QUEST has always taken safety as its paramount concern. Expeditions by definition contain risk and as such we focus on prevention, meaning that by joining us you will always be in safe hands. Based on a decade of expeditions, QUEST has developed its own stringent operating procedures which are continually updated through evaluation and communication with the FCO Know Before You Go Campaign and the Year Out Group of which Quest Overseas was a Founding Member.
This checklist ensures that you will be travelling safely and responsibly. QUEST operates strictly to the guidelines below.
Risk Assessment: Our leaders ensure regular (daily as a minimum) monitoring of all activities undertaken to maintain that we can ensure the safety of all participants. Risk Assessments are available on request for all of our activities and expeditions. All team members also are encouraged to carry out their own Risk Assessments whilst on an expedition.
24 hour UK Support: We maintain an emergency 24 hr phone line for family and friends in the UK and for all overseas leaders.
Crisis Management: All our staff are conversant with the comprehensive and robust company crisis management plan. Training for office staff occurs a minimum of twice a year and the policy is updated quarterly. A copy can be made available on request.
In-Country Support: All leaders have up-to-date contact lists of all medical and logistical support built up over several years of working in-country.
Paid Staff: We recruit only suitably experienced and qualified staff that are appropriate for the situations that they could face. All staff will be paid good wages for their work to ensure the highest possible level of professionalism. These staff all have experience in the areas they work in, appropriate language skills, are qualified in wilderness first aid, mountain leading (where required) and are checked by the Criminal Records Bureau (CRB). We do not hire volunteer staff to lead our teams.
Staff training: We ensure all staff, regardless of experience and qualification, receive additional QUEST training (including medical) and orientation before departure. We ensure that all new staff shadow an existing staff member for an expedition or project before taking their own post in charge.
Volunteer Preparation: We provide a comprehensive pre-departure (as well as in-country orientation) training for all participants. For 3 month combined expeditions this is a specially designed 2 day course that provide in-depth details of all aspects of the expedition.
Medical Advisor: QUEST’s Medical Advisor Dr Jon Dallimore is one of the UK's most experienced expedition medical professionals. On 24 hour call, he also trains all QUEST staff and constantly reviews our medical guidelines and equipment.
Equipment: We ensure the highest standards of expedition equipment are being used to guarantee the highest levels of safety, comfort and ease of use. Comprehensive First Aid kits are carried by all expedition leaders. All safety equipment is provided as standard. All equipment is regularly reviewed and replaced.
Transport: All transport will be assessed by our leaders as far in advance as possible and will include public and private buses as the majority of transportation. No road transport is taken at night.
Comprehensive insurance: We have a comprehensive company insurance policy with specialist provider Campbell Irvine.
Concerns: If you have any safety concerns at all then please call the office on 01444 474744 and speak to Beth (Africa Manager) or Helen (Latin America Manager).
Peace of Mind.
As well as ensuring all team members are safe we always endeavour to ensure that all team members are completely satisfied with their trip. As such we try our best to manage the expectations of each and every participant.
Interview: All participants are interviewed. This ensures expectations are met and team members can prepare adequately.
Project Management: We believe that project partners and local consultation is intrinsic to project planning, project implementation and project conclusion.
Responsibility: We ensure rigid monitoring of our impacts on the ground in-country and ensure any long-term impacts of our presence are minimised where negative and maximised where positive. We ensure long-term commitment to our projects.
Financial Integrity: We guarantee to give participants a true and representative breakdown of the costs of their experience. We guarantee that each volunteer’s project contribution is spent directly on the project and nowhere else in the company.
Feedback: We collect, assess and respond to all feedback given by participants and staff when they return from an experience to make certain that lessons are learnt where necessary.
Ethics/Sustainability: Responsible Travel is central to all of our projects, as is cultural sensitivity. Click here for more on our commitment to Responsible Travel.