Parents are always concerned about their kids and if the matter is related to traveling to a country abroad, then the botheration escalates to a different level altogether.
Every year, the number of volunteers getting associated with us keeps increasing, and if you read our Global Volunteer Abroad Report, the demographics clearly suggest that 18-25 is the age when most of the people decide to volunteer abroad. About 18% (approx) of our volunteers are in the age group of 17 - 18 years, and it is quite obvious on the part of the parents to get anxious when their children decide to travel alone.
Volunteering Solutions understands the concern of the parents and acts in a way to ensure that every volunteer returns home safely after completion of their journey.
Safety Concerns Keeping in mind the safety of our volunteers, all our projects at each location are carefully picked. Our staff visits the new site and approves it before we include it in our program list. We choose the host families very carefully, and make sure that they are warm and considerate while hosting travellers from a different country. At some of the locations where we have volunteer’s house, security arrangements are in place. Our local country coordinators constantly monitor the host families, volunteer’s house and the volunteers working at the placement locations.
Accommodation, meals and transport The fees paid by the volunteers include their accommodation and meals (as mentioned in the program schedule). We make sure to provide comfortable housing facilities for our volunteers, and serve them with hot and healthy meals. Volunteers who are vegetarians or have any special dietary requirements can inform us while applying and we shall separately take care of their meals.
During the orientation, volunteers would be given a brief about the location, the native people and their customs, and also the mode of transportation to the placement location. The in-country coordinator would also guide the volunteers to the placement location on the first day of work.
24*7 Emergency Support We have a dedicated team of in-country coordinators, who whole-heartedly work for the well-being of the volunteers. In case of any emergency, volunteers can get in touch with them, and seek assistance. Volunteers are provided with all necessary contact numbers once they arrive at their destination.
We also provide the phone numbers for all host families to the volunteers before departure so that parents can have those details if they require.
Insurance Facilities (Added Cost) It is essential for every volunteer to have a Medical and Travel Insurance. VolSol provides the insurance facilities for an added cost which is much less compared to others. Our insurance covers the following:
Travel health insurance
Medical evacuation
Travel accident insurance
Travel assistance
Loss of luggage
Check the pre-departure booklet Once a volunteer completes the application procedure, we provide them with a pre-departure booklet which consists of all necessary informations related to the destination, project and other FAQs. We request the concerned parents to take a look at the pre-departure booklet thoroughly, as that would answer a lot of questions which might be bothersome.
Check the travel details in ‘My Account’ section If you want to keep a track of all the travel details of your child, then just take the User ID and password from him/her and access the ‘My Account’ section in our website. From flight ticket details, pre-departure booklet, project details and emergency contacts - the parents can get access to all the required information.
Arrange for a Skype meeting with the VolSol Team If you are still worried about your kid’s travel plans, we can arrange for a Skype meeting with our efficient team members. You can shoot any question that is bothering you, and we shall try our best to comfort you.
For any further assistance, or queries related to your kid’s safety - you can always get in touch with us. Please write to us at [email protected]
