eXXpedition FAQs

All around the world! We endeavour to carefully curate a multidisciplinary crew, who have a variety of backgrounds and experiences. Studies have shown that having a multidisciplinary team is effective in stimulating ideas and change. This has also been reflected in our experience on our previous eXXpedition trips.

Based on our 10 years of experience bringing together great crews, we have developed the following simple selection principles.

• We look for people who want to bring their brilliant and unique skills, perspectives and experiences to the trips and the mission.
• We search for people who have plans to go on and make an impact back on dry land. This might be through spreading the word, influencing a system, starting a new project or something else entirely!
• We know spending days at sea, in challenging conditions, can test the best of us, so we look out for individuals who would make great team mates. People’s attitude, skills, and energy are what makes great Guest Crew members.
• We always seek to curate a diverse and multidisciplinary, multinational crew so carefully look at the make-up of teams on each trip.
• We try to be as inclusive as possible so please let us know if you require any adjustments to enable you to participate in the process.

You can find out more about why our voyages have an all-women crew here. However, if you do not identify as a woman, you are still very welcome at our events.

If you identify as a woman you are very welcome in our community, on our voyages and at our events.

Our trips require a level of health and fitness to ensure the safety and security of everyone involved, but this looks different for every expedition. We require everyone to pass a medical screening before they can take part in our trips and we ask that you are honest about your fitness, health and medical conditions in this process.

If you do have any concerns about your health, medical conditions or a disability impacting your ability to take art, you can contact us before booking so we can give you general advice on the potential suitability of your chosen trip.

You do not need to have sailing experience to join. We are looking to bring together multidisciplinary crews of women, some with sailing experience and others who bring other skills and contributions. If you do have significant sailing experience or qualifications please do let us know on your application form so that we can put together multiskilled crews.

Due to operating constraints, we can only accept applications from those who are over 18 years old when they sail. All crew members are required to ensure they have sufficient and appropriate insurance cover in place. There may be restrictions applied, which could stipulate upper age limits, to these insurance policies depending on individual circumstances.

Applications to join our expeditions are rolling. You can select your preferred trips when you apply and we will be in touch, if you are successful, when we are assembling the crew for that trip.
When you apply you are invited to select all trips you are interested in joining in priority order. We will review your application each time we select a crew for the trip you have selected.

You do not need to reapply. We will get in touch every time we release new trips inviting you to add these to your preferences. So your application never ‘expires’. We will review your application every time we select a crew for a trip you have selected.

If you do not get selected for your preferred trip, there is no need to apply again. We will get in touch each time we release new trips to see if you would like to be considered for those.

Crew members are split into watch teams and take turns to take part in all the required on-board activities, including sailing, cooking, science, cleaning, producing content to share your story and much more! Depending on the requirements of your expedition, you will take part in supervised night watches, too. We are a working team on board – this is not a holiday – so you are expected to bring lots of energy and a positive can-do attitude so we can make sure we make the biggest impact possible (and also have fun at the same time!)

Safety is the top priority for eXXpedition and our partners. The vessels we sail on are equipped with modern navigation systems and safety equipment. When selecting our vessel delivery partners, safe operating is our key priority; we review safety protocols, and carefully select based on these, and other factors. However, it is important to note that at sea expeditions are inherently risky and we cannot guarantee safety.

All eXXpedition expeditions are vegetarian. If you have any specialist dietary requirements or allergies, you can let us know in advance so we can accommodate. Guest Crews will work together as a team to prepare and cook meals and clean up afterwards.

We will provide a kit list appropriate for the climate of the expedition you are taking part in. We provide all safety equipment and foul weather gear (e.g. jackets, salopettes, lifejackets etc).

Each expedition is different, depending on where it is, local challenges and topography, and who we are working with locally.

Some examples of potential activities are:

• Science, trawling, analysis.
• Workshop, talks.
• Snorkelling, kayaking, stand-up paddleboarding, or other water-based activities.
• Hiking in your trip location.
• Beach cleanup.

Our trips are smoking and alcohol free. This is for safety reasons, as well as for the comfort of all our crew members. However, there might be circumstances when your professional crew makes an exception – for example, for a crew meal out on the last night.

The Mission Leader role varies depending on the expedition and you will be told who your Mission Leader is before you head off on your expedition.

eXXpedition trips are carefully designed with impact in mind and we try to keep costs to a minimum.

Your payment includes:

• Accommodation on the sailing vessel for the duration of your expedition
• All meals, snacks and drinks on board
• Sailing instruction from a professional crew
• Expert knowledge, scientific instruction and workshop facilitation during the expedition and with any local partners
• Safety equipment and foul weather gear

Your payment does not include:

• Transportation to your start location and from your finish location
• Transportation to and from our sailing vessel
• Any additional nights of accommodation not detailed in the itinerary
• Personal expenditure whilst in locations
• Personal travel insurance, to include sailing offshore cover

Many of our guest crew run crowdfunding campaigns or fundraise to cover their contribution. Crew members have also had success with gaining funding from businesses, especially those they have a personal connection to. This could be a business you work for or an organisation that is based locally to you. Once selected as a crew member, we provide guidelines and branding assets to support you with your personal fundraising campaigns.

Expeditions have a lot of factors to take into consideration in comparison to your average holiday, which makes it vitally important to take out adequate insurance. For example, you have a higher risk of injury away from comprehensive medical care and your belongings are at higher risk due to the trip conditions. To take part in an expedition with us, you must take out an insurance policy when you make a booking.

This must cover pre-existing medical conditions, cancellation charges, medical expenses and repatriation in the event of accident or illness, loss or damage for your personal possessions, as well as any specific activities that we have set out for the expedition you will be joining.

You should also be prepared to ask for specialist travel insurance that covers the particular expedition activities for your booked trip, for example sailing outside territorial waters (more than 12 nautical miles offshore), snorkelling or paddle boarding.

If you arrive at the trip start without a certificate of insurance you will not be able to take part.

You will require an independent medical screening to participate in our expeditions. You will be required to book a medical screening within 4 weeks of receiving your offer of a place and making your booking. You will need to arrange this process yourself (as this can be very different depending on the location in which you reside).

We understand that sometimes your ability to take part in an expedition can change due to circumstances out of your control. You are entitled to cancel your booking but depending on the circumstances you may not be entitled to a refund. Please read your Booking Conditions for more details. We ask that you contact us as soon as possible to let us know that your circumstances have changed, as we may be able to fill your space on board. We also advise that you take out adequate travel insurance before booking with us to ensure you have as much protection as possible in the situation you have to cancel your expedition with us.

We have been operating since 2014 and the only situation where we have cancelled expeditions was when the world shut down during COVID-19. However, there is always a risk that, due to Unavoidable and Extraordinary Circumstances, we do have to cancel an expedition. In this situation, we will provide you with as much notice as possible and, if possible, offer you an alternative expedition. If this alternative does not meet your requirements, then you may be entitled to a refund. Check the Booking Conditions for more details.

We meticulously plan our trips but sometimes there are factors beyond our control that could change the start and end dates of an expedition, for example, the weather conditions. Because of this, we ask our crew members to book flexible flights and accommodation, and allow a buffer of a few days at the end of a trip. If we do arrive on time, then you have a couple of days to spend exploring instead!