WHAT YOU CAN EXPECT ON YOUR TRAVELLERS PLACEMENT

You'll do enjoyable, satisfying and much-need work in less advantaged countries.  You'll meet lots of new people and make lots friends. You'll be well looked after and have opportunities to travel and explore. If you choose a teaching or care placement, the children will benefit enormously from having you there - it can make a difference to their lives, their opportunities and their future. If you choose work experience internships, you'll gain valuable experience that will benefit your career in the future.

• What happens when you apply?
• What is included in your placement fee?
• Living in your host country - what to expect in terms of food and accommodation
• Arrangements for Travel, Visa's and Insurance

"Travellers Worldwide stood out to me as a company when I was searching through the many of them, because of its honesty, unlike other companies you say it’s going to be hard work. Also you are clear about how much it is going to be and do not try to hide costs. Your team has been so helpful and patient especially as I have struggled with choosing where I’d like to go." Tasha

Once you've applied, we take out insurance against insolvency for you. Details of this are further down the page.

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.

Our Promise: By choosing Travellers you have the reassurance of knowing you're with a genuine organisation with 16 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.

From a parent: "May I take this chance to say how impressed we are with Travellers. Sophie is having an amazing experience and all our admin type dealings have been first rate. Thanks again," Lynn Hannay
 

• 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 help you arrange 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.

• We also provide insurance cover for you which protects your deposit and any subsequent project fees that you pay to us. Read more about your financial security below.

• 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 coincide 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!

"I was very happy with the information I got. Everything seemed to be covered, from information on the family, on the school and on the country. There was even important information that I wouldn't have even known to ask about. I can't think of anything that I wished I had known or that I wasn't prepared for by the pack or by my Project Co-ordinator....." Lydia Tyrrell

Some volunteers relaxing in their School Accommodation, Malaysia.

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 - £6 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:
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 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 staff 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

Travellers supports the FCO's
Know Before You Go
campaign

To speak to us directly, telephone 44+ (0)1903 502595 or email us.