MODULE 2 - Section 2
Travel & Documentation
5 Minutes to complete section and related assignments
In this section, you will learn:
Required documentation
Team travel considerations
Required Documentation & team Administrative Process
The Home Office requires a series of documents to be signed and/or acknowledged by each team member prior to departure in order to ensure the safety for all involved. In addition, skills and experience are gathered about each team member so the Host-Coordinator can know how to best utilize the team.
Some of the required documents include: organizational waiver, background check (18+) or criminal history verification (minor), and personal information (name, date, abilities, medical issues, etc.). The Short-Term Teams Department will collect this information.
The primary mode of collecting documentation from the goer-group is through our Profile site - a web portal used by the home office that connects on the back end to Ohana.
Each team going through the STTs Department receives a unique team-specific code that allows them to login to their team process. The Profile site gathers their basic information, including skills and abilities. Team members are guided through the background check process, share health, allergies, and emergency contact information, and submit required documentation. They also access to team and security training resources. The STT Dept Administrative Coordinator works to track team member progress and updates the Team Leader and Host-Community Coordinator as necessary.
Insurance
Every team is required to have supplemental travel medical insurance. The vast majority of teams use the coverage provided by One Collective. This insurance is supplemental, which means it compliments primary medical insurance team members already have. It is also related to travel, meaning the it covers costs commonly associated with travel, such as illness/injury or emergencies. It does not cover costs associated with changed travel plans. That type of coverage is often called trip cancellation insurance and is up to the goer-group to purchase separately if they wish.
Team Payments
Short-term teams are responsible for submitting their team funds on or before the communicated payment deadlines. They can use any of One Collective’s giving methods, including online though give.onecollective.org or by mailing a check. There are three possible financial deadlines: deposit, advance payment, and final payment, which are each described in more detail in Section 3. Deadlines for financial payments are set by the STT department. Payment deadlines and instructions are included in the Team Registration Document.
Travel Plans
Short-term teams make their own air travel arrangements to and from your community. Many prefer to shop for their own deals and scheduling preferences. However, before booking travel, the team should confirm with the STT Dept or directly with you, the host-coordinator, that their proposed itinerary works for the host-community team, who will be arranging transportation from the airport to the community itself.
Teams must make travel arrangements no later than 40 days before departure to avoid missing out on potentially limited flight options.
Community Entry/Exit Requirements
As teams travel to your community, there may be additional requirements or things to be aware of in order to arrive. These additional items are typically associated with international communities. However, there may be unique circumstances related to any community. Below are several items to think through. Please be sure to consider any others that a short-term team may need to know about in advance, and communicate accordingly.
Wide-Spread Infectious Disease - If there are any special protocols in place for your community related to wide-spread infectious disease, please let a visiting team know how to prepare.
Immunizations - Some host-nations may require that visitors be immunized against certain diseases (i.e. yellow fever, typhoid). The short-term team is responsible for knowing what those immunizations are through the CDC website. However, it is helpful to remind them of requirements or help interpret whether a “recommended” vaccine makes sense to have for your particular location.
Visas - An entry visa may be required by a host-nation in order for an individual to visit. It is the responsibility of the team and you, the host-coordinator, to ensure the team has obtained the proper visa prior to entry.
Entry/Exit Fees - It is possible that a host-nation will require an entry or exit fee for each person visiting. It is the host-coordinator’s responsibility to inform the team of this cost. Let them know how they will be asked to pay the fee and whether they will need to have local currency in hand.
Customs - Going through customs can be an anxious experience. Please prepare the team with any information that will ease their experience. This may include how to answer important customs questions (i.e. what is/was the nature of your visit?). This is particularly important for teams visiting secure contexts. Advise team members what items they should not pack in order to avoid getting stopped at customs.
