Home Overland Stories Discovery & Inspiration Admissions Availability Update #2: January 29, 2021

Friday, January 29, 2021

Our wild admissions ride continues! This year’s flow of applications matches, and in many cases exceeds, the best years in our nearly forty-year history.

And, here’s what we’re hearing from families day after day: now, more than ever, a summer outdoors–with new friends, exploring the world’s beauty–is essential.

We couldn’t agree more.

And, to make it easier for our families to plan with confidence, we’ve taken some important steps this week:

INCREASED FLEXIBILITY

We’ve made all payments fully refundable until Saturday, May 15.

A BACKUP DOMESTIC TRIP FOR OUR STUDENTS WHO ARE ENROLLED ON TRIPS ABROAD

With travel abroad still an uncertainty for this summer, we are now providing all of our students enrolled on international trips the option of reserving a backup spot on a U.S. trip.

A THOUGHTFUL, COMMONSENSE APPROACH TO COVID

As we plan for the summer, we know that our existing trip structure is ideal:

• Small groups (twelve students and two leaders)
• Outdoor settings
• Limited contact with the general public

In addition, this summer we will:

• Treat our groups as family units / pods
• Maintain social distance and wear masks when near the general public
• Require a negative PCR test before trip start
• Encourage smart air travel practices (for example, wear N95 masks in airports and on board)

We will continue to refine these policies as summer approaches, always with the goal of taking a thoughtful, commonsense approach to maintaining our students’ health and well-being.

FINAL THOUGHTS

Apply today. Let us get to work finding a great spot for your child for this summer. After a long year of remote this and Zoom that, a summer outdoors, with friends, exploring the world’s beauty is essential.

Tom Costley is Overland’s founder and director. After graduating from Williams College, Tom spent a summer biking across the country– despite never having bike toured before. These days, Tom spends plenty of time on the road– including helping out with desert support for our American Challenge trip. While he still prefers two wheels to four, even he has to admit that a Jeep with an Overland banner looks pretty, well… cool.