SAFETY
Safety is a top priority at Cross Exchange. See what steps we are taking to ensure volunteers and hosts have the best experience possible.
Note: this page is written with our volunteers (travelers) in mind. For helpful safety information and tips for hosts, see our Host Resources.
Far too often, traveling feels like a balance between safety and adventure. It might seem like you have to choose one over the other, but with smart planning and clear-headed decision making, you can embrace both worlds. At Cross Exchange, we strive to enhance this balance by taking reasonable steps to promote travelers’ safety. Our aim is to act as a supportive backdrop rather than a hindrance, doing our part to increase safety without getting in your way.
Cross Exchange seeks to connect volunteers (the travelers) with hosts from a wide range of backgrounds. Therefore, Cross Exchange is built for people who are adventurous, open-minded, resilient, and who have a glass-half-full mindset. Looking for a vacation where you can spend all day lounging by the pool? Sorry, look elsewhere. Looking for a missions trip where your hand is held by a trip leader from start to finish? Sorry, look elsewhere. This is not to criticize those institutions -- there’s nothing wrong with a vacation or a traditional missions trip that’s done in good faith -- but Cross Exchange is designed to work differently (see Why Cross Exchange for more info). Cross Exchange volunteers are expected to take ownership of their travels, adjust plans when needed, and take reasonable steps to promote their safety. While that may sound overwhelming to first time travelers - trust us, we’ve been there - and now we’re here to help support you along this journey. These are the steps we take to help you.
Don't Compromise
Safety for Adventure
Who cross exchange is designed for:
Host Verification
Another way we help confirm the legitimacy of our hosts is by keeping local churches in the center of our operations through our Church Partner Program. In short, Cross Exchange partners with churches by donating to churches that help their congregation sign up for Cross Exchange. This incentive program is designed to create a community of hosts on Cross Exchange that are active and in good standing with their local church, adding another layer of safety and accountability for our volunteers.
For more details on how this works, you can explore our Church Partner Program page.
Local Church Network
Our goal is to equip all Cross Exchange travelers with relevant, timely, and useful information to be successful on their adventure, whether traveling near home or far abroad. Our Resources page is a great place to start (see our Volunteer Safety Tips page, which is especially relevant to this article), but we want to go even further: We are in the early stages of building a training program with a wide range of modules (such as Travel Basics, International Etiquette, Safety Considerations, etc) that will ensure a baseline knowledge level for all members. Already a seasoned traveler? You’ll be able to test out of the program if you’re already well-versed.
Training
Another important way Cross Exchange promotes safety is through our volunteer and host review feature. Had an excellent experience with a host? Post your review so others can enjoy too! Had a mixed experience? You can post that review too, and can even send us a message directly (and privately) to share any concerns we should be aware of. Reviews help build a community of trust and transparency that makes Cross Exchange better for everyone.
Reviews
Traveling with a friend is a simple and fun way to promote safety when you’re on an adventure. To encourage this practice, Cross Exchange provides our members a volunteer search & filter feature, providing the ability to find and reach out to other travelers who have similar plans.
Additionally, Cross Exchange supports joint-profiles: two friends who wish to travel together can create a shared membership profile, making it even
easier to find hosts and travel together with friends.
Traveling with a friend is a simple and fun way to promote safety when you’re on an adventure. To encourage this practice, Cross Exchange provides our members a volunteer search & filter feature, providing the ability to find and reach out to other travelers who have similar plans.
Additionally, Cross Exchange supports joint-profiles: two friends who wish to travel together can create a shared membership profile, making it even easier to find hosts and travel together with friends.
Traveling with
Your Friends
All Cross Exchange travelers need to have medical insurance that will cover them at the place(s) they are traveling to. Travelers should check with their normal medical insurer to see if they will be covered at their new location, and if not, need to purchase medical insurance that will cover their trip. These providers can be easily found through an internet search for traveler’s medical insurance.
Some travelers also elect to purchase traveler’s insurance. There are many companies that offer this insurance, so we recommend doing some research on the internet to see which (if any) providers are a good fit for you.
Insurance
In terms of safety, the biggest differentiator between Cross Exchange and other work exchange platforms is our commitment to verify every host that uses our platform.
After hosts have completed their profile, our team video calls with them to confirm their authenticity. We ask hosts to provide a view of their home and living quarters where volunteer(s) will stay, and share more about who they are and what they believe. If we have reason to believe the host is not being genuine with our team,
or if anything gives us pause about having volunteers stay with them- we respectfully decline their invitation to host on our platform. There’s quite a few ‘what-ifs’
that can happen here, so if you’d like to learn more about how we handle this important process, you can explore our Host Verification resource article for
more details.
In terms of safety, the biggest differentiator between Cross Exchange and other work exchange platforms is our commitment to verify every host that uses our platform.
After hosts have completed their profile, our team video calls with them to confirm their authenticity. We ask hosts to provide a view of their home and living quarters where volunteer(s) will stay, and share more about who they are and what they believe. If we have reason to believe the host is not being genuine with our team,
or if anything gives us pause about having volunteers stay with them- we respectfully decline their invitation to host on our platform. There’s quite a few ‘what-ifs’ that can happen here, so if you’d like to learn more about how we handle this important process, you can explore our Host Verification resource article for
more details.
We’re here to help. If you have a question that isn’t addressed on our FAQ'S page, please use our contact form or send us an email at help@crossexchange.org. If you are in an emergency, please call the appropriate emergency help line in your area (USA is 911)
