Month: March 2022

When the coronavirus pandemic hit Australia, Edventure Travel director Billy Penfold seized the chance to work for a non-profit COVID-19 screening clinic in Melbourne. Now, after more than a year in the role, he’s educating others. 

“I took the role for an explicit purpose – to better understand the virus, so I could share the knowledge with my team. Together, we’ve built best practice prevention and infection control measures into every tour we run,” Billy says. 

As a company director, Billy takes the responsibility of managing COVID-19 seriously. His experience on the public health frontline has shaped Edventure Travel’s new COVID-safe travel protocols, and will ensure every traveller feels protected and arrives in-country prepared. 

Throughout all of 2021 and into Australia’s Omicron wave of 2022, Billy worked as a COVID-19 Support Worker for a screening clinic run by Eastern Access Community Health (EACH). Stationed in a swabbing room alongside nurses, doctors and COVID-19 educators, he developed professional skills in public health and patient-centred care.  

The COVID-19 Support Worker role, he says, was all-encompassing. 

“I screened patients and escorted them through the clinic, explaining preventative measures, what to do after their test, and how they should isolate. I handled COVID-19 testing materials, like swabs, vials and pathology forms.” 

Billy also learnt to apply environmental cleaning and disinfecting principles. He became skilled at managing transmission risks in small spaces, like included apartments, food preparation areas and poorly ventilated rooms. And, as you’ve probably guessed, he became an expert in handling and wearing Personal Protective Equipment (PPE), too. 

Edventure Travel director Billy Penfold wearing PPE. Billy worked as a COVID-19 Clinic Support Worker to build his public health expertise and keep travellers safe. 

Juggling an iPad and rapidly evolving public health advice, Billy made sure every patient received the most up-to-date directives and heath protocols – all while maintaining first-class infection control procedures. 

“I discovered early on that clear communication with patients helps alleviate their anxiety. It’s inspiring to see the resilience of young patients as they exit the clinic, or when they return for another test,” he says. 

For younger patients, a little humour helped keep things light. 

“I’d often tell the young children after sanitising, ‘The hand sanitiser is magic. Now you’ve rubbed it into your hands, it’ll make you want to go home and clean your room, pick up the clothes off the floor and read a book.’ The mums and dads always replied, ‘Can I take the hand sanitiser with me?!’” 

Billy awaiting his next patient at the Eastern Access Community Health (EACH) COVID-19 screening clinic. 

Part of Billy’s COVID-19 Support Worker role involved outreach work with the Rapid Response Testing Team. On those days, he’d travel to mobile and pop-up clinics at different locations around Victoria.  

The sites he worked in were diverse. They ranged from Melbourne Airport’s busy arrival and departure halls, to train station car parks, local government community buildings, apartment buildings, and in-home testing for young, elderly and disabled people. 

“Working in the airport arrival halls, travellers coming in for tests were very appreciative to be dealt with quickly and conveniently,” Billy says. 

The work taught him to recognise and help reduce travellers’ anxiety from the moment they entered the arrival hall. 

“It became second nature. From a distance, I could spot anyone showing signs of anxiety or apprehension. I learnt that a smile and a friendly manner go a long way – even when you’re wearing PPE!” 

Billy awaiting his next patient at the Eastern Access Community Health (EACH) COVID-19 screening clinic. 

To fulfil his role as a COVID-19 Concierge, Billy completed a suite of accredited training. He holds certificates in infectious control, child safety and respiratory clinic training. 

Complementing his formal training are skills he’s honed through decades of delivering educational travel programs overseas. Being able to understand and respond to patients’ varied needs and behaviours, for example. And, key to working in Melbourne’s most diverse communities: cultural awareness. 

“Cultural aspects, like being from a non-English speaking background, as well as social-economic factors, influenced how different local communities reacted to and dealt with COVID-19. But irrespective of these differences, I’ve experienced a deep respect and appreciation for healthcare workers from patients,” Billy says. 

Perhaps the greatest reward for Billy has been observing a positive shift in people’s attitudes. 

