Safety is our first priority. While we believe in the transformative power of travel and stepping outside comfort zones, we remain invested in managing the risks of doing so.

We’ve carefully crafted and continue to enforce our 5-Point Safety System™, a set of rigorous standards that support the safety, health and well-being of students on every travel program.

TTN Home Base: Safe and Secure Accommodations

Utmost care is taken to provide safe and secure accommodations. Accommodations vary based on location, but strive to include exclusive spaces reserved for TTN students and staff. It’s our home away from home, a place to relax, the gathering place for meals and sanctuary for reflection and team building.

Every TTN accommodation is classified in one (or more) of the following categories: an exclusive hotel or youth hostel block, cozy guesthouse, bed and breakfast, or ecolodge. Every student will have an individual bed. See program specific information on our website.

In most cases, students will have access to shared and/or communal bathrooms – gender segregated whenever possible.

Caring Supervision & Expert Local Knowledge

TTN’s supervision policy is that any student should never be by themselves at any point in time outside the established guidelines. Students may be with staff members or small groups.

Our program student to staff ratio is typically 7:1. Our local partners and in-country staff have intimate knowledge of the host community and country, are familiar with the area’s medical facilities and are uniquely equipped to handle itinerary adjustments and emergencies.

This does not mean that the student to staff ratio is met at all times. This means that if there are 24 students on a program, four staff are needed to support that program. We aim for there to be no more than a 10:1 student to staff ratio at any time during the program.

Example: On a program with 24 students, there will be four staff. At any given time, there may be three staff with the bulk of the students, the fourth staff member planning the next set of activities, taking care of a sick student, or taking some down time.

This ratio is designed to give students appropriate support and ensure staff are well rested and taking care of themselves. Happy and healthy staff are a better support to all of our students.

Safe Transportation

From the moment students arrive, they are greeted by TTN staff and transported to Home Base in that location. In the case of a flight delay, staff will wait for their arrival or return to collect the student at the updated arrival time.

Transportation between Home Base(s) and activities is always in TTN-approved vehicles or via the mode of public transportation most appropriate for each specific location. For example, in Europe students will take public transport such as trains in small groups supervised by a staff member; in other countries where public transport is not as reliable, we will use TTN-approved vehicles such as buses or vans. In some cases, a taxi may be used but only with TTN staff in accompaniment.

In some countries, TTN-approved vehicles may be private taxis / Ubers, a bus, a boat, a train or a subway/metro system. Students will be accompanied by staff in all of these situations. [i.e Fiji public boat to outer islands; subway, train or bus in Europe]

In some countries, due to airport regulations, staff are only able to drop students at check in or at the entrance to the airport. TTN Staff will remain nearby and available by phone to help students with any challenges.

On U.S based programs, TTN staff will drive a multi-passenger van and comply with the standards regarding safe driving.

Healthy Meals and Drinking Water

Meals are prepared fresh daily by Home Base staff or vetted restaurants, and include a healthy mix of grains, protein, vegetables and fruits. Students will enjoy local cuisine throughout their travels.

We are happy to provide a list of select programs that can best accommodate a student with particular food allergies or dietary restrictions. Students will always have access to unlimited safe drinking water and will be provided three meals per day.

Vegetarian and vegan options will be present at every meal. Due to cultural influences on food choices and available local ingredients, vegetarian and vegan meals may not vary greatly every day. We strongly recommend vegetarian and vegan students bring extra snack bars / personal snacks to assist with their own variety and needs.

Safe drinking water does not necessarily mean bottled water. In some TTN destinations, tap water is safe to drink or a trusted filter system is used to minimize trash/waste from plastic water bottles.

Snacks may not be provided on all programs or on a daily basis.

24/7 Support & Emergency Response

TTN provides 24/7 support and a helpline while programs are in session.

While incredibly rare in occurrence, TTN has a plan in place for all types of emergencies and situations that could arise. TTN does this through diligent risk management and identifying proper health and support facilities within the vicinity of our programs.

TTN provides medical and evacuation insurance to all student travelers, and professional medical support is also available to our teams 24/7 should specialized guidance be needed.