How can I book an open expedition place?
All AE open expeditions should be booked and paid for online – you can therefore confirm you expedition place and receive joining information when you book a place via your account on our website. Take a look at the DofE – For Individuals – Open Expeditions pages on our website for more information or go straight to the Booking tab in the navigation bar to select the level of award, dates and locations that you'd like to book for.
If you can’t find what you’re looking for then do get in touch for a chat (call 01433 651449) or email us through the website Contact page or on info@adventure-expeditions.net
Please note that booking as early as possible is advised - we have had to cap expedition numbers due to popularity so if you have specific dates or locations in mind, make sure you book asap to guarantee your first choice.
How heavy should my expedition rucksack be? Is there a weight limit?
We want to ensure the safety of all participants on expedition, especially when carrying a loaded rucksack full of kit.
The DofE state that your rucksack should not weigh more than 25% of your body weight. We have sets of hand scales available to weigh your rucksack before you set off but ask that you come to your expedition with an accurate idea of what your bodyweight is (in kilograms). We have a limited number of sets of bodyweight scales in case you forget but please don’t rely on this as they may not be available on every expedition.
You need to remember that you will have your personal share of the AE group kit that is distributed to your team to factor into your weight allowance. Group kit includes: tents, stoves and pans, gas canisters for stoves, group shelter, waterproof maps, group first aid kit. Your personal share of the group kit given to your team should weigh a maximum of 2.5kg.
To give you a rough guide of the weight limit of the items that you pack to bring with you from your kit list you should therefore calculate:
25% of your body weight LESS 2.5kg = max weight available to pack.
Ideally you should aim to pack as lightly as possible while still having all of the things that you need and that are listed on the personal kit list for your programme. Ensure that you don’t pack any extra or unnecessary items and look for lighter alternatives wherever possible. Your instructors will be able to help advise you and answer any questions that you have. If you have questions in advance of your programme, use the Contact form on our website and we can help point you in the right direction.
Can my booking payment be refunded in case I can't attend or have to withdraw?
Unfortunately not. If you cannot attend your expedition programme with us or have to withdraw during the programme for any reason, AE will not be able to offer you a full refund.
If you wish to cancel your booking before the programme takes place, please see our Booking T&Cs for full details - the amount of partial refund possible will depend on the amount of time left before your programme start date when you cancel. Transfer to another expedition date may also be possible (subject to an administration charge to cover transfer of logistics bookings) – please see our Booking T&Cs for full details.
We try and help wherever we can but always recommend that you take out cancellation and curtailment insurance to cover your expedition. Such insurance is available at relatively low cost and can be very handy if you do not make it to your expedition or have to withdraw at any time during your programme (including reasons related to Covid).
I have found other expeditions that are cheaper - how does AE set programme prices?
Our prices are a true reflection of the cost of running a safe and quality programme that ensures that you get the most out of your chosen activity, along with 24/7 safety and back up systems from our core staff team in place.
We use only qualified, experienced outdoor professionals who are friendly and approachable to work with you and all of the group kit that we provide you with is of a high standard: it comes back into our kit stores at AE base after each use and is cleaned, dried and maintained by our stores team. This means that you get the opportunity to carry light weight tents that will stand up to any weather conditions that you might face - no sleeping in puddles or tents collapsing on you in the middle of a windy night!
AE is more expensive than some providers but cheaper than others but feel that we strike a unique balance of price, safety and quality to give you a great time.
In addition, AE offers financial support to those who would not otherwise be able to access our outdoor programmes. Please see our Busaries and Awards information for more detail on how we might be able to help.
Who will my instructor be?
Please take a look at our instructor profiles on the Meet The Team pages of our website to learn a bit more about your instructors and who to look out for.
Your instructors will be there to meet you when you arrive at your expedition venue, and be with you right through to waving goodbye at the end so you can be sure of our support from beginning to end. All instructors are selected for their professional qualifications, experience and, importantly, their friendly and approachable manner – a warm welcome is therefore guaranteed.
We would like to create a tailor-made expedition but our team size is 4 - is this still possible?
Yes it is. Our prices are quoted per person per day so that we can tailor your programme to meet the exact needs of your and your team. Our prices are based on a minimum team size of 7 but as we would like to try and offer expeditions for everyone, including smaller teams, we are happy to provide the expedition but pro rata of 7 places between the 4 of you.
You must ensure that everyone is aware that if one of you needs to withdraw from the expedition and your team size drops below the minimum number of 4 participants, the whole expedition team would be withdrawn and the expedition stopped. This is a requirement set by the DofE Award for expeditions and we cannot vary this as an Approved Activity Provider.
If you are in any doubt, it might also be worth looking at joining one of our open expeditions as a team of four rather than opting for a tailor-made expedition. This gives security of potentially having others to join with if one person has to drop out at any time so that the rest of your can continue. Feel free to contact us or call to discuss options if that might be useful.
We have an expedition location that we'd like to visit - can we go to our choice of location?
Yes of course. The locations on our website are only a selection of the places where we can run expeditions - in practice we visit a huge range of locations each year on expedition. For inspiration on other different expedition locations take a look through our website or social media galleries. If you have an idea of where you would like to go already, get in touch to chat through your idea: call (01433 651449) or email (info@adventure-expeditions.net). We like to hear your ideas and are always keen to explore new areas - the only constraints that we need to ensure that we work to are the terrain requirements for the level of award that you are undertaking and the safety of you and your team in your proposed expedition area.
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