No, our trips are geared for everyone from the experienced traveler to those who have never been on a plane before. Your trip with Open Roads will lead you to new adventures, new places, and into experiences you could never have imagined. That is part of the fun. Students often join us that have no travel experience at all.

Each trip has a slightly different enrollment process, please refer to its adventure page or contact us directly. 

Yes, participants can come with a friend, though the majority who travel on our programs join us without knowing anyone. We know that a close community works to make the trip successful for everyone in the group. If participants come with a friend, we simply ask that they put as much energy into everyone else on the trip as they will their friend. It is nice to have someone back home that has shared the experience, so we are always open to it.

Group size is important to the overall success of the trip, and we prefer smaller groups than most travel companies. A group that is too small or too big may not provide our participants with the best experience possible. Our group size generally varies from 8 to 16 participants, depending on our program goals. We work hard to keep a staff to student ratio at or below 4 to1. 

​

We do require a minimum number of participants to be enrolled in order for an adventure to launch. 

Our staff and guides are pretty amazing! They put health, risk management,  and developing positive group dynamics at the forefront of every adventure. They have experience working with young people, are highly skilled and deeply committed people.

​

 Most importantly, they have strong values: honesty, integrity, respect for the outdoors, and compassion for others. Because Open Roads trips combine time in nature with elements of photography, film, and writing, our guides often have expertise in one or more of those areas. Above all, our guides are committed to bringing their full hearts and souls to the adventure, all in the name of creating the experience of a lifetime for all of us.

Everyone’s physical and emotional health is our first priority. Each trip will have a staff member that has been through first-aid and CPR training, While on the river or in remote areas, we will have staff members trained in wilderness first aid and/or a certified Wilderness First Responders. We also carry satellite devices that we can use in emergencies to contact outside assistance. In addition, we always create partnerships with other adventure guiding companies that have the highest standards, excellent track records, and who share our commitment to providing high quality experiences for our entire group.

If you have further questions about how we manage risks, please give us a call to have your questions answered and hear more about our risk management practices and track record.

Open Roads staff  are medically trained in first aid and CPR. We have a first aid kit stocked with ample supplies to handle most first aid situations. 

​

If you have specific questions or have a medical condition you want to discuss in advance, please don't hesitate to reach out to us. The more we know, the better prepared we can be.

Please list all allergies and medication needed on the medical form for our directors to review.

​

Our staff will keep prescribed medications and distribute them when needed.

If your child has a severe allergy and you have any questions or concerns about how we work with allergies in remote areas, please contact us and arrange a phone call.

Success comes with a willingness to give the experience 100% 

Bring a “can do and will try” attitude. Be prepared to try new things, to work hard, to be challenged and explore what you’re capable of, and prepare to have a boat-load of fun doing it. The most important preparation is simply to show up with an open heart and mind. Some trips offer pre-trip seminars, and in those cases there might be additional preparations and support. 

Your primary responsibilities will be to manage your own gear, to set up your tent.(which we will show you how to do), and to be open to a new way of living for a few days. You can choose to sleep securely zipped up inside your tent, or sleep under the stars, with your sleeping pad and sleeping bag laid out on the ground. Sometimes it takes people a night or two to adjust to sleeping outside, but it won’t be long before you can relax into your new surroundings. The only other adjustment will be to the bathroom options. It will be more rustic than what you are used to, but it's a small change to get used to given all the beauty you get to experience. 

It’s perfectly normal to feel a little nervous. Our guides and trip leaders will help you get comfortable and make sure you know where you will sit and how to hang on to the raft before you get into any rapids. You will get a safety talk, but don’t forget that the safety talk is meant to prepare everyone for possibilities, not eventualities. Other than that, just hang on and enjoy the ride! Don’t forget to look at the scenery, and trust us when we say that some of the people who are the most nervous at the start of the trip are the ones who end up whooping and hollering the loudest in the rapids at the end! Most important, if you ever feel nervous, have questions, or didn't understand directions, communicate that to us so we can work through it with you.