Our policy in respect of COVID vaccination has evolved throughout the pandemic, with consideration afforded to many factors as it has gone through several iterations. These include the potential impacts on the communities where our trips operate, government mandated requirements, movement restrictions and accepted scientific studies around the efficacy of vaccination. 

Consultation with health departments and close adherence to accepted protocols have also been core drivers. As the pandemic has evolved, people around the globe have moved into a phase of ‘living with the virus’ (which is not to say that the impact has lessened or that new variants will not occur) and with this, we have adjusted our position. 

The safety responsibility we have to our student groups, our teams who support and facilitate our trips and the communities we visit, are imperatives. 

Additionally, we accept the changes to policies around the globe in terms of the onus on personal responsibility, the cessation of required vaccinations in the majority of countries and increasing levels of herd immunity, albeit varying significantly depending on the destination. 

We continue to strongly recommend that our participants are fully vaccinated. 

It remains that entry and exit requirements can alter at short notice and it is the responsibility of participants to check any requirements which need to be fulfilled before travel, which includes transit destinations, on the destination country’s government websites. 

Further, our additional COVID-19 safety measures remain in place on all our student programs to safeguard the wellbeing of our participants and teams in the field.

From 1 December 2022, we do not require our participants to be vaccinated against COVID-19, on exclusive World Expeditions Schools departures, however we strongly recommend that you are vaccinated. This will help create the safest possible environment for you, your co-travellers, our teams and those in the communities we interact with. 

Some of our partners may require that you submit a negative test before participating on the tours. Further, some non-exclusive trips, for example on Polar cruises, the requirement for full vaccination remains. 

It is the duty of participants to check any requirements which need to be fulfilled before travel, which includes transit destinations, on the destination country’s government websites.

USEFUL RESOURCES: IATA COVID-19 Travel Regulations Map, COVID Safe Travel in Australia 

Vaccinations which are acceptable are those approved by health authorities in the country you will be travelling in, transiting through, or the vessel operator in the case of a boat-based trip.

USEFUL RESOURCE: To find out which vaccinations are acceptable for your destination country, refer to the relevant government website and the IATA COVID-19 Travel Regulations Map.flexible

We recommend you take out a travel insurance policy that provides a level of coverage for cancellation costs should you contract the coronavirus and a forced isolation period means you are unable to participate on the tour. 

Our reservations team can advise you on our recommended policy.  

We strongly advocate for all our guides and support crew to be fully vaccinated to minimise the risk of severe illness or hospitalisation should they contract COVID19.

Like any other person in the community, there is no longer any obligation for one of our tour guides or crew to undertake a Rapid Antigen Test before your departure unless they have symptoms. A negative test in this case will be required before they may proceed as staff on your tour.

In the vast majority of cases, yes. Though, from 01 December 2022, we are not asking for proof of vaccination, so some may not be.

There is no obligation for participants to have a Rapid Antigen Test on arrival, however it is a personal responsibility of any person joining one of our tours, that if they have symptoms, that a negative test is returned before participating on the tour to ensure others are not infected.

Our protocols have been carefully honed with your wellbeing in mind, using our 45 years of experience and in accordance with the standards set by the WHO (World Health Organization) and WTTC (World Travel and Tourism Council).

Our tailored, nuanced rapid response field management protocol is a required standard throughout our operational bases. Within all the risk mitigation strategies, it remains that COVID is extremely contagious and there is a risk of exposure anywhere where people encounter one another which cannot be removed. 

Acceptance of the inherent risk is voluntarily assumed by you when you when join our trips, though you should rest assured we have elevated our protocols with a heightened awareness of this new paradigm.

For the protection of others on the tour, we will follow the relevant government health requirements for testing positive to COVID which, as soon as detected, will involve being removed from the tour. 

In any cases where a positive case cannot be removed from a tour, strict isolation practices will be implemented for the remainder of the trip to the best of our practical ability while not deterring the tours continuation.

With the tour underway and all services pre-paid, there will be no refund offered in this circumstance. 

The normal procedure would be for you to make a claim on your insurance for unrecoverable costs. 

Your reservations consultant can provide you with a letter outlining those costs in support of your claim

The current recommended health requirement for being a close contact is that you isolate for a period of 7 days. 

If you are in isolation and can complete that with more than 7 days before departure, you may continue with the trip as planned. 

If your isolation period falls within 7 days of departure and this prevents you from participating on the tour, you should make an insurance claim for the tour costs. 

Your reservation consultant can provide you with a letter outlining those costs in support of your claim. 

The isolation period and testing requirements are changing rapidly and may differ. Should a close contact test positive before you take a trip with us, please advise your consultant immediately so we can assist you.

We recommend the use of masks in vehicles during your trip. In some instances, they may be required depending on the government regulations in place. For this reason, please ensure that you bring a mask with you on the tour.