At this time the Voyageur Outward Bound School is committed to running scheduled programming through Winter 2021 and beyond. VOBS will decide when and under what conditions any courses will operate using medical advice and our best judgment. If course dates need to change, or VOBS decides to cancel a course, your Course Advisor will reach out to you with more information.

We are happy to thoroughly discuss our Cancellation Policy to address COVID-19-related issues. If you are comfortable with the timing of your payments as they relate to our Cancellation Policy and our current course delivery status, we'd love to assist you with your application for a course.

Courses are enrolling fast for 2021, so enrolling early will give you the best chance to get a spot on the course of your choice. 

We hope not, but the answer is yes. Our decision to open has been made after careful reflection on risk versus reward. As we gather new information and assess the most current information on disease spread, we reserve the right to cancel programming if we feel that is the safest option for the health and safety of our students and staff. We are also following state guidelines. Should MN or TX see a significant rise in disease spread and implement additional directives, we may not be able to run programs. 

If your course needs to be canceled your course advisor will reach out to you directly to discuss your options. 

All students and parents will need to sign an additional COVID-19 Statement of Understanding that outlines your responsibilities and commitment to making sure that you are able to arrive at Outward Bound healthy.

Strict social distancing means limiting exposure to non-family members, wearing a face mask around non-family members, avoiding large crowds/gatherings, and limiting unnecessary travel for 14 days prior to the start of your course. This is required in order to minimize your exposure to communicable disease.

Testing is one layer of the safety system to ensure that students who are coming from all over the country are coming into the course healthy. Every student needs to obtain an FDA-authorized NAAT (RT-PCR or Lamp) test prior to coming on the course. Antigen tests will not be accepted. Our staff will also test each student when they arrive to verify that everyone was negative before they left home, and negative when they arrived for their course. 

Students will continue to be socially distanced and wear masks when necessary for the first two weeks of their course. Then they will become a family unit for the remainder of the course.

Having an underlying health condition would not automatically exclude anyone from participating in Outward Bound. All students undergo a medical screening process to make sure that they are safe and fit candidates for their specific course. Students with underlying conditions are advised to check with their physicians about any additional risks of contracting a communicable disease.

Yes, all students, regardless of vaccination, are required to follow all of the current COVID-19 safety standards and protocols. This includes both pre-course testing, quarantine, travel, and on-course expectations. 

1. Consider getting a flu vaccine prior to your course. By getting vaccinated for the flu, you support your community's health and could decrease the incidence of symptoms very similar to COVID-19 appearing on course.

2. If you have previously tested positive for COVID-19, findings have shown that you may still test positive within the few months following your original diagnosis. If you believe you have had or you have a previous confirmed positive test for COVID-19, you may consider getting tested 14 days prior to course start. In the event that the test results return positive, after 10 days from the test collection date and if you are not showing any signs or symptoms of COVID-19, you would be considered to be negative for COVID-19 according to current medical guidelines. In this event, we would be able to have you on course (proof of a positive test result at least 14 days prior to course start would be required). Any positive test result with a collection date inside of this timeline without proof of a previous positive test would result in needing to cancel your enrollment for your upcoming course.

You will be asked to wear a face mask in specific situations at specific times;  however, you will not need to wear a mask for the vast majority of your Outward Bound experience.  We have structured your Outward Bound course so that your group can distance itself from other non-course staff and groups. You will be required to wear a mask at the drop-off location for the start of the course and periodically throughout the expedition if you are unable to socially distance from people outside of your expedition brigade. You and your group will also need to wear masks if someone within the group presents symptoms that cannot be attributed to another illness, or if you need to leave the course for any health reason to visit a doctor. We have added two washable cloth face masks and a buff to the packing list.

Staff will be required to wear masks when they need to interact with people outside of the immediate group and social distancing is not possible.

Each student will be sleeping in single tents if they are on canoeing courses in the Boundary Waters. Students on course in Texas will be sleeping under tarps and will be physically distanced. Your group will be considered a family unit for the entirety of the course.

Despite pre-course-screening, social distancing requirements, good hygiene, and careful measures, it is impossible to guarantee that you will not contract COVID-19 while at Outward Bound. We will take every precaution to keep you healthy while you are on your course. If a student or instructor exhibits COVID-19 symptoms during a course, we will evacuate them to our basecamp for testing.  Depending on the situation, our goal would be for the rest of the group to continue with their expedition during this time. Upon receiving a negative test, the student would be able to return to the group.  

We have set aside specific cabins and tents at our basecamps to be used as places for a student or staff person to isolate if necessary.

 If a student does test positive for COVID-19, the student would need to leave the course permanently, and parents or friends would be required to pick up the student in a personal vehicle and drive them away. If a staff member tests positive for COVID-19 they would leave the course permanently and be replaced by a staff member who has been supporting the group. 

Depending on the situation, our goal would be for the rest of the group to continue with their expedition during this time.

Each basecamp will essentially be isolated. Only essential visitors (health inspectors, camp doctors, food delivery, etc.) will be allowed on property for the duration of the season. Visitors will wear masks and practice social distancing while on site.

We have also set aside specific cabins and tents at our basecamps to be used as places for a student or staff person to isolate if necessary. 

All program staff with direct interaction with students will be tested. The frequency of testing will be triggered by the prevalence of COVID-19 in the local area.

If travel or other challenges result in enrollment dropping so low that the group size is below what we believe is necessary for the valuable interpersonal dynamics of an Outward Bound course, we will seek to transfer students and combine groups. If this is not possible, we may be forced to cancel a course.

If the states in which we operate (MN and TX) impose travel restrictions or other restrictions that limit our ability to operate we may be forced to cancel a course. 

If local health authorities make a recommendation against, or a restriction that applies to our programs, courses that haven’t yet started will be cancelled and courses underway may be ended early.

If Outward Bound needs to cancel a course due to COVID-19 your Course Advisor will assist you in transferring to a future Outward Bound course OR issue a course credit for a future Outward Bound course OR issue a refund in full.

You can contact student services directly at student.services@vobs.org or  1 (828) 239 2376

If you elect not to send the student on course and they have not been directly exposed to nor contracted COVID-19, you can receive a refund of everything except the $150 non-refundable enrollment fee if it's more than 90 days out. Otherwise, we will not process a refund for cancellations less than 90 days out. See our cancellation policy here.

You will work directly with our student services team: student.services@vobs.org; 1 (828) 239 2376

This course credit MAY be valid for other course types or areas within Voyageur Outward Bound School's programming and possibly even transferable to other family members. Please speak directly with our student services team: student.services@vobs.org;  1 (828) 239 2376

Course start must be on or before the date in your credit email.