Back to travel in 2022
Well, it’s the blog that we’ve been waiting for. The last 20 months have been tough for everyone. There is no understatement for the impact COVID-19 has had on individuals, families, countries, and businesses across the world. For us, it halted the delivery of our overseas programs; a huge part of our mission in igniting compassion and supporting students in their development as global citizens and supporting our communities overseas.
Like everyone, we pivoted and adapted and began our Virtual Internship program, which universities, students and our in-country teams overseas embraced. Our Virtual Internships allowed us to continue in staying true to our mission, developing the skills of students across Australia, and helping our in-country teams continue to develop and deliver their programs, while many were severely impact by COVID-19 on a local level.
For many months we’ve wondered when international travel would return, with no announcements or indication provided by the Australian Government up until a couple of months ago. Then, on the 1st of November, Australia saw the first international arrivals coming into the country with no quarantine since March 2020.
While we’re not out of the woods yet and the return to overseas travel isn’t written out in a neat plane in front of us, we are confident that our overseas programs for 2022 ARE BACK!
We know the return back to overseas travel may bring many emotions, excitement and nervousness being two, we are here to support you along each step of the way and get you back to travelling safely.
From January 2022 we have programs available in Cambodia, Thailand in Nepal, and from June 2022 programs are available for you to join in all 6 of our destinations, those mentioned above and Peru, Tanzania and India.
So, what if something changes?
We completely understand that after a long period of time, with ever-changing border restrictions and travel bans, some of you will be unsure as to what would happen if something changes….
This is why we now have a ‘Flexible Booking Guarantee!’ This guarantee means that you are taken care of if something was to change in-between booking and departing on your program. With the Flexible Booking Guarantee, you can:
- Change destinations free of charge
- Change dates free of charge
- Pay for the cost of your program on weekly, fortnightly, monthly, or quarterly installments!
We have also greatly increased our health and safety measures to ensure your safety whilst you’re on your Challenges Abroad program.
Challenges Abroad has always been about much more than travel and volunteering. It's an opportunity for you to become a Global Citizen with a wider world view and an understanding of other cultures and to challenge yourself by stepping out of your comfort zone to help us tackle the challenges currently facing marginalised communities around the world. In saying this, we can’t wait to see our first vollies back on overseas programs and spending time teaching and learning with our in-country teams and the wonderful communities they work to support.
If you’re ready to jump on board for 2022, you can browse and book in your space on one of our programs, or as always submit an enquiry and chat to one of our team members who will help guide you onto the best program for you and answer your questions.
For those who aren’t quite sure yet, our Virtual Program isn’t going anywhere and you can get involved here.
Either way we are so excited to bring back our overseas programs and give you one of your best adventures yet.
If you're ready to jump on board, you can check-out our challenges available for 2022 now! You can also register for our information session next week all about how you can get back to travel next year.