“Over time, as we’re learning to live with COVID-19, our fear is subsiding. In its place there seems to be a greater sense of community and social obligation – a feeling that ‘we’re doing this for the good of all’, not just for our individual benefit.” 

Travelling overseas with your students for the first time can feel a little daunting. But you needn’t worry – we take care of more than you might think!  

With Edventure Travel, you’ll become part of a productive learning partnership that pairs our in-country experience with your knowledge of your students. 

As a teacher, your primary role on tour is to make sure your students follow school rules and regulations. You’ll manage your students’ behaviour, monitor their wellbeing, make sure they meet any required dress codes, and deal with minor health incidents. 

In this way, being a teacher on tour is more of an accompanying role than you might be used to. You don’t need to do any lesson planning or organising of any kind – and we certainly won’t ask you to choose a restaurant for dinner! Because our tours are designed to be enjoyed by students and teachers alike, you can leave the learning and logistics to us. 

The key person who’ll take care of your students’ learning, along with all logistics, is your tour leader. Meticulously trained in both theory and practice, they’ll accompany you and your students throughout your entire journey and ensure its success. 

Our tour leaders are experienced professionals. They have a minimum of five years’ experience leading student groups and are adept at teaching to all personalities and learning styles.  

They understand students’ energy levels, their ‘window of tolerance’ for learning, and how to keep students engaged. Throughout your tour, they’ll act variously as a teacher, a cultural ambassador and a translator. They’ll also be your friend. 

Importantly, our tour leaders are locals – not foreigners imported at your students’ expense with no language skills or insight into the host culture. Having lived in-country for decades, they’re expert translators and trouble-shooters. They speak the local language, as well as fluent English, which makes communicating a breeze. 

Your tour leader is with you from breakfast until you return to the hotel in the evening. They’re contactable 24/7. And when they’re not in their home city, they usually stay in the same accommodation as you. They’re fully trained in all aspects of running your trip – from managing your itinerary and organising all your food, accommodation and transport, to filing travel insurance claims, applying first aid, and following our COVID-safe travel protocols. 

Above all, our tour leaders are passionate about showing you around their country or region. They live and breathe the culture as locals and are eager to share their deep knowledge of local history, politics and geography with you and your students. 

A tour leader’s role is comprehensive. It includes: 

• Taking care of all travel arrangements, including check-in, passports, and COVID compliance  
• Organising and facilitating activities, and reconfirming all bookings 
• Arranging and ordering all the included meals on trips, with a full understanding of food allergies, dietary requirements and special requests 

• Ensuring health and safety procedures are always adhered to 
• Providing daytime or evening briefings to prepare travellers for the coming day’s activities 
• Facilitating your immersion into new cultures and experiences 
• Explaining cultural norms, customs and traditions, to ensure everyone behaves in a culturally sensitive manner  
• Helping with room share arrangements and special requests 

Along the way, you’ll also be supported by knowledgeable local guides. Our local guides complement your tour leader’s skills and knowledge in certain regions, rural settings, cities, museums or attractions.  

Local guides live in the area or work at the site regularly, which means their knowledge is up to date. Our guides may be with you for an hour, a day or several days. They won’t accompany you on the entire trip, but rather join temporarily to make your journey as educational and informative as possible. 

Of course, as your experience in-country develops, your confidence will too. You might decide you’d like to have more input into the tour, such as by helping run daily briefings. This is entirely up to you – remember, there’s no obligation to do this! 

Ready to meet some of tour leaders and local guides? Check out their profiles to discover their expertise for yourself. 

Worldwide, the travel industry plays a major role in local job creation, socio-economic development and cross-cultural exchange. Yet the COVID-19 pandemic has brought travel to a halt. 

Many countries are reeling from the impacts of having no travellers. Whether in the highlands of Vietnam, or the usually bustling markets around Angkor Wat in Cambodia, small businesses, local cooperatives and self-employed workers who rely on travellers are struggling to make ends meet. 

As the world re-opens and we learn to live with COVID-19, travellers like you can play a key role in restoring people’s livelihoods. Here’s why choosing travel that positively impacts you and those in the countries you visit matters more than ever. 

