Managing safety on overseas trips

The following information is a brief introduction to managing health and safety on overseas trips. View the health and safety section and read our concise guides for further advice on the outdoor learning issues explored below.

Overseas visits are a wonderful developmental experience but need the most careful preparation because, if things go wrong, distance, unfamiliar languages and different cultures can all exacerbate difficulties.

Remember that the 'overseas' aspects of a visit are only part of the picture when it comes to safety management. It is also necessary to consider what types of experience are being planned and the learners who will be taking part.

Examples

For a visit by S5 history students to a historical site in Normandy the safety management priorities for the leader are likely to include: 

• group supervision
• dealing with remote supervision of independent learning
• pastoral care, particularly overnight
• briefing participants on unsupervised periods and subsequent rendezvous.

For a party of S3 learners travelling by coach to a small hotel in Austria for a ski trip, safety priorities might include:

• assembling a staff team with relevant skills and experience
• choosing a reputable ski tour operator
• briefing and supervision during the coach journey, including stops
• planning how to deal with injuries.

An ambitious interschool expedition to survey a glacier in Greenland offers its own safety leadership challenges, so safety priorities might include:

• developing learner skills and fitness before departure
• selecting an appropriately skilled and experienced staff team
• ensuring that there is no ambiguity of overall leadership
• a strategy for dealing with the hazards of crevasses, glacial rivers and polar bears
• clothing and equipment to deal with harsh conditions
• emergency communications.

A primary school plans to visit a large residential centre in Belgium. Leaders' safety priorities might include:

• selecting a provider with independent safety accreditation
• ensuring that parents provide full information on learners’ medical and other requirements
• high levels of supervision and support for learners throughout the journey and the residential experience.

Getting approval

Most overseas visits need approval from both the head of establishment and the responsible local authority. Seek advice locally.