How to get in touch with Venturers on a Costa Rica Expedition
This page contains important information about how to contact volunteers while they are on Expedition in Costa Rica. Due to the remote nature of our project sites & our No Phones on Project Policy, you volunteers will NOT have access to the internet or their phone for up to 19 days at a time.
Before you attempt to contact a volunteer on Expedition, please refer back to this document so you use the most appropriate contact method.
General message and updates
Venturer contact form
Please use this Venturer Contact Form for non-urgent messages of support or encouragement, and updates that don’t require a response.
Once you submit the form, your message will be sent directly to our staff in Costa Rica and be delivered to Venturers on a regular basis during project site visits or changeover.
Sending mail to Costa Rica
You can also post letters to Venturers on Expedition. The postal address for Costa Rica Venturers is:
Raleigh International Costa Rica
Diagonal a la Oficina Administrativa de la Finca del CATIE
Finca Ganadera, CATIE.
Turrialba, Cartago.
Código Postal: 30501
Costa Rica
Diagonal a la Oficina Administrativa de la Finca del CATIE
Finca Ganadera, CATIE.
Turrialba, Cartago.
Código Postal: 30501
Costa Rica
Due to constraints with the Costa Rican postal system, please:
- Do not send mail to volunteers within the last 3 weeks of the Expedition. It may take up to 3 weeks for Venturers to receive post.
- Do not send any parcels (anything that wouldn’t fit through a normal letterbox).
- Do not send anything of value. We are unable to guarantee the delivery of any mail, and we strongly recommend no valuable goods be sent.
If you are unsure of whether to post something or not, please contact Venturers Journey Team.
Emergency incident support
In the case of a serious emergency which cannot wait until normal working hours (9:00 -17:00 GMT Monday to Friday), you can contact the Raleigh International Emergency Incident Number and speak to the Duty Manager:
+44 808 175 3870
If your call is not an emergency, you will be redirected to other members of the team who will be able to assist you during normal office hours.
Important messages
Important messages could include flight information, exam results or important updates on family. If your message is important and needs a response, please send it directly to the Volunteer Journey Team using the following details:
volunteerjourney@raleighinternational.org or +44 7874 382248
The Volunteer Journey Team is based in Raleigh Head Office and would have supported the volunteer with their pre-departure preparations. Once they receive your message, they will be able to pass it on and arrange for a response in the most appropriate way. Usually this will involve sending it straight to the Raleigh team, who will then deliver your message to volunteer the next day via radio/phone call.
Please expect a couple of days delay in us responding to you, even with urgent enquiries due to the 7 hour time difference to Costa Rica.
If you phone outside of normal working hours (09:00 – 17:00 GMT Monday to Friday), please leave a voicemail or send an email and a member of the team will return your call.
Further information
What happens about notifying us of their arrival in-country and at Fieldbase?
The Venturers will be collected at San Jose airport, before being driven to Raleigh’s base in Turrialba. As soon as they arrive at the base, induction will begin. We will email the registered Emergency Contact to inform them that the Venturers have arrived safely. This email will be sent within 24 hours of the Venturers’ arrival in Country.
When can they first call home?
It is unlikely that they will be able to call home in the first couple of days because of the busy induction schedule. The first few days will then be spent undergoing training in various skills including camp craft, first aid, health and safety and cultural awareness. They will also receive in depth briefs on the country and the projects they’ll be undertaking. Following this, the Venturers will be allocated into their project teams before then deploying to their project sites. Office-based Venturer Managers will immediately get stuck into their roles!
No news is good news
You should assume that no news is good news throughout the Expedition as Venturer will have very little or no access to the internet or phones for up to 19 days at a time. Should the need arise, teams can get in touch with Fieldbase by phone or radio at all times, supported by the UK team where necessary.
Raleigh no phone on project policy
Raleigh has a ‘no phones on project’ policy. This means that Venturers will not have access to their phones for up to 19 days at a time whilst they are out on project sites.
Where will they leave their phones?
We will ask all Venturers to place their phones in the safe at Fieldbase for the duration of each phase. This will encourage them to fully immerse themselves in the project sites, communities and building relationships with their fellow Venturers. It has also been proven to enhance the experience Venturers can achieve in the communities and environments.
How will they communicate with home?
This does not mean there will be no ability to communicate with home. All Venturers will have the opportunity to get their phones back at changeover and get in touch with loved ones at home. Fieldbase has access to signal and wi-fi, albeit slow. Each group will have access to project phones to ensure they can keep in touch with our Fieldbase staff team 24/7 to ensure the safety of the groups.
How will they get to take photos?
There may be a Raleigh Photographer visiting the project sites to gather content and capture the experiences of all individuals. Venturer Managers will also have access to project phones to capture real life, in the moment content. However, we encourage Venturers to bring digital cameras to capture some Expedition moments.
Will there be photos on social media
The Raleigh team will share photos of the Expedition on social media, so family and friends should follow Raleigh’s social media channels to catch any possible updates. However, due to the remote nature of our project sites we don’t always have access to photos, so a stream of updates should not be expected.
