Experience Quest - Gap Year Travel

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What is Experience Quest?
A very good place to start! Experience Quest offers the opportunity for people of all ages to become involved in our extremely worthwhile projects and to visit some very special places with experts in their field. Our extraordinary holidays are a combination of luxury travel and a chance to be part of some award winning development projects, while our tailor made adventures allow groups to make use of our specialist knowledge and experience in the specific areas in which we work within South America and Africa, to develop an adventure which is right for them.

Who can join a Quest adventure?
Anyone with a desire to do something different, and get stuck in with some extremely worthwhile work overseas.

What skills/experience do I need?
In most cases, it is just energy and enthusiasm which our projects need, the expertise is provided by our long term staff there. If there are any particular skills or experience that you or your group can contribute to a project however, we will be able to develop a programme which makes best use of your skills.

How can I take part?
Just complete the relevant booking form and we'll take things from there.

How many people will be in group?
Our Extraordinary Adventures are maximum 12 people. Our tailor made expeditions will be put together for the group size you have, you will not be travelling with other people. 

Where will we be staying?
Our extensive years of experience has allowed us to discover some real gems in the way of hotels, lodges and camps, you will not be disappointed! While at our projects, accommodation will be more basic but you will always have the basic essentials of toilets, showers etc.

What do I need to bring?
Depends on where you are going. We will provide a full recommended kit list for the places you will be visiting shortly after your booking is confirmed.

Will I need a visa?
In South America, as long as you have a British passport (or almost any EU passport) then there are no Visa requirements for any of the countries into which you go with Quest . When you enter a country, the stamp you receive from immigration allows you to stay in that country for up to 90 days. There are some countries in Africa where visas will be needed for your visit and we will help organise these for you.

Do I need any injections?
Afraid so! Quest keeps up to date with the latest recommendations on all medical considerations relating to your time with us, which we pass on to you in good time before your departure overseas.

Do you arrange flights?
We are not flight agents. We do however work closely with flight specialists in the areas of the world you will be going to, so that together we can work out the best options available to you. This also means you have the flexibility to arrange a flight which suits any other plans you may have.

Are we ATOL Bonded?
Absolutely, positively not. Why not? In short, because we are not a ‘travel agent’ and so don’t have to be ATOL bonded. By law, travel agents and such like must hold an ATOL license if they organise and are responsible for every aspect of a client’s travel arrangements, including international flights, internal transport and accommodation. Quest does not get involved in the business of international flights - we leave that to international flight agent specialists, allowing us more time to get on and do what we do best, notably organising our operations in South America and Africa.

Other reasons why we are not ATOL bonded:
1. It is an administrative nightmare and thus time consuming and costly.
2. It only secures you for your international flight costs, something we do not actually get involved in!
3. To be granted an ATOL Bond means an organisation has to deposit a financial bond with the ATOL authorities. This would increase our costs and thus those of our participants - for something which is not needed and is unnecessary.

Our flight agents are ATOL bonded of course, meanwhile Quest does adhere to British Tour Operator regulations, which requires clients funds are kept in reserve until their trip actually takes place.

Where does the donation go to?
Quest leads the market in providing more financial support for our overseas projects than any other company. It is our core belief that financial support, side by side with practical volunteering, is the critical factor in making a significant, true and long lasting impact on people and places. 

All the money for your project work is paid separately either to the Quest Charity, Quest4Change or to our project partner’s charity so you know exactly how much you have given to help your project.

So far over the past 14 years Quest participants have raised over £1.4 million in direct donations for our partners which has, amongst others, funded the purchase over 4,000acres of rainforest, built 11 classrooms in Africa, sponsored over 60 children through secondary school in Malawi, saved thousands of animals from being imprisoned or sold as pets in Bolivia, built an education centre in Swaziland, a health clinic in Malawi, a medical dispensary, library and three-floor accommodation block for poor students in Tanzania and so much more.  

Will my project work actually help?
100% yes. Quest pride ourselves in working with long-term project partners – whether they are charities, NGO’s or just small community groups that we have built up relationships with. All of our project sites are well-run, year-round projects.

Your energy and enthusiasm – whether it be building a classroom, entertaining a room full of Peruvian kids from a shanty town or constructing a dam to provide clean water for a village in Kenya. You will work alongside our local project partners to achieve your project goal together. All project aims are set out well in advance, so we (and you) know exactly what you will be doing. The project work is requested by our partners – we do not tell them what you will be doing, they ask us.

Won’t I be taking work away from local people?
No. We always employ local staff – in fact we fund several full-time year round staff on our project sites. On your project you will also work alongside skilled builders, ecologists or social workers, experts in the work you are helping with. They get paid a full salary for their work and having a team there just helps get the work done faster with a lot more fun involved! All our partners love having Quest teams arrive – which you’ll see from the welcome you get when you arrive!

Remember along with your donation you are simply providing added man-power to get the jobs done!

Is it safe to travel to these places?
We are not in the habit of visiting war zones, but when visiting developing countries it is important to keep up to date with local events. This is exactly why we are specialists just in certain parts of the world, so we can really keep on top of safety and security in the places you will be visiting. Foreign Office advice, crisis management plans and risk assesments are important aspects of any planning which takes place for projects and expeditions, but are far from the full story. Having the right staff, both in the UK and leading the expeditions, is absolutely crucial. Also, having strong personal relationships with key people on the ground cannot be underestimated. These “key” people aren’t necessarily just the embassador and chief of police (!); the local restaurant owner, the farmer with the only spare truck in the valley, the only doctor who speaks English in the whole of Bolivia, and dozens more help to make our trips as safe and supported as is realistically possible. We will not be working in an area which is unsafe or irresponsible, but at the same time we have the support network to be able to learn if things change, and can change our trips at a moment’s notice.