Independent Travel

In all our programs, students have some free, unstructured time where they can choose their own activities. These activities can include local activities in their home city, domestic travel in their host country or international travel to other countries.

We are often asked by students and parents if a certain student's travel plans are "safe". We cannot and will not evaluate student travel itineraries for safety.

Furthermore, safety during independent travel depends largely on the student. What might be safe for an experienced and mature traveler, might not be for an inexperienced and immature one. Researching and evaluating the health and safety implications of independent travel and deciding if they are appropriate for them can only be done by a student.

We and our local program directors may share our personal knowledge or understanding of a given situation but this information is not meant to be exhaustive or conclusive and we disclaim any responsibility for a student's independent travel decisions. We communicate this message to students in all orientation sessions.

We will never endorse an activity that is not part of our program itinerary, though we will, on occasion, recommend against activities that we believe are particularly risky. The absence of a recommendation against an activity does not constitute an explicit or implicit endorsement on our part of that activity.