Group Expeditions FAQ

What is an Earthwatch Group Expedition?
Earthwatch's Group volunteers get directly involved in environmental science and sustainability efforts, or in archaeological and cultural studies designed to uncover and preserve the past and promote a sustainable future.

As part of the largest environmental volunteer force in the world, Earthwatch groups work side-by-side with leading scientists and researchers at their field sites. Trained and mentored by these field scientists, volunteers help collect and manage data, learning the skills to perform such tasks as conducting biological transects of an area, or correctly observing and noting animal behavior, or collecting and recording plant, soil, and water samples, or properly excavating a dig site, along with a wide range of other cutting-edge research activities. Volunteers live and work in the field with the scientists, and strive as a team to gain and promote the understanding and action necessary for a sustainable environment.

Why should groups volunteer with Earthwatch?
Earthwatch puts volunteers on the front lines of the battles for environmental and cultural sustainability around the world, letting them travel to, learn about, and—most importantly—help the planet's most threatened natural and cultural resources.

Earthwatch gives people who are passionate about meeting our environmental challenges access to the most pristine and wild places, areas usually off-limits to travelers but not to those conducting scientific research. Earthwatch volunteers develop valuable scientific and field skills, interact with diverse cultures worldwide, and are empowered and inspired to continue their efforts on behalf of a healthier planet once they return to their home communities. Expeditions provide great material for application essays and give real meaning to school vacations and other out-of-classroom time.

Earthwatch groups take more than pictures—they take action.

Are Earthwatch's international Group Expeditions safe?
Yes, and volunteer safety is Earthwatch's first priority.

Earthwatch works with International SOS to closely monitor political, cultural, and environmental conditions in all of the countries where we field volunteers. No expedition is approved for fielding without a thorough risk assessment and emergency action and extraction plan being put in place; these reviews are conducted regularly for both ongoing and new projects.

In the rare event that conditions change to create unacceptable risks for volunteers, Earthwatch (which has field management response teams staffed 24/7) will consult with International SOS, its partner scientists at the field sites, and its experienced international field management staff to enact its emergency response plans.

Earthwatch's policies and procedures in risk management are superior to the industry standards, and have earned us a lower than normal insurance rate due to their thoroughness and efficacy.

What if an emergency happens while a volunteer is in the field?
Earthwatch contracts with On Call International as its emergency medical and evacuation assistance provider.

On Call International is a 24/7 agency, which also provides a 24 hour nurse help line and travel assistance services such as lost baggage and lost document assistance. As part of the planning mentioned above, all Earthwatch Expeditions require medical emergency response plans; this information is provided to Group Expedition volunteers and their families in advance of their fielding date. Earthwatch and its research partners in the field are able to be in constant contact with each other; should a volunteer experience a serious medical emergency while in the field, Earthwatch staff will be notified and will contact his or her family as soon as possible.

How can volunteers be contacted while they're on an Expedition?
Earthwatch has staff on call 24/7 should an emergency at home require families to contact volunteers on an expedition. All expeditions have emergency contact protocols and capabilities keeping them in contact with Earthwatch; many feature ways for families to be in non-emergency contact with volunteers via email or various phone systems (mobile, satellite, land line). However, most expeditions strongly encourage volunteers to fully immerse themselves in the experience by keeping casual communications home as limited as possible.

How many people are in a Group Expedition?
Earthwatch's direct, hands-on expedition experiences require relatively small groups. Groups can hold as few as six and as many as twenty volunteers, depending on the nature of the project. All of these groups therefore feature excellent scientist-to-volunteer ratios, providing great opportunities for mentoring.

Where do volunteers live while on an expedition?
Accommodations for Group Expeditions range from hammocks to hotels, and from dormitory rooms to wildlife lodges. Some field stations are on a mountain top or in a rainforest; others are in country inns or residential homes. Bathroom facilities range from hot and cold plumbing to bucket showers, from private bathrooms to pit toilets. In all cases, Earthwatch strives to provide the most comfortable—and locally sustainable—facilities available; please see the project descriptions for more information.

What will volunteers eat?
As is the case with accommodations, the food available on any given expedition varies with the location and conditions of that particular project. Meals may be prepared by local staff cooks or volunteers and scientists may work together to prepare them; volunteers are almost always expected to help in some aspects of meal preparation and clean-up. Vegetarian diets can usually be accommodated; strict vegan diets or other severe dietary restrictions might not. Available foods vary widely from site to site and from season to season, but volunteers are very well fed, and consistently rate meals and mealtimes among the best non-research aspects of their experience.

