Why we work this way
Independence is not something anyone can be handed at the end of a trip. It gets practiced, in real places, with real consequences, by the person doing it. That is what a WanderRock trip is for.
For a lot of our travelers, this is the first time they have been somewhere unfamiliar without a parent nearby. That is the part that does the work. It is also the part that asks something of you, because it only works if the trip belongs to them.
We run it this way because we think they can do it. A lot of them have never had the chance to find out.
Who we deal with
Our contract is with your son or daughter rather than with you. They are an adult, they book in their own name, and they accept the Booking Agreement themselves.
Everything to do with the booking goes to them. The itinerary, the accommodation addresses, the meeting times, the final documents and the packing list. If you want any of it, ask them and they can pass it on.
If something is not working on the trip, they are heavily encouraged to tell a guide first. We would much rather hear it from them than from anyone else, and not because we are being strict about it. It is a short conversation that fixes most things in about ten seconds, and learning to have it is one of the more useful things they will take home.
We have had a traveler text home from dinner, their parent call our office, and our office call the guide, who was sitting at the same table. Everybody laughed and nobody minded. It is just a long way round.
What our guides do
Our guides are with the group all week. They plan the days, lead the way to places, keep things moving, solve problems, and help whenever help is wanted or needed.
They also notice a great deal. A guide will usually spot somebody flagging before they say anything, and will make room for it without announcing it to the group.
What our guides are not
Our guides are trip leaders. They are not caregivers, nurses, therapists, behavioral specialists or support workers, and they are not trained, employed or insured as any of those things.
There is no one-to-one supervision at any point. Nobody is shadowed constantly and nobody is checked in on through the night. In free time, travelers go out on their own, eat where they want, and find their own way back.
We do not take chaperones along either. Parents, caregivers and support workers do not travel with the group. The group is the travelers and the guides.
When things go wrong
Travel has risk in it. Trains get missed, weather turns, plans change, and a city is a city. That is not a flaw in the trip. No one grows in a week where nothing can go wrong. What we do is keep the stakes sensible and stay close enough to help.
Travel crises are our day job. A missed connection, a lost passport, a cancelled flight, a stomach bug at two in the morning, luggage that went to Frankfurt without its owner. We deal with these constantly and we are good at them.
A mental health crisis is a different thing, and we mean crisis. A hard afternoon is not one. Feeling overwhelmed is not one, and neither is needing to skip a day and sleep. Those happen on every trip and we plan for them. We mean someone in real danger, or no longer able to keep themselves safe. We are not equipped for that and nobody on the team is qualified to manage it. If it happens, the trip ends for that traveler and they go home. We will do what we practically can to help with that.
In a genuine emergency we contact the person your son or daughter nominated when they booked. That is usually a parent. It is their choice, made in advance, and it is set out in Section 4(f) of the Booking Agreement.
Talking to us
Call us whenever you like. We are glad to hear from you and we will answer you honestly.
What we will not do is send out updates. There are no daily reports, no progress notes and no file kept on how anyone is doing, because a trip that somebody else is being briefed on stops belonging to the person taking it.
If you call during a trip and ask how your son or daughter is doing, we will tell you. The only exception is where they have asked us not to discuss them, which is their right and which they can change at any point. They do not have to give a reason and we will not ask for one.
We will not act on instructions about a traveler from anybody else. If you are worried about food, sleep, medication or anything at all, tell us and we will listen. Then we will suggest your son or daughter raises it with a guide. That is not us brushing you off. Them asking is the part that matters.
Before you book
Read the trip page in full, and the requirements section in particular. Then have your son or daughter read it, because they are the one who will be agreeing to it.
We interview every applicant, and we interview them on their own. It is not a formality and it is not a sales call. Where we do not think a trip is right for somebody, we say so.
If your son or daughter needs supervision, medication management or crisis support, this is not the right trip yet. That is about timing rather than about them.
How to reach us
Telephone: (628) 529-1318
Email: contact@wanderrock.com
Post: WanderRock LLC, 2443 Fillmore St 380 2362, San Francisco, CA 94115
While a trip is running there is always somebody reachable.
The two documents worth knowing about are the Booking Agreement, which is what your son or daughter agrees to when they book, and the Privacy Policy, which covers what we do with their information.