10 Reasons People Don’t Apply For Expeditions - And Why None Of Them Are Good Enough
8th May 2026 | Lauren Moses | 9 min read
Every year, people look at Raleigh Expedition as a dream opportunity. But then they tell themselves it’s not the right time, that they’re not the right person, that something about their life makes it impossible right now... None of it is true. After decades seeing young people venture into rainforests in Costa Rica, up into the wild highlands of Borneo, and across the landscapes of South Africa — we know what those reasons really are. They’re not reasons. They’re the gap between who you think you are and who you could be. Let’s close that gap.
1. The Excuse: "I'm Not Fit Enough"
You’re not supposed to arrive fit. You arrive willing. That’s the only prerequisite. We’re not selecting athletes, instead we’re selecting people who want to be pushed.
Trekking through the forests of Costa Rica, navigating Borneo’s river systems or trekking the Drakensburg Mountains in South Africa.
None of it requires a gym record. It requires showing up. Your body will do more than you expect. You CAN do it.
2. The Excuse: "It's Not The Right Time"
You know the right time doesn’t exist… and if you wait for it, you’ll still be waiting at 40, 50, 60.
The people who get on a plane to Costa Rica, Borneo or South Africa this October are the ones who decided the wait was costing them more than just going.
Not sure how long you can commit? A 4 or 5 week expedition in Costa Rica or South Africa is a defined, manageable window. Enough to change you. Not so long that rearranging life becomes impossible.
3. The Excuse: "I Don't Have Any Relevant Experience"
The jungle doesn’t care about your CV. Neither do we. What we care about is that you turn up ready to learn.
If you think you don’t have any relevant experience, you’re exactly who we built this for. You’ll get full training, expert in-country leadership, and a team around you.
Raleigh Expeditions are designed for those ready to develop themselves, not to reward those who’ve already figured it out.
4. The excuse: “I’d be going alone. I don’t know anyone who’d do this.”
Almost everyone arrives alone, however almost no one leaves that way.
The friendships that you form are real when you’re sharing a tent in the Borneo, building something that matters in South Africa, or pushing through a Costa Rican river crossing together.
The people who worried most about going alone tend to leave with the fullest address book of new pals for life.
5. The excuse: “I’m worried about safety.”
This is one we take very seriously! Our Expeditions and their locations are are wild places. Borneo, South Africa and Costa Rica are truly wild.
But decades of operations have produced safety protocols that are genuinely rigorous: experienced in-country teams, 24/7 support, and emergency procedures that have been tested, not assumed.
You’re going somewhere real and you’ll be looked after properly.
6. The excuse: “I have responsibilities I can’t step away from.”
Responsibilities are real and we’re not dismissing them. But there’s a difference between responsibilities that make an Expedition genuinely impossible and responsibilities that make it uncomfortable to arrange.
Most people who’ve been to Borneo, South Africa and Costa Rica had commitments too. Ask yourself honestly: is this actually impossible, or does it just feel hard to imagine sorting out?
A 4, 5 or 7-week programme is a contained commitment with a clear start and end date that employers, universities, and families can accommodate.
7. The excuse: “I can’t afford it.”
This one deserves a straight answer. Raleigh offers flexible payment plans and a fundraising framework that has helped people from every background get to Borneo, South Africa and Costa Rica.
Many participants raise the bulk of their costs through fundraising and that becomes the first test of what you’re capable of. Don’t write yourself off before you’ve looked at the numbers.
It doesn’t matter whether you choose a 4 week taster or a full 10-week programme, you can always talk to us about what’s possible for your situation.
8. The excuse: “I’m too old — or too young.”
The idea that adventure has an age window is a story people tell, not a fact the field backs up.
Raleigh Expeditions have been completed across a wide range of ages. So, if you’re using age as a reason, ask yourself whether you’re actually assessing capability or just looking for permission not to try.
9. The excuse: “I’ll do it next year.”
Next year is where this goes to die. We mean that plainly. The October 2025 departure for Borneo, South Africa and Costa Rica exists to apply for right now.
The people who go on Expedition are rarely the people with perfect timing. They’re usually the people who decided to stop waiting for it.
And realistically, if you’ve already read this far, this probably isn’t a random thought anymore. Some part of you is already imagining what it would feel like to be on Expedition.
10. The excuse: “I don’t think I’m the kind of person who does things like this.”
This is the one that matters most and the most important one to challenge. There is no type.
There are the people who applied for Expedition and the people who didn’t. The Venturers who’ve spent ten weeks in Borneo’s rainforest, who’ve crossed rivers in Costa Rica or who’ve built real things in South African communities. They didn’t arrive as that person, instead they left as them.
The question that’s worth asking is which programme pulls at you? Is it Borneo, South Africa or Costa Rica? That pull is telling you something. Start there.
So what’s actually stopping you?
Not the timing. Not your experience level. Not whether you know anyone going. Not whether you feel ready enough yet.
Because the truth is, almost everyone who applies to Raleigh Expedition starts in exactly the same place. You can keep imagining what an Expedition would feel like. Or you can actually go and find out.
Applications for October 2026 are open now. Choose from 4, 5, 7 or 10-week Expeditions in Borneo, South Africa or Costa Rica and take the first step towards something that could genuinely change your life.
About the author
LAUREN MOSES | Content Assistant | Raleigh International
Lauren works at Raleigh International as the Content Assistant. She supports content and communications across the organisation. Having taken part in a similar programme to Raleigh in 2018 – spending a month in Cambodia – she knows first-hand how life-changing these youth travel expeditions can be.
