weight) costs about £4.00
and wine is dirt cheap! These prices are at the time of writing - please
research on the Net to find current cost of living.
Trying Coconut Juice, Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka Volunteer House.
Relaxing at the beach, Ghana,
Volunteers having a go at surfing, Sri Lanka
TRAVEL,
VISAS and INSURANCE:
Travel: You can either book your own international flights or we can arrange all
your travel for you. In either event, we'll meet you at the nearest
international airport so that you are met by a friendly face on arrival.
Travellers is not a
travel agent. If we arrange your flights for you, we liaise on your behalf with
our Travel Agents, who are ABTA and IATA registered, to book your flights and to
have the tickets sent to you so that you receive them before you leave.
When we make your travel arrangements we will, where possible, send
two or more people on the same flight and we will give you the names and
telephone numbers of the other volunteers on your flight so
that you can chat or even meet up before leaving. Most of our
volunteers take time to travel around once they have completed their
placement and we can arrange your flights to include additional time for
touring. Many volunteers also use their weekends and free time to do some
sightseeing. Very often you'll
be part of a group of volunteers doing the same project as you. If you prefer to be located rurally, far
away from other countrymen, we can probably arrange that too!
Visas: Some countries don't require visas, but for those that do you'll need to
apply and pay for your visa yourself. We'll send you all the necessary forms and
information and we'll make the process very easy for you. Some countries require
official invitations and other require Immigration Documents - again, we'll
provide those for you and make the process easy. If you live outside the UK, we
will give you as much advice and information on what to do as possible, and in
some cases we may even be able to send you the necessary forms for applying for
your visa.
If you need to extend your visa while on your placement, our
local Organiser will help you as much as possible, but you will have to pay
for your visa extension yourself.
Insurance: It is a requirement that all volunteers take out insurance. You may
prefer to arrange this yourself or we can arrange it for you through Endsleigh, the
insurance company that we use. In either event, we will send you the relevant
information on the type of insurance you need and any necessary forms and
paperwork. To view the insurance policy that we use,
click here
.
+44 01903 502595
