Ready, Steady, Go MAD

Before you leave

Pre-departure Advice and Support

We will help prepare you for your trip every step along the way. We keep our overheads down to a minimum by only having support bases in the countries that we operate Projects. We will help you with any pre-trip advice and support, as well as more info on flight deals to connect with our Projects, Travel Insurance and a world full of follow-on Adventures should you wish to stay in-country and explore.

All Madventurers have access to a range of pre-departure information packs to help with their preparation. These contains information on how to prepare for your trip, health advice, kit lists, fundraising advice, travelling tips, and letter of supports to help with Travel Visas (where applicable).

Travel Insurance

It is a prerequisite that all Madventurers take out comprehensive travel insurance that covers them for all eventualities. Please also remember to take out your personal travel insurance as soon as you book any flights incase you need to delay your departure for personal reasons. Make sure every activity you are going to be taking part in is covered on the policy.

Pre-Project Accommodation ... if you want to arrive early

If you wish to arrive in-country before your Project start date then there are a wide range of hostels, guest houses, hotels, apartments and overland campsites that you can book via the link below:

Find me a somewhere awesome to stay place please

Check your Passport

Before you set sail for blue skies you must be in possession of a full passport (not temporary), valid for at least six months after the project or adventure. If this is not the case, or if there is too much of a difference between your appearance now and your appearance on your passport photo, then you should apply for a new passport and allow plenty of time for the processing of your application.

If you are sending us your passport information please make sure its the passport that you will travel on. If you are renewing your passport then we will need the updated information to make a booking. If you complete an online application for our projects then we will need your name as it appears on your passport.

Visa Information

We advise travellers to plan ahead in order to ensure intended travel dates are met. Please make sure you give yourself enough time to get visas sorted before you travel, if you can't get them in country.

With the exception of travel to Ghana, most nationalities can get their travel visa when they arrive at the airport overseas. However, Visa information will be slightly different for every traveller. This will depend on your nationality and whether you are travelling before or after your trip with us. Its very important that you give yourself enough time to get visa's sorted before you leave. It up to the individual traveller to check out their own visa requirements and make sure their passport is up to date.

You can use a Visa support company to help with your visa application although there will be an added cost, but this can be worth it as it will take away the hassle and time taken in visiting embassies and sorting things out in person. In all cases, visiting the following website is a great source of information. Just enter your nationality, the destination and the visa type - this should bring up more details of requirements:

CIBT - www.uk.cibt.com/madventurer

Please be aware that visa requirements can change throughout the year so make sure you check out the latest visa information.

Ghana Travel Visas

When you secure a place onto one of the Ghana projects we will send you a Support Letter from Madventure to accompany your application. Please note the Ghana High Commission in London is now only accepting online applications. Check out their website directly for more details.

Here's a few helpful links below to help with your applications;

Ghana High Commission UK - www.ghanahighcommissionuk.com

Ghana High Commission USA - www.ghanaembassy.org

Ghana High Commission Australia - www.ghanahighcom.org.au  

Health Advice

It is essential that all our Madventurer are fit and healthy for their MAD challenge. You must let Madventure know on your online application of any medical conditions, allergies or dietary requirements you may have, however small. If you develop any conditions or allergies between application and departing for your project you must let us know as soon as possible.

It is very important to us that you get the right health advice so for individual advice you will need to visit your own doctor or travel nurse. They will have your medical history and details of any allergies etc. Please give yourself enough time to check out your health requirements before you travel.

Please be aware that as our Project Leaders are not medical professionals and do not know your medical history they cannot answer health questions for you so please contact your doctor. It is up to the individual traveller to ensure they have all the necessary inoculations needed for their chosen destination.

Once you have your inoculations sorted remember to take the original copies of your vaccination certificates as the immigration officials may ask for these when you arrive. For some destinations a copy will not be accepted so its important that you travel with the original document.

Travel Gear

Nomad Travel Stores and Clinics have been kitting out travellers with clothing, equipment, books and maps, medical supplies and vaccinations for more than 20 years. Nomad will provide a 10% discount to all our Madventurers. We will provide you with a unique discount code when you sign up to any madventure which you must quote when ordering any equipment.

Click here to check out Nomads Travel online equipment

Community Project Donations

You are not expected to bring any donations for your project. However if you have received donations to take with you or your supporters are enquiring what would be best to donate then school and sports supplies are always welcome. Sports kit, footballs with pumps, stationery, story books, wall charts and educational games are all greatly appreciated by the local schools in the communities where we work. You can also bring cash and buy some supplies during your project which may be cheaper and you will be helping to boost local businesses as well.

Remember to check your luggage allowance with your airline before you set off. If you are unsure or would more specific details on what the community needs most then check out the Project Overview for each country.

Whilst Overseas

Exploring out of your comfort zone does carry a number of inherent risks that we help to manage.

Madventure uses its experience, knowledge, and training to minimise all potential eventualities. Several measures are taken to prevent problems arising overseas:

Crisis Management Response

Madventurer has a full crisis management response strategy to a whole host of potential scenarios which our Overseas crew and UK staff are trained to manage.

Emergency Contact

Our Full contact details are passed on to each participant's emergency contact as well as the participant themselves. Our Project Leaders are trained in First Aid and Crisis Management to deal with all scenarios that may arise.

Overseas Crew

Madventurer employs full-time and seasonal crew to lead our projects. The crew meet the team off the plane and will remain with them for the entire project. The crew are trained and are all recently certified in first-aid.

Risk Assessment

All projects and adventures are risk assessed by crew on a daily basis. This means that any new potential dangers can be avoided.

Orientation

Once you arrive overseas a full orientation meeting will be given by our Project Leaders who have a good knowledge of the country and the communities which each group will spend their time in. The meeting will give the group a chance to learn about and discuss the cultural differences they will encounter, as well as the potential risks.

What If You Get Ill?

Health facilities are available locally in all our destinations. Your crew are on hand to get you to hospital if needed. We also have contacts with private Doctors in all destinations should you need a consultation.

Foreign & Commonwealth Office

For all the latest Travel News on health and safety abroad. If you are a UK resident you can click the link HERE to go to the Foreign and Commonwealth Home Page.