Our approach
On our expeditions, students lead and take real ownership of the trip. Their Expedition Leader knows when to step in and when to give them space to work it out.
About World Challenge
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student journeys
World Challenge: school expedition specialists since 1987
We pioneered student-led school expeditions, and it’s still what we do
On a World Challenge expedition, students manage the budget, plan and prepare meals, and take turns leading the group. They do it somewhere unfamiliar with a highly trained Expedition Leader alongside them. It asks a lot of a group. That’s deliberate, and it’s why students report coming home more confident than when they left.
This section covers how we work, how we look after students and what we do about sustainability.
our story
The first World Challenge expedition ran in 1987, and the idea behind it hasn’t changed.
A World Challenge Expedition today is a lot like the one we ran back then. Students lead the expedition, the destination is chosen for what it asks of a group, and a trained Expedition Leader is alongside them rather than in front.
This has worked for 40 years because it still does the thing it was meant to do. Young people turn out to be capable of far more than they usually get the chance to show.
Your safety is our priority
Our safety and operational procedures have been built and refined along the way, by a team who have spent decades running school expeditions around the world. Every World Challenge Expedition is now designed to meet the requirements of BS 8848, the British Standard for organised ventures outside the UK, which didn’t exist when we started.
We carry out health and safety audits before an expedition leaves. Each team carries a satellite tracker and more than one way to reach our Operations Centre, which is staffed around the clock.
Healix, our medical partner, puts doctors and nurses on the phone at any hour. Support teams on the ground, who live and work in the country, meet your school group when they land.
Why World Challenge?
Find out why schools, parents and students continue to choose World Challenge. Discover what sits behind every expedition and what students come back with.
Sustainability
Many World Challenge school expeditions work alongside a network of almost 100 community and conservation partners around the world.
Each one is chosen with local experts, so students take part in something genuinely useful – from protecting turtles in Malaysia to planting trees in Borneo and helping build water pipelines in Nepal.
Safety and support
Highly trained Expedition Leaders, satellite tracking, a 24/7 Operations Centre, round-the-clock medical support through Healix and a dedicated School Account Manager
Student skills and outcomes
Students come back from our school expeditions more confident, independent and responsible. Here’s the evidence.
Our destinations
Over 20 countries, chosen for what students will experience, learn and take on.
Plan your trip
Everything teachers need, from first enquiry to the day students fly home.
OUR ACCREDITATIONS
Peace of mind for schools and parents.
We hold all of these accreditations. For schools, the Department of Education (DFE) recommends using a travel provider with the Learning Outside the Classroom (LOtC) Quality Badge, and holding it means less risk assessment paperwork for you. For parents, the ABTA and ATOL logos mean every payment is protected.
Work for World Challenge
Some of our roles are office-based, while others take you up mountains. Whether you’d like to become an Expedition Leader or join our UK head office team, learn how to apply and where to find our current jobs.
Part of Experience Education
World Challenge is part of Experience Education, a group of specialist educational travel brands that has been working with schools for over 50 years. Between us, we have taken more than 1.5 million students to 100 countries, across curriculum tours, ski trips, sports tours, UK activity residentials and expeditions.
Frequently asked questions
What's included in the price of a World Challenge expedition?
What's not included in the price of a World Challenge expedition?
How will my child balance this with their schoolwork?
Why does World Challenge cost more than some other school trips?
What happens if my child is ill on the trip?
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Got a question for World Challenge?
Teachers, parents and students all arrive with different questions. Tell us yours and we’ll point you in the right direction.