Who can take part?

• What is the age range of volunteers?
• What are the selection criteria and procedures?
• Do I have a choice of programme?
• How many participants will there be on my programme?

Although volunteers do not need to be resident in the UK, they must ideally be prepared to attend a two-day briefing event in the UK, 2-3 months prior to departure on a gap year expedition; 1 month beforehand for a shorter expedition. This event covers important information on health and hygiene issues, kit and inoculations.

It is also a great chance to meet your fellow trekkers and the leaders and medics for your expedition. If you cannot attend it you must make sure you read all the information Trekforce gives you thoroughly and make sure you understand exactly how to prepare for your chosen expedition - call us if you have any questions! 0845 241 3085 info@trekforceworldwide.com.

We provide detailed Joining Instructions that will help you prepare (physically and mentally) for your expedition. It is vital you read these thoroughly – especially if you are not going to attend a briefing event in the UK.

What is the age range of the volunteers?

The minimum age is 18 but we do not have an upper limit.  A large number of our volunteers are aged between 18-25, on a gap year, although increasingly our programmes are becoming more popular with those who are slightly older and have a bit more life experience and are now interested in taking a career break.

What are the selection criteria and procedures?

As long as you are medically and physically fit then joining an expedition is by self-selection.   Anybody who can fundraise the amount needed to partake in an expedition shows they have the determination, motivation and discipline required to partake in an expedition. 

As part of the joining process you will be ideally required to attend a briefing event held about 2-3 months before you depart for your expedition; 1 month beforehand for a shorter expedition. It is not only a great occasion to meet the other volunteers who will be joining you but is also a good opportunity to find out in more detail how our programmes operate, talk to others about how they fundraised and also it enables you to get a good feel about what Trekforce Worldwide is all about.

We recommend that you sign up as far in advance as you can to guarantee your chosen programme and to allow maximum time to fundraise.  When you sign up, you will be asked to complete a short, confidential medical questionnaire for our records and for our medical consultant’s approval that you are suitable to take part on the expedition / programme.  Once we receive this approval you will have a confirmed place on your chosen expedition / programme.

Do I have a choice of programme?

Yes, you can choose to join whichever programme or expedition most appeals to you, so long as there are places left on that programme or expedition.  We have

• 2-5 month gap pear expeditions
• 4-6 week short career break expeditions
• 2-3 week extreme expeditions

Remember you can combine your project-based expedition with a language course and teaching placement which will turn your time with us into a 5 month Gap Year.

Some expeditions do fill up quite quickly, so it is advisable to sign up in good time, preferably at least 6 months in advance.  Currently we are running project based expeditions to Belize & Guatemala (Central America), Guyana (Amazon), Sarawak-Borneo (South East Asia) and Papua New Guinea (South Pacific).

How many participants will there be on my programme?

Every Gap Year or shorter expedition, project teams are usually about 15-20 people, but this can vary depending on the needs of the project.  We normally have 10 – 12 people on a 2 week extreme expedition. Generally each project team is staffed by two expedition leaders and two expedition medics, however this can vary depending on the size of the group. 

If you choose to take part in a programme which involves a Spanish phase, there could be between 4 - 70 people on this phase, split between villages.  During the teaching placements, you will be living with one other volunteer in your village, but there may be up to 40 other pairs of volunteers at schools across the country. 

Return to FAQ list...