As new travelers or parents, you may be asking yourself a lot of questions: what if my luggage is lost? what if my child gets homesick overseas? what if I get sick during the journey? Because we've successfully traveled more than 500,000 students and adults, you can be sure we have asked—and answered—all the what-ifs. The safety of our travelers is always our first priority. You can count on People to People Ambassador Programs to:
- Choose our destinations carefully and never take delegations into areas that are considered unsafe
- Follow recommendations from organizations like the U.S. State Department and the Federal Aviation Administration
- Call on our network all around the world, including partners in every destination and docleaf®, an international security company
- Perform regular safety inspections at hotels, restaurants, and activity sites all over the world
- Consult the Centers for Disease Control and World Health Organization for travel health and safety precautions
- Provide delegations with up-to-date information on flight protocols and customs procedures
- Review every incident, and use that knowledge to inform and update our staff, leader, and delegate training
- Require leaders accompanying students to complete a background check, safety training, and CPR certification
- Track exact locations of delegations with GPS-enabled cell phones issued to leaders
- Arrange immediate medical care for delegates or leaders in need
- Facilitate communication between delegates and families with trained staff available 24/7
Plan for safety as a family
While we set the stage for a safe trip—through our site inspections, leader training, and more—there are things you can do as an Ambassador parent to keep your child safe and healthy.
- Take an active part in the pre-travel orientation. This is where you and your child will learn the specific standards for Ambassadorial behavior, which are designed to keep students safe.
- Read the materials we provide thoroughly, and review them with your Student Ambassador.
- Talk with your child’s leader one-on-one. Let him or her know what to expect from your child when they’re away from home.
- Stay up to date. Follow the news and Mike Bowers’ blog posts about travel safety, and use them to prompt family discussions on how to make smart and safe choices during travel.
