SAFETY

Unrivalled safety procedures

There is no doubt that the greatest benefits and rewards to you, will come from the most challenging tasks and adventures. Our job is to ensure that the challenges we introduce you to and the services we provide are as safe as possible. 

Our unique model means we are able to provide an unparalleled level of safety and support throughout your expedition.  

Not only will you be in the safe hands of your qualified and experienced expedition leader, you will be fully supported on the ground by our permanently employed local Camps staff. We have resident British directors in every region, a head office in each destination country and a year-round operation. As a Camps International traveller, you stay in the camps that we own, you use our transport, you work on our projects and are supported by our staff.  

All this results in a fully supported expedition. It also means we are experts in the countries and areas that we work. We know what is happening on the ground and understand and are part of the communities we work with. 

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operations team members globally
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minimum accompanying adult to student ratio plus all our wonderful local staff

A globally connected operations team

Unlike other expedition companies, we own or manage our operations in every region we work and there is a seamless link between our Operations Teams in the UK and in our expedition destinations. You’ll receive 24/7 support from our global network of staff, so we are always on hand to prevent and deal with any incidents immediately, rather than just react from afar.  

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A safe and secure expedition

We pride ourselves on our stringent safety procedures from transport, to expedition leaders and everything in-between.

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Vehicles & transport 

We have a comprehensive vehicle safety policy to ensure all the vehicles you travel on are road worthy and checked against appropriate standards. Our drivers are also carefully selected and fully trained. They carry mobile telephones at all times and have excellent knowledge of the local, regional and national area. Where we do have to outsource transport to third party providers, we have strict policies in place to ensure they meet our stringent high standards. 

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Communication 

Where mobile phone signal is poor, we support this with VHF radios or satellite phones where possible. Remote camps also have a driver and vehicle on standby at all times. 

 

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24-hour emergency support 

We offer round-the-clock emergency support; our leadership team, camps and the Camps International UK Office are on call 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. This ensures we can always respond immediately to an incident. We have extensive risk assessments for each location. They are reviewed annually and whenever there are significant changes that affect our expeditions operating to the highest possible safety standard. We also provide the lead teacher from every group with an opportunity to undertake a one-week teacher training visit to our camps and projects before the expedition so that they can undertake their own risk assessments. 

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Camp locations and security 

Our camps are strategically located close to hospitals and main roads. We have carefully selected and built excellent relations with the hospitals we work with. Each camp has appropriate security such as perimeter fences, security guards and controlled access to deter unwanted visitors – of the human or wildlife variety. 

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Mountain trekking safety 

Our mountain technical expert is a qualified International Mountain Instructor and advises us on best practice for all aspects of our treks, including emergency response protocols. All mountain treks are led by qualified Mountain Leaders who have extensive training and experience on this terrain. Professional guides and porters will accompany your mountain trek – they are experts on these routes and will support your team every step of the way. 

 

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Scuba diving safety 

We use professional dive centres for our diver training courses that are staffed by highly qualified professionals, who are subject to stringent safety regulations from Professional Association of Diving Instructors (PADI). All our diving is conducted according to PADI regulations. We have chosen dive locations where the risk from local marine life is extremely low. We follow the General Standards and Procedures guidelines for recreational diving, which outline certain medical conditions that may preclude you from diving – we ensure all our travellers have undergone any necessary medical checks before partaking in diving activities. 

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Insurance & emergency assistance providers 

All our school expeditions include a comprehensive travel insurance policy from a trusted provider with whom we have worked for years. Our Emergency Assistance Providers are experts in emergency medical response and repatriation and have UK doctors on call, who liaise with the doctors in country in the unlikely event that someone is hospitalised, to ensure they receive the best possible treatment. 

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Our team 

Camps International has a whole team working to make your expedition a success. This includes our in country directors, office, camp and support staff, our camp managers, our drivers, the dive instructors and guides and porters on the mountain, all backed up by our dedicated team in the UK Head Office. 

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Expedition leaders 

Every one of our school expeditions will be accompanied by a professional and experienced expedition leader, who will play a pivotal role in keeping your expedition safe and successful. Your expedition leader is responsible for managing the safety of your team, facilitating the personal development of each student and coordinating the day-to-day logistics of the expedition. 

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Our accreditations 

We hold the BS8848 – the British Standard specification for the provision of visits, fieldwork, expeditions and adventurous activities outside the UK. Our expeditions comply with the standard and we annually review this through a process of self assessment. We are also among the first expedition providers (and one of only a handful) to receive The Learning Outside the Classroom (LOtC) Quality Badge which acts as a national accreditation for the provision of educational visits, recognising organisations that are delivering high quality learning experiences and managing risk effectively. Read more about our accreditations here.