Firstly, thank you! Below is a checklist of things you must do before travelling to the Balkans. Please follow them carefully to ensure that you have a successful trip!
- Come to an OXAB recruitment meeting: these take place in Michaelmas (Autumn) and Hilary (Spring) terms, details should be up in the news section of the website.
- Look around the website, especially at the Bosnia and Bulgaria sections. We are working on re-starting trips to Serbia; in the meantime, please contact our Serbia Liaison for more information. We are planning to start trips to Kosovo in summer 2009; this is rapidly developing so please keep checking back on this site.
- Choose:
- Country
- Dates
- First and second choice destinations
- Read the application pack on the website, and download and fill in the forms provided.
- Each individual must apply separately - please do not fill in the form as a group
- Provide a deposit cheque of £20, made payable to Oxford Aid to the Balkans
- Return the signed forms at an OXAB meeting, or to Romilly Moses at Christ Church
- Police checks, CRB forms
- When you have found a group, contact the liaison officer for your area - bulgaria@oxab.org.uk for Bulgaria, bosnia@oxab.org.uk for Bosnia or serbia@oxab.org.uk. You may find it helpful when organising the trip to appoint a group contact to liaise with OXAB and your contact in Bulgaria/Bosnia/Serbia.
- Once all your forms are completed you will have a brief, informal interview with a few members of the OXAB committee. These take place in the term before departure - at the beginning of Hilary (spring term) for Easter volunteers and at the beginning of Trinity (summer term) for Summer volunteers.
- All volunteers will have to attend a Child and Vulnerable Adult training session, which will also take place in the term before departure. Details should be available on the news section of the website before the sessions.
- OXAB does not have any insurance cover as a group, and does not accept liability either for you or your possessions while you are on a trip. It is therefore ESSENTIAL that you take out travel insurance for the period of your trip. OXAB may be able to help your purchase an individual policy at a discount. Please contact Xiaonan Sun at Someville for details, or see a member of the OXAB Committee at one of our regular Sunday meetings”
- You will then be supplied with the contact details for the centre you will be visiting, and you should then get in contact with them yourself as soon as you can. You will need to:
- Ensure that your accommodation at or near the centre is arranged, and if not, book some - usually the contact is best placed to do this since they have local knowledge.
- Make sure that you don’t need to stay the night in Sofia, Zagreb or Belgrade after your flight before travelling to the centre - if you have problems with this ask for advice at a meeting.
- Ask if the centre require any proof of identity / medical information from you when you arrive
- Book your flights as soon as possible - cheap flights sell out quickly. The airports usually used are:
- Sofia for Bulgaria
- Zagreb for Bosnia, although more expensive flights do go directly to Sarajevo.
- Belgrade for Serbia
Please note that while OXAB will provide contacts in the Balkans, emergency contacts during your trip, and other assistance where we can, the final responsibility for travel arrangements and accommodation rests with you, so it is crucial that you or your group leader contact your centre in the Balkans before leaving the country.
Last updated: December 24th, 2008