Unventured 10 Point Safety Scale to Manage and Deliver Tours

Travel is an emotion that brings the world closer. The places, the experiences, the food, the culture and the people always leave a long lasting impression and memories that make us want to travel again. The itch to experience travel has been irresistible for many since the pandemic COVID19 engulfed us. The world is slowly but surely healing and the doors would open again for travel. Though many of us would be tempted to immediately book a flight or hit the road, there are certain safety measures we need to take while travelling during post Covid19 period. The travel industry is also set to see a change in the operating styles in the coming days with a lot of focus on health and safety.

Below are the safety scales and measures that Unventured is taking care to ensure safe travels post COVID19.

1. Pre-Tour Safety Instructions:

Every traveller post booking and before the start of the tour would be given a set of safety instructions. This needs to be strictly followed by the travellers prior to the tour and during the tour. This would include a list of Do’s, Don’ts, Where to go, Where not to go etc. This is to ensure that the tour would be a safe one for the travellers, vendors, tour hosts and every other individual who would be a part of it.

2. Customer Screening:

It is important that people joining us on the tours have followed all precautions through their earlier travels. A pre qualifier questions such as below will have to be answered.

• Have you been using masks and sanitizers?
• Information about travel and accommodation in the last 72 hours
• Current health status (any symptoms?)
• Have you been tested positive for Corona earlier?
• Have you or any of your family member been quarantined earlier
• Was your place of stay in a safe zone?
• Submission of medical proof or declaration

3. Transportation:

Some of our city tours and all our long haul tours involve transportation. As much the transportation company would ensure safety, Unventured intends to make sure that the travel is safe for all the guests with the following measures:

• Disinfecting the vehicle prior to boarding
• Frequent touch points such as seats, seat backs, windows, screens, handles, door locks etc. to be frequently cleaned with disinfectant
• Drivers to maintain hygiene
• Drivers to wear masks and use sanitizers through the tour
• Stock sanitizers in the vehicle
• Air conditioners would not be used
• There would be sufficient spacing between travellers inside the vehicle if it’s a group travel.

4. Food:

Since we all are unsure of the food that is prepared at a restaurant or a café, Unventured would set the below pointers to ensure the food consumed during the tours is safe:

• During the travel, we would carry our own food which has been monitored under safety requisites
• It is recommended that travellers carry their own snacks or short eats
• No stoppages at unfamiliar restaurants or cafes for breaks
• If visiting a restaurant were required during the tour, it would be only at places that have been pre-checked by Unventured and where we feel it would be safe.

5. Accommodations:

Prior to the start of our tours and booking accommodations we would be monitoring that necessary measures are taken at these places to ensure the safety of guests. We would be handing them a list of safety measures that they need to follow.

• The hosts or hotel employees to wear masks and gloves always during interactions
• Greet guests with ‘Namaste’, and no hand shakes
• Disinfect the place (hotel/homestay/ boutique/ resort)
• Disinfect the room before the traveller checks in
• Sanitize all the common touch points twice a day inside the room
• All the rooms to have sanitizers

6. Educating Tour hosts, Vendors and Partners:

Our tour hosts and vendors have always been a part of Unventured family and play a big role during experiential travel. We would be educating them on the measures they need to take before the arrival of guests and also during the tours and interactions. Some of the safety measures are as below:

• Greet guests with ‘Namaste’, and no hand shakes
• Wear masks and gloves during interactions and while handling luggage
• Ensure the travellers are always accompanied
• If any traveller is unwell or shows symptoms, they would be taken for a check up by the tour host
• Maintain hygiene levels at the workspace
• Sanitize machinery, work tools and everything that are in constant use during the experience.
• Sanitize the frequent touch points
• Frequent washing of hands
• Allow only a certain number of visitors inside confined spaces

7. Social Distancing During Tours:

During the tours, visiting places, experiencing activities or while being outdoors, all the travellers, tour host and travel partners are expected to maintain physical and social distance. Some of the measures taken would be:

• Travellers to wear masks at all times during the travel
• Entry tickets to be bought online to avoid standing in queues
• Limited number of passengers and with sufficient spacing in case there is usage of shuttle services, safaris and boat rides
• Audio guides to be used to maintain distance between travellers and tour host

8. Recommended Type of Travel

Travel trends are set to change in the coming days and the preferred types of travelling would also see major overhaul. Here are a few travel recommendations from us:

• Join tours that involve a lot of outdoor activities. This ensures there are no crowded spaces. This could be cycling or hikes.
• Join short duration tours such as half-day tours, one day tours or weekend getaways. This ensures you are in familiar territories.
• Avoid popular destinations as they have large inflow of visitors
• Avoid confined spaces such as museums

9. Recommended Approaches to Booking Tours

Unventured has always advocated small group travels and that rule would continue in the coming months as well. Travelling with unknown fellow travellers might seem a hindrance in-group travels at present. That is quite understandable and to avoid that situation, Unventured recommends the following

• Private Tours: This ensures that you are travelling with only your families or friends
• Small Groups: Travelling with small known groups ensures you aren’t around strangers

10. Talk to Us:

Feel free to contact us via mail or call anytime before booking or prior to the tour to understand in depth the measures that are taken to ensure safe travels for you post COVID 19. Though the above pointers detail the same, it is always a reassurance when you contact us in person. You could also read all information about COVID 19 and details with regard to the same on our blog, which would be frequently updated.

As much as Unventured would ensure safety of travellers with the above-mentioned measures, we also expect our travellers to be responsible and adhere to the rules and safety measures that are put forth.