Travel to and from the visit location as well as travel throughout the duration of the visit requires careful planning. Section 6 provides generic guidance regarding transport but for Overseas Visits, the following information should also be considered.
Inter-country
Overseas Visits can often include traveling across borders be it by air, train, road, or ferry. Within Europe, this might not be a major concern but in the developing world this can potentially bring about a host of different challenges. The following are examples that may require consideration during the planning stage of any Overseas Visit:
- Health screening when entering other countries
- Visas and passports
- Access to local currency immediately on arrival
- Different baggage allowances
- Different customs allowances and banned items
- Use of cheap local airlines with potentially inflexible tickets
- The security of possessions, especially in terminals and on public transport
In-country transport
All potential modes of transport have benefits and drawbacks depending on the country and the purpose of the visit. In some countries, the safety of participants can be compromised by poor driving standards, badly maintained roads and other road users, and this issue must be outlined to participants and parents to ensure they are able to give informed consent
Hired transport – The Visit Leader must as far as possible be assured that vehicles are well maintained and fit for purpose and that measures will be put in place to address the potential dangers of driver fatigue and overloading.
Public transport – Whilst some countries have high standards of provision others can have unreliable and overcrowded transport. It will be necessary to research the situation thoroughly before committing to using public transport, with particular focus on whether the group can be adequately supervised in a potentially uncontrolled situation. The impact of a large group of young people on other travelers also needs to be considered.
Self-drive hire vehicles – Plan to use reputable hire companies and find out the legal requirements for driving in each country concerned. Previous experience of driving in the country is highly desirable before driving vehicles containing participants.
