1. Are the trips safe?
The safety of our travelers, sponsored friends and staff is of utmost importance. Local Unbound staff members are your hosts during the awareness trip and accompany the group at all times. Our local staff is from the destination country and lives there. Our social workers visit the neighborhoods, towns and countryside regularly and need to be well aware of safety concerns.
Because of their unique qualifications and background, our local staff is responsible for putting together the schedule of activities for your trip and choosing the communities you will visit. We avoid taking groups into areas or neighborhoods where there is tension. The members of the communities are excited to welcome sponsors.
Nobody can guarantee safety, and we aren’t naïve to the realities in the countries where we work, but we take every reasonable measure to minimize risks for our travelers. We monitor current events, weather situations, political climates, guidance by the U.S. State Department and more. We take seriously any alerts from the State Department against non-essential travel to a country or to a specific area within a country. We’re in regular communication with our local staff members and stay up to date on security matters. We’ve even cancelled trips when we’ve felt it prudent based on local conditions. Doing what we can to minimize safety concerns is a big responsibility, and we take it very seriously.
We also have expectations for our travelers regarding their behavior during the trip. Everyone is expected to stay with the group, follow instructions by staff, and make sure they are aware of (and adhering to!) the other rules for conduct that are outlined in the Travel Agreement found in the registration materials.
Unbound awareness trips offer the opportunity to see a side of a country travelers wouldn’t normally have access to. Being aware of all these factors allows us to anticipate and reduce risks travelers might otherwise experience in the places we visit.
Check out the rest of the questions!
The first step to exploring the world is obtaining your passport, if you don’t already have one. Be sure to check all of the 
Ever wondered how to get your hands on foreign currency? You have two options — take care of it ahead of time or exchange in-country. If you want to exchange currency with your bank before you leave, be sure to give them several weeks’ notice since most don’t keep all currencies on hand. We think it’s best to exchange currency at the airport upon arrival to your international destination. You can also consider accessing money at an ATM, but be warned — you’ll want to be sure you notify your bank and credit card companies of your travel dates and destination before your trip, or they may turn off your card for suspected fraud. And don’t forget to check out the 
When traveling to another country, the water situation can be a little dicey. In most of the countries where we travel, it’s best to stick to bottled or purified water. Check out the 
Dress in layers, when possible, because activities may vary and temperatures fluctuate. It’s smart to avoid bringing expensive clothing, jewelry, luggage and accessories. Expensive looking items can attract unwanted attention in airports, markets and streets. As a rule of thumb, it’s a good idea to research how locals dress in the country where you’ll be traveling. Clothing that’s appropriate to wear in the U.S. might be inappropriate (or even offensive and disrespectful) elsewhere. Plus, doing your homework on what to wear will help you blend in with the locals.
