At this time, the Voyageur Outward Bound School (VOBS) is committed to running scheduled programming. 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 students and families 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, 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 run courses 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 and will do so if we feel that is the safest option for the health and safety of our students and staff. Should MN or TX see a significant rise in disease spread and implement additional directives, we may not be able to run programs in accordance with state guidelines. 

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

Vaccinated participants will be asked to submit a copy of their vaccination card. 

Students attending any overnight expeditions with VOBS are required to be up-to-date with their vaccination for COVID-19. Please reach out to our student services team with any questions.

For courses that are part of a partnership program and are not overnight expeditions, vaccination requirement will vary.

Participants are required to be "up-to-date" with vaccinations against COVID-19 as defined by the CDC. For some individuals, this will mean getting a booster shot. 

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.

We encourage students to test prior to the course to prevent unnecessary travel if they are positive.

Our staff will test each student when they arrive and on Day 4 or 5 of the course. These  antigen tests are a part of our risk mitigation strategy to reduce the changes of COVID-19 spread.

Students will continue to be socially distanced and wear masks when they are in indoor spaces or buildings. Masking will not be required in outside spaces, except for when the group is not in a family unit and in close proximity or with sustained contact.

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.

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 shelters or distanced under tarps. Following two negative tests, the group will become a family unit and sleeping procedures may shift for ease of 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.