The Cornerstone Blog
Providing insights, updates, and guidance to the experiential education & travel industry
Virtual vs. In-Person Training: What’s Right for You This Season?
As we gear up for a new season of programs, the question for safety leaders isn’t just what your team needs to learn, but how best to retain it. In the high-stakes world of experiential travel, training isn't just a requirement—it's your primary tool for incident prevention.
This year, rather than choosing one format over the other, we invite you to look at your training calendar through the lens of strategic integration. Whether you’re US-based or host your training overseas, here’s how the evidence can help you decide what works best for your specific goals.
When the Hardest Conversations Happen in the Hardest Moments
It’s day six of a backcountry program. The weather’s been unpredictable, one participant is homesick, and everyone’s running on less sleep than they’d like. A staff member snaps during a debrief, and tension ripples through the group. Sound familiar?
Moments like these aren’t unusual in travel, adventure, and wilderness programs. They’re part of what makes this work both challenging and meaningful. But when stress piles up, communication often breaks down — and that’s when small misunderstandings can turn into big conflicts.
Understanding Heat-Related Illness: Heat Exhaustion vs. Heat Stroke
As global temperatures continue to rise and heat waves become more frequent and intense, it is increasingly important to recognize the signs of heat-related illness. Heat exhaustion and heat stroke are two serious medical conditions that result from the body’s inability to regulate its internal temperature in extreme heat. Understanding the differences between these conditions—and knowing how to respond—can prevent complications and save lives.Add your text here.
Traveling To and From the U.S. in 2025: Tips For Travelers
Travel season is upon us. As individuals and families get ready for vacations, study abroad programs, cultural exchange experiences, and seasonal jobs, confusion about border crossings tends to dampen traveler excitement.
In alignment with Cornerstone Safety Group, our friends at Andrade Canona Immigration Law Firm, share valuable information and tips that will guide travelers navigating cross-border travel during these challenging and uncertain times.
Managing Difficult Conversations Across Cultures
For those operating travel and experiential education programs, managing difficult conversations is vital in maintaining trust and ensuring positive outcomes for both travelers and staff. Scenarios such as cultural misunderstandings, group conflicts, or addressing boundary violations can arise in diverse, high-pressure environments.
In a recent webinar hosted by the Cornerstone Mental Health team, our advisors shared insights and strategies to approach these conversations with care, empathy, and effectiveness. Below, we highlight key takeaways from the session, focusing on practical applications for your team or organization.
Key Takeaways from the Wilderness Risk Management Conference 2024
While representing Cornerstone Safety Group at the WRMC this year, we were also able to take part in some fascinating discussions with both members and industry leaders on their fresh insights. We like to look at these opportunities for in-person connection as more than just an event for learning about industry trends; it’s a hub where the evolving landscape of risk management intersects with the innovations and challenges of travel.
Here are a few of the themes and insights that resonated with us, along with reflections from the team on what these mean for our work and yours.
Key Insights: What Travel Leaders can Learn from Human and Organizational Performance Best Practices
Recently, Cornerstone Risk Management Advisor, Mike Armstrong, attended a conference which offered a deep dive into the principles of Human and Organizational Performance (HOP). This innovative approach to safety management is gaining traction across industries, from power and manufacturing to aviation and oil and gas. While HOP has primarily been adopted by industries known for their high-risk environments, the lessons learned at the conference have powerful implications for leaders in the tour and travel sectors as well.
Travel Insurance: Best Practices for Travel Companies with TravMark
For travel companies, making available a meaningful travel insurance option so that participants have the appropriate level of travel insurance is crucial—not just for compliance, but for protecting both travelers and indirectly the business. With ongoing global challenges as well as an individual traveler's personal needs, having a robust travel insurance policy in place is more important than ever.
The Future of Student Travel: Key Takeaways from SYTA 2024
This month, the Student Youth Travel Association (SYTA) Conference in New York City brought together leaders and professionals from across the student travel industry. It was an event filled with educational opportunities, valuable networking, and, as always, a sense of community that makes SYTA so special. For those who couldn’t attend or are looking to revisit the key moments, here are some of the highlights and takeaways that stood out to us.
Preventing Heat Illness in Travelers: Essential Strategies for Safe Travel
Heat illness is a serious concern for travelers, especially those engaging in outdoor and physically demanding activities. As travel and experiential education company owners, it’s imperative to understand how to prevent heat-related illnesses to ensure the safety and well-being of your participants. This blog provides an overview of heat illness prevention, highlighting the importance of preparedness and the use of tools like the Heat Index and Wet Bulb Globe Temperature (WBGT) device.
Reaching & Managing Fit-to-Fly while Navigating Mental Health Conditions
At Cornerstone, we specialize in assisting our members in navigating a wide range of challenges that can arise during travel. When those challenges encompass issues related to mental health and medical needs, these can significantly impact an individual's ability to travel or return home, especially in cases involving a psychotic break.
Tips for Preventing and Responding to Sexual Assault on Travel Programs
Sexual assault prevention and response are critical responsibilities for owners of travel and experiential education companies. Unfortunately, we’re seeing trends in which participant to participant cases are increasing across the industry. Ensuring the safety and well-being of travelers is paramount, requiring a proactive approach to both prevention and response. This blog outlