It's perfectly natural to worry about our loved ones when they travel overseas, especially when their trip involves taking on a high altitude trekking challenge. You may take comfort in knowing that Choose a Challenge is the industry leader in student adventure travel, and we've been bringing young people to these amazing destinations for over a decade.
We do, however, understand your concerns, and can reassure you that your loved ones are in the hands of expert guides and support staff, who take personal responsibility for ensuring their safety throughout the expedition. In addition to this, for the entire duration of each trip we operate a 24/7 emergency telephone line. This ensures our operations team is aware of any situation that takes place on one of our trips, and can proceed to oversee the matter through to resolution.
The 24/7 emergency number is +44 (0) 203 951 8849. Please be aware this is strictly for emergencies only!
As you would expect, Wi-Fi and phone signal will be absent for a significant portion of the trek, as we operate in geographically-remote areas. However, participants do encounter intermittent reception at certain points during our trekking routes, so they may be able to maintain limited communication. Please do bear in mind, though, that many participants opt to put their devices away, and focus on the challenge at hand, particularly on summit days, so try not to be overly worried if you don't hear back from your loved one for a day or two. Chances are - They're having the time of their life!
Choose a Challenge HQ receives daily updates from the guides and support staff while our participants are in-country, so we do keep a close eye on everyone. Any photos shared by the groups are typically posted at the end of each day. Occasionally we may not receive photos from a particular group for a day or two, however this is no cause for concern. Often, it is simply the time difference between the UK and their destination; other times it could be due to a lack of signal at that particular camp. More often than not, it will simply be because the itinerary is going as planned, conditions are good, everyone is happy, and there is just nothing to report. For this reason, we adopt the general mantra of: No news is good news!
This page is dedicated to alleviating your worries, so if you click the link to your loved one's challenge (listed below within 10 weeks of the trip’s departure), you will be able to view their day-by-day trekking itinerary, together with a route map, as well as links to social media, where you can view the photos we receive back from each group. We have also included pictures of our in-country support staff, so you know who we've got looking after this years' participants.
If you do have any urgent questions for us while your loved one is on their trip, please contact us by email rather than comment on social media. This way, we can get back to you quicker! Our email address is: team@chooseachallenge.com.
