Summary
Marine conservation and diving project, including diving tuition, to help with cleaning up the ocean
Project location
Just outside Lisbon, Portugal
Length of project
1 – 8 weeks.
Group/individual basis
You will travel as an individual, but join a group of other volunteers from around the world.
Support
Help and advice from our UK office throughout. Local support from project staff.
Includes
- Volunteer work on the diving project
- Pre-departure information covering work issues and advice about life in Portugal
- Transport arranged to your accommodation from the airport
- Accommodation in a shared volunteer house
- Three meals per day
- Coffee, tea, biscuits and fruit available throughout the day
- Thorough orientation on arrival and tour of Lisbon
- Diving tuition on the project
- All diving equipment on the project
- Excellent in-country support
Not included
- Flights
- Travel and medical insurance
- Any home country transport (eg. taxis and buses)
- Transport to your project site each day
- Return transfer to the airport
- Spending money
- Free time activities
Accommodation
Shared accommodation in a comfortable volunteer house just 20-30 minutes from the city centre.
Travel arrangements
Fly to Lisbon (LIS). Driver will meet you at airport and take you to the accommodation. You will arrange your own return transport to the airport.
Pre-departure briefing
You will receive thorough information on your My Oyster account covering project expectations, preparation, health and safety, responsible travel and arrival arrangements at least 4 weeks before departure.
Medical
Vaccinations may be required. We recommend that you visit your Doctor or Travel Nurse as soon as possible to discuss what you might need to have.
Please be aware that Oyster staff are not able to give advice on your medical background or the type of vaccinations that you might need.
You can get useful medical advice relating to your destination on the ‘Fit For Travel’ website – http://www.fitfortravel.nhs.uk/.
You must inform Oyster of any pre-existing physical or mental health conditions. Oyster staff may ask for you to provide a letter from your Doctor before continuing with your booking.
Insurance
You must take out a full travel insurance policy as soon as you can before departure. This must cover you for personal accident, medical, cancellation, emergency evacuation, lost luggage etc. We strongly recommend that you organise your travel insurance upon booking your place. We can introduce a policy with Global Travel Insurance to UK citizens, details of which can be found in your MyOyster account, once you have completed your booking. If you are not eligible for this insurance, please read through it to have an idea of what you need to be covered for.
Any risk factors
Lisbon is a relatively safe place with very little violent crime. Pickpockets do target tourists, so you should take good care of your belongings. You must listen attentively to all safety briefings given to you by your dive instructors and project leaders. They are highly qualified and very well trained. The currents can be strong in the sea, it can be very cold in the water and there can be rough seas, and the project will assess the conditions before you go out to sea.
Downtime
Participants will be able to travel independently during their time off, as long as they accept that they will be outside Oyster’s jurisdiction, make appropriate insurance provision and inform others. It is important to let staff know when you are due to return and keep them updated if your plans change.
Accessibility
This project could accommodate those with minor physical disabilities. Please discuss with destination manager before booking.
Financial Security
When you book with Oyster you can rest assured that your money will be protected and you will not be stranded abroad in the very unlikely event that our company becomes insolvent. If your booking includes a flight arranged by us, your whole trip will be subject to ATOL protection. If we have not booked your flight then your trip will be just as safe, since it will be insured through International Passenger Protection Ltd.