Covid-19 Safety Standards

The safety and well-being of our travelers is Vamonos’ top priority. Beginning on June 1^st, 2020, we are implementing additional safety measures to protect our travelers during and after this crisis. These protections are not just for our groups but also for our staff. Our preventative measures are geared to protect our travelers and staff from any spread of Covid19.

Prior to the group’s departure date, we will share our Covid-19 Safety Policy with our travelers. We will also encourage the group leader to review our policy with his/her group. In addition, we will be monitoring the group’s flight (s), government-mandated guidelines, viral spread, security in the specific destination, weather, and any other event that may directly or indirectly affect the group’s safety.

Our policy is divided in the following main headings:

1. Daily routine
2. Hygiene policy
3. Indoor policy (Restaurants, hotels, and venues)
4. Room-sharing policy
5. Open Air / Outdoor policy

1. Daily Routine – The following routine beginning on day one of the tour and every morning prior to our first event of the day.
   1. Face coverings – All travelers must bring face masks for the duration of their tour. They must wear face coverings or masks (such as scarves, bandanas, or other forms of face protection) while in public, in transition, and indoors.
   2. Temperature – Conduct temperature checks for the staff daily and before the first event of the day. Any staff member with a temperature higher than 100.5 will be sent home for the remainder of the tour.
   3. Gloves – Require staff members to use gloves when handling food. Gloves will be used once and properly disposed during all meals.
   4. Disinfect – Sanitize public areas as needed. Disinfect and sanitize our water cooler dispenser each time it is used.
   5. Vendor’s and government safety guidelines – Enforce all the safety guidelines and regulations of our vendors such as coach bus, hotels, restaurants, and venues. Follow all new and established national, state, and CDC guidance to keep our travelers and staff safe. Make sure coach bus is disinfected at least twice daily.
   6. Social-distancing – In partnership with the group leaders, remind travelers about social distancing and encourage it as much as possible while on tour.
   7. Readily available – Provide hand sanitizer. Most hotels may have disposable masks available for our travelers. However, do not depend on hotels to provide the mask (s) needed for your trip.
   8. Communication – Vamonos will verbally convey to all travelers their personal responsibility in regard to our Safety policy and hygiene standards at the start of the tour. This will most likely take place while transferring from the airport.
   9. Do and do not reminders: we will remind travelers of the following:
      1. Encourage thorough handwashing often for a minimum of 20 seconds.
      2. Avoid sharing items of personal use like water bottles, eye drops, and table materials such as utensils, cups/glasses, or related items.
      3. Avoid having physical contact or closeness face to face with others.
      4. Refrain from touching things or surfaces in public places while indoors or outdoors.
      5. Always carry a personal hand sanitizer (we will provide one if needed)
      6. Follow the safety rules and protocols of each place we visit while on the tour.
2. Hygiene Policy
   1. Handwashing with soap/water – Everyone must wash their hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds especially after they have been in a public place, before eating, after using the bathroom, or after blowing their nose, coughing, or sneezing.
   2. Handwashing with sanitizer – If soap and water are not readily available, everyone must use a hand sanitizer that contains at least 60% alcohol. We will make these available on the coach bus and as often as possible during our tour. We urge travelers and staff to cover all surfaces of their hands and rub them together until they feel dry. As a safety protocol, sanitizer should not be kept in vehicles and/or in places with prolonged temperatures of 90 degrees or higher.
   3. Avoid touching your face – Everyone must keep their hands away from their eyes, nose, and mouth at all times, particularly if they have not been washed.
   4. Cover coughs and sneezes – Travelers and staff must cover their mouth and nose when coughing or sneezing. It’s preferable to cover their mouth/nose with a cloth. If a cloth is not available, cough or sneeze inside your elbow as you step away from other people.
   5. After coughing / sneezing – It is imperative that everyone washes their hands with soap and water for at least 20 seconds after coughing/sneezing. If soap and water are not readily available, clean your hands with a hand sanitizer that contains at least 60% ethanol or 70% isopropanol. Immediately throw away any used tissues in the trash.
3. Indoor policy
   1. Restaurants: Vamonos has re-structured its itineraries in a way to avoid indoor places to eat as much as possible. We will do our best to reserve restaurants with outdoor spaces to eat or that can accommodate our groups privately.
   2. Hotels: Vamonos has also re-structured its itineraries by choosing hotels, in as much as possible, with as many outdoor facilities as possible. Our goal is to spend the least amount of time at hotels. If meals are to be served at hotels, our number one priority will be to eat outside. We are also committed to booking small hotels to avoid large amounts of guests that are not with the group.
   3. Venues: We will prioritize outdoor venues and visits on our daily schedule of events. In addition, we will avoid crowded places and seek privacy as much as possible.
4. Room-sharing policy: We will remind travelers to avoid sharing the following:
   1. Personal items with roommates or others (i.e. deodorant, razors, phones, phone devices, etc.).
   2. Unwashed towels, washcloths, clothing, or uniforms.
5. Open Air / Outdoor Policy
   • Even prior to Covid19, our itineraries have always focused on daily outdoor activities. Now and more than ever, we will increase our exposure to the outside while also avoiding crowded places in as much as possible. We are passionate about connecting travelers to the benefits of time spent in nature and outdoors. Researchers have found that regular time in nature can make people healthier, happier, smarter, and better stewards of the environment. According to the US National Institute of Health, time spent in bright sunlight is required for the development of healthy vision; myopia in children has risen 25% over the past 40 years and is causally linked to kids not spending time outdoors. It further indicates that spending time in nature reduces stress and anxiety, promotes positive moods, and improves people’s social functioning. Unstructured outdoor recreation provides opportunities to take risks, develops problem-solving skills, and builds self-esteem. The following are key steps we are taking to enforce our Open Air / Outdoor Policy:
     • Increase our itineraries’ exposure to the outdoors by 30%
     • Decrease the amount of time spent indoors and, on the bus, as much as possible
     • Avoid eating indoors as much as possible
     • Encourage social distancing both indoors and outdoors

While some of our policies have changed, our mission to run meaningful cultural immersion tours remains the same. We promise integrity of service and commitment as we assist you on your tour and look forward to exploring our exciting destinations again.