GLA SAFETY, SECURITY & PARENT SUPPORT

As parents, we always have a list of criteria for anything our children take part in, before we entrust our children in their care. 

Even as teenagers, our love and support for our children comes first.

I have been lucky enough to have traveled on many GLA programs personally, and as a parent myself, I understand that health, safety and communication are always top-of-mind when my children are away from me.

With this in-mind, I wanted to share more about two integral part of GLAs’s model:

1. How health and safety are addressed through our 5-Point Safety System to ensure safe and comfortable experiences are provided for all students.
2. How GLA provides 24/7 Parent Support while our programs are in operation as one of the five core pillars of our safety system.

GLA Home Base: Safe and Secure Lodging 

Our lodging is a home away from home for students, although it does look slightly different on every program! Sometimes students may be staying in a rustic ecolodge on a quiet beach, or in a comfortable hotel block in a more lively setting. Either way, we work with our lodging providers to make sure we have full booking of the place we’re staying, or access to an exclusive section of our lodging that’s set aside just for GLA students and staff.

Caring Supervision & Expert Local Knowledge 

Our staff team is made up of seasoned educators who come from all over the world, as well as local staff from the country or region to provide expert local knowledge on the ground. I know this collective wisdom being there in remote areas gives me a lot of peace-of-mind.

Safe Transportation 

On most GLA programs, students are transported in private buses or vans. All drivers are licensed and insured and most have extensive experience driving GLA students.

Students will only take public transportation in approved destinations, such as Europe, which is known for a strong public transportation infrastructure. And be reassured: students will never be transported without a staff member present. 

Healthy Meals and Pure Water

Students will eat three nutritious meals a day, with snacks available in between meals, if desired.

Meals are made with locally sourced ingredients and will allow students to try local cuisine while also having some more Western options available.

Fresh, pure drinking water will be available for students any time of day. Our meals are always rated very highly post-program! 

24/7 Support and Emergency Response 

Finally, something all parents/guardians love to hear — there is 24/7 support available by GLA staff and a crisis response team on-call at all times during programming. I wanted to highlight this core pillar of our 5-Point Safety System on its own, because I feel its the cornerstone of why so many families choose GLA as their travel provider.

Our program staff is available for students 24 hours a day on the ground, no matter what. And our Headquarters staff is available 24 hours a day as well while programs are running, via a special helpline phone number we will provide to you ahead of the start of the travel session.

Flight delayed at 3am local time? Call us and let us know. Need to communicate something important to our team about your student midway through the program? Call us and let us know. Someone will always be there at the end of the other line to respond!

We can’t wait to welcome your teen traveler on a program with us this spring or Summer, and to support you and your family along the way. Parent-to-parent, we’re here for you, and we know giving us the care of your child is a big step. If there’s anything you have questions about, please call us and let us know how we can be of support.

Hannah Shepherd
GLA Content Team