How do I get more information?
There are several ways of getting more information. Firstly, our website will give you a good overview of all our experiences with pictures, videos, feedback, media coverage, etc. Secondly, if your interest and imagination have been stirred by a particular experience and you would like to know all the details such as the exact location of the assembly point and how to get there, what you will be doing, etc., you can download a briefing document with lots of details from our download centre. Lastly, you can of course always contact one of our offices by phone, fax, or e-mail to talk to us in person or attend one of our events to do the same.
How long can I join for and are there any discounts for joining more than one slot or expedition?
Our 2-week expeditions and 1-week projects are on-going research ventures with team members joining at particular times of the year when their help is most needed (as for example during the rainy, or at the beginning of the breeding season). We divide all our expeditions into several slots which run back-to-back. A slot for an expedition is two weeks and for a project it is one week, so when one team leaves, the next arrives and so on. You can join for single or multiple slots, so you can stay for 2, 4, 6, etc. weeks on an expedition and 1, 2, 3, etc. weeks on a project – you get the idea!
There are no discount schemes for events or taster weekends, but if you decide to join a 2-week expedition or a 1-week project after having attended one of our taster weekends, then we will credit £100 or €100 towards your expedition or project contribution.
If you want to join a 2-week expedition for two slots, you will get an additional £150 off the total. For each additional slot, you will get another £100 off (so £250 off for three slots, £350 off for four slots, etc.) up to a maximum of £500. If you want to join a 1-week project for two slots, you will get £75 off the total. For each additional slot, you will get another £50 off (so £125 off for three slots, £175 off for four slots, etc.) up to a maximum of £250.
You can also qualify for a discount if you join more than one 2-week expedition or 1-week project in any one calendar year, or a combination of 2-week expeditions and 1-week projects. If you do, the same discount principles as above apply. So if you join two 2-week expeditions for one slot each in a calendar year, you will get £150 off the total (£75 if you join two 1-week projets in a calendar year). If you join one 2-week expedition and one 1-week project for one slot each in a calendar year, you will get £112.50 off the total.
Our "Frequent Flyers", ie those who have been on three or four separate 2-week expeditions or 1-week projects (not slots), start with a £100 (for expeditions) / £50 (for projects) discount and get the same discount again for each additional slot they add.
Our "VIBPs" (Very Important Biosphere Persons), ie those who have been on five or more separate 2-week expeditions or 1-week projects (not slots), start with a £150 (for expeditions) / £75 (for projects) discount and get an additional £100 (for expeditions) / £50 (for projects) off for each slot they add. Whatever combination of discounts you can accrue, our maximum ceiling is £500 in any one calendar year and taster weekends and events are not subject to any discount schemes apart from the £100 / €100 credit mentioned above.
Who books my flights / makes my travel arrangements to the assembly point?
You do and you can also support Biosphere Expeditions by using our partner flight and travel agents. See
www.biosphere-expeditions.org/supportingbiosphere for details and partners.
How do I join a team and how do I pay?
Select an experience and a date, check availability by contacting us, then send us your deposit (£300 for a 2-week expedition or 1-week project, and £100 or €100 for a taster weekend) to reserve your place. It's as easy as that and the quickest way of doing it is online via
www.biosphere-expeditions.org/join. The full balance will be due four weeks before your experience starts (or immediately if it does within four weeks). You can pay by UK cheque, debit or credit card, or bank transfer and you can also do it online
When should I join a team?
EARLY! To maximise research efficiency and minimise environmental impact, our group sizes are kept small, so teams fill fast. It is a good idea to
contact us as soon as you can as many teams are filled several months prior to departure (check latest availability by contacting us). The other reason to join as early as possible is to be able to book your travel to the assembly point well in advance. You may also be able to trigger additional discounts from your flight carrier by booking early - and flights can get booked up months in advance, especially around peak times such as the June - August, and the Christmas/New Year period.
I've reserved my place by paying the deposit. What happens now?
Once you have joined up, we send you your “welcome pack” with all the information you need to get ready. Four weeks before your experience starts your balance will be due, and provided you pay and make your way to the assembly point on time, you'll be off before you can say 'Dr Livingstone, I presume'!
Can I withdraw if I need to?
Yes, you can, but depending on when you do it, you will be charged various amounts. If you withdraw 100 days or more before the start of the first team dates for the experience we shall give you a full refund less the non-refundable deposit. If you cancel between 99 and 50 days before the start, we shall credit you a 50% refund. If you cancel between 49 and 21 days before its start, we shall credit you a 10% refund. If you cancel 20 days or fewer before its start, we shall not credit you any refund. Once we have accepted your withdrawal we will send you an invoice for any balance owing once the above credit has been taken into account and you must pay any balance due within 14 days of receipt. These cancellation charges are made to compensate us for advance payments and purchases we have made in the host country and/or with our field stations and scientists and for the cost of remarketing and/or changing arrangements for someone else to take your place. If you withdraw, we advise you to check your insurance policy as you may be entitled to make a claim to cover your lost deposit and/or part of the cancellation charges.
How to join an expedition
