Educational World Travel

EWT COVID 19 TRAVEL ADVICE

On behalf of the Educational World Travel family, we would like to thank each and every one of our travellers and their families for your continued support during these unprecedented times. We hope you continue to be safe and well as we navigate these new norms of social distancing and public restrictions.

Ever since the Educational World Travel story began back in 1988, our number one priority has been the safety, security and wellbeing of our travellers. As the current global pandemic and its related government measures and guidelines evolves, so is our company in its approach to the health and safety operations of our tour programs.

While we are all stuck at home and staying put for the time being, the EWT team are busy looking forward and working towards returning to our usual business of travel in a safe and responsible manner. We are monitoring all government and World Health Organisation updates and changes daily, liaising with our partners and suppliers, and evolving our best practices so that we can get you back out there travelling as soon as we can.

We are all in this together!

For now, we would like to share with you some of the new policies we have introduced to better ensure your comfort and wellbeing, for now and for when we can get you back on the road. This is an ongoing process, and we will continue to adapt and innovate our response as the situation evolves.

Increased Flexibility

Travellers currently signed up to travel with EWT have been offered a range of options regarding their existing bookings with us, including the choices to postpone to a later date now or wait and see how the situation plays out in the short to mid-term future. We have suspended mandatory progress payments for all travellers, pushed back our final payment dates, and put a hold on our regular programming to ensure you have the time and space you need to assess your current and future plans. As the situation evolves, we will continue to communicate with you, working together to move ahead with confidence and clarity.

Group Leader Training

Our Group Leaders do a wonderful job of helping organise your travel and keeping you healthy and happy while you’re on the road. We already have a comprehensive training and support program in place for our GL’s, and to complement this we will be offering health, safety and personal hygiene training in response to the specific risks posed by the Coronavirus. Group Leaders will be also offered comprehensive guidance on any variance in hygiene and social distancing rules and regulations between your tour destinations, and support in ensuring these are adhered to. We are committed to ensuring our Group Leaders are as prepared as possible to keep you safe, protected and ready to answer any questions you may have before and during your travel experience.

Ensuring Hygiene and Social Distancing Standards

When we have the all-clear to get you back out travelling, rest assured it will be in a clean and comfortable way. In the 30+ years that we have been in operation, we have established long-term trusted partnerships with our suppliers and have been working closely with them to develop cleaning protocols, hygiene standards and risk assessments to ensure that we are always moving within a clean and sanitized environment.

Coaches will be meticulously sanitized before, after and throughout each touring day.
Hotels are evolving their cleaning practices to best ensure you are coming home to a safe and clean room after each touring day.
EWT will ensure that hand sanitizer is always available for when you are getting on and off buses, at all mealtimes and throughout your daily activities as need be.
We will work to provide as many opportunities for hand washing as possible throughout your itinerary.
If required, we will increase the number of coaches and buses used on your itinerary to ensure adequate social distancing.
We will reduce the number of travellers to each hotel room as and when the need arises.
We will encourage travellers to take personal responsibility for maintaining their own health and wellbeing by providing them with clear and comprehensive personal hygiene guidelines as recommended by the World Health Organisation (WHO).

Seeking Medical Advice

EWT has always had in place comprehensive protocols to follow if/when travellers feel unwell while on tour. We work with local doctors, medical centers, and accident and emergency departments to ensure that each traveller gets exactly the assistance they require as soon as they need it. All Group Leaders and EWT staff on the ground are trained to respond to each situation as fit. This will usually involve calling a doctor in to the hotel or transporting the traveller to a trusted medical center or emergency department. Prior to travel we will ensure that all Group Leaders and ground staff receive specific training with regards to Coronavirus safety to best ensure that any unwell travellers are able to get the care they need as safely and efficiently as possible.

We are not medical experts and can only provide cursory advice or information with regards to your specific health needs and requirements. We recommend monitoring Smarttraveller and WHO for more information or contacting your doctor for more personalised advice.

The Practicalities of Travel

We understand that borders are currently closed to international recreational travel, and that quarantine periods are in place. We have to look forward to, and plan towards, a time when these rules are relaxed and you are free and able to get out to explore the world at large. When that time comes it may be a gradual process: don’t worry – we will ensure that we are all moving within that space in a safe and sensible manner while adhering to any restrictions or guidelines that may be in place at that time.

Thank you all for choosing to travel with EWT. As a family company with over 30 years experience we have certainly witnessed our fair share of upheaval in the travel industry. This current stretch is certainly unprecedented, but it will not last forever, and we will be back out there exploring our big beautiful world with you as soon as it is safe to do so.