What's included in the cost contribution?
Volunteers' cost contributions cover the full expenses of their food, their accommodations, their on-site travel (e.g. from lodgings to the field site), the emergency medical and medical evacuation insurance, full carbon offsetting of their travel to and from the rendezvous point and while on the expedition, and any permitting or equipment costs associated with their particular expedition.

The cost of airfare to/from the rendezvous/departure point is NOT included in the cost contribution and is the volunteers' own responsibility to arrange and pay for.

Is the cost contribution tax-deductible?
Earthwatch is a registered 501(c) 3 non-profit, charitable organization in the United States. Accordingly, the entire cost contribution can qualify as tax deductible for US taxpayers.

Volunteers and/their families should consult a licensed tax advisor for official tax information; this advice applies in general terms only and may not apply to all US taxpayers.

How much spending money should a volunteer bring?
Volunteers may want some spending money for souvenirs and incidental expenses. Most volunteers should plan on having $100-$300 available to them for spending money.

Other possible costs NOT covered by the cost contribution include passport and visa processing fees, airport taxes, and costs associated with whatever activities are planned for the organized recreational day. If specific costs in any of these areas are known before fielding dates, they will be included in the project briefings sent to volunteers. Volunteers and their families will want to consult the project briefing to see the general availability of ATMs during the trip, to learn about exchange rates and local currency, and to learn about the best ways to carry money (e.g. cash, credit or debit cards, traveler's checks).

What else should volunteers bring with them on the expedition?
All volunteers will receive an official expedition briefing prior to the fielding dates, which will contain a complete checklist of everything they need to bring.

Some projects will require camping equipment, others will require particular types of clothing for certain weather conditions, others will require hiking gear, etc. Many expeditions, however, will require little more than a good pair of durable (and quick drying) pants and some work-shirts or tee-shirts. If any volunteers feel that the cost of procuring necessary items will keep them from joining a project they would otherwise join, they should contact Earthwatch.

What's the cancellation and refund policy?
At Sign Up:

All volunteers required to make a $300 non-refundable deposit.

Up to 120 Days Before Expedition:

$300 non-refundable deposit can be transferred to another volunteer going on the same group expedition with no additional fee; the rest of any contribution paid to date is refunded to the cancelling volunteer.

Up to 60 Days Before Expedition:
Cost contribution paid to date can be credited to another volunteer going on the same expedition, who must also pay a $300 fee; 

OR

65% of the cost contribution paid (includes $300 deposit) will be kept by Earthwatch;
35% of the cost contribution paid will be refunded to the cancelling volunteer.

59 or Fewer Days Before Expedition:
No refunds or transfers are possible; the full cost contribution will be kept by Earthwatch.

Who are the scientists leading the Group Expeditions?
Earthwatch works with leading scientists from the world's best research universities and research agencies, include Drexel University, Duke University, Indiana-Purdue University, the University of Georgia, the University of Miami, Oxford University (UK), the State University of New York, Tulane University, and the United States Fish and Wildlife Service, to name just a few.

Earthwatch is also privileged to have ongoing partnerships with leading scientists and researchers affiliated with national and international wildlife, historical, and ecosystem conservation centers worldwide, including in Belize, Kenya, Madagascar, the United States, and elsewhere, and with leading zoos such as the Denver Zoo.

Earthwatch's Group Expeditions are lead by these esteemed "Principal Investigators" with assistance from graduate students and conservation agency staff, all of whom share a passion for experiential learning and teaching, as well as for finding the answers that can lead to a sustainable future.

What are the Earthwatch policies governing student volunteers?
All volunteers will receive copies of Earthwatch's Rules, Regulations, Rights, and Responsibilities prior to their departure, and must read, sign, and return a liability form (along with any other required volunteer forms, including a health form to be signed by a physician or other licensed health care provider) prior to being allowed to field with a group.

These documents govern volunteer behavior and serve as the contract between volunteers and Earthwatch; any violation of Earthwatch policies can be grounds for removal from the field and the group at the volunteer's own additional expense.

Volunteers can ask their group leaders for advance copies of these documents. In general terms, student volunteers are required to obey all applicable local, national, and international legislation while on the expedition. Underage students (which may mean younger than 18 or 21 depending on site location) are particularly reminded that any possession or use of alcohol, tobacco, marijuana, or other drugs forbidden to them by law will result in their removal from the expedition at their expense.