Alongside the public health crisis and loss of human life, the pandemic also triggered a global economic crisis. The economic shocks have been felt everywhere, but the toll in the Asia and Pacific region has been huge. The pandemic pushed an estimated 80 million more people in developing Asia into extreme poverty.  

Your tour in Asia and the Pacific can help communities recover. Visit rural or remote villages, ethnic minority groups and economically marginalised communities, for example, and you’ll help stimulate the local economies of those most in need. Even better, choose a responsible travel company committed to long-term impacts, to guarantee your money stays in the community. 

To limit funds leaving the community, we encourage travellers to purchase fair-trade goods directly from makers at local markets. We urge you to eat at local restaurants. And we’ll always invest a portion of your trip directly into a community fund or NGO of your choice, to make sure those community members who aren’t directly involved in your tour still benefit. 

As COVID-19 restrictions were introduced, unemployment rates soared and working hours contracted. About 8 per cent of working hours were lost in the Asia and Pacific region alone. Among those most affected were people in poorer households and workers in the informal sector, such as people running roadside stalls. 

To get by, households have been skipping meals and selling assets. But relying on these coping mechanisms perpetuates the cycle of poverty and exacerbates inequality. That’s where you come in.  

On tour with us, your travel can help local employment bounce back. When you buy souvenirs, you support workers in fabric and handicraft production. When you eat at a local restaurant, or take a bus or tuk-tuk ride, you help staff in retail and services. Even the community service project you choose can boost jobs. 

For example, we pay local tradespeople to lead any construction projects you work on, local cooks to cater for you, and local families to host your homestay. And our tours also directly support entrepreneurship by hiring local tour guides, or engaging local farmers or fishermen to teach you how to use their methods. 

Despite the pandemic, the adage ‘many hands make light work’ holds true. Organisations across Asia and the Pacific still need volunteers to help carry out projects they’ve planned. In fact, some experts predict international aid and charity budgets will become smaller, as a result of wealthy countries over-borrowing. 

Many community leaders and local government departments have faced huge public health demands throughout COVID-19, with limited financial capacity. Local organisations have had to pause or switch their activities to provide COVID-related support instead. To emerge from the pandemic and recover well, these communities need every available pair of hands. That means you! 

When you’re ready to travel, there’ll likely be a backlog of projects that need support in a COVID-safe way. You can help fill the gap and support local communities to get back on their feet, sooner. The best projects to get involved in are those designed by communities, for communities. To find one that matches your skillset, has a lasting impact and doesn’t burden the community, be sure to choose a project run by a responsible travel company. 

The cross-cultural benefits of travel aren’t just for travellers. Every interaction is a two-way exchange, through which the locals you meet also build their intercultural skills. Your conversations offer local people a personal opportunity to learn more about other cultures, exchange ideas, develop relationships and, ultimately, bridge differences. 

By immersing yourself in a community, you’ll see firsthand both the complex issues they face, and the strengths they’re using to resolve them. Through this understanding comes trust, shared values and friendship, all of which can lead to further exchanges of information, ideas and opportunities. 

The pandemic has stopped travel, such that people in some communities haven’t been able to interact in-person with foreign travellers for over two years. Your next trip can change that. 

The pandemic has intensified gender inequalities. Women in Asia and the Pacific took on more unpaid care and domestic work during lockdowns, and lost their livelihoods faster than men. The negative impacts for women in ethnic minority groups have been especially damaging – spanning food security, livelihood, labour-employment, income, health care, education, cultural and social affairs. 

By travelling with a company that supports gender equality and equal opportunity, however, you can help communities build back in a gender-sensitive way. Why not join us on a tour that engages with women’s social enterprises, charities and workshops? You can support women’s committees in Vietnam, for instance, or take part in a women-led service-learning program in India. 

From design to decision-making, we ensure women are empowered by their involvement in our programs, as well as by their outcomes. Check out our positive impact page to learn more about how we’re committed to ending the gendered status quo through educational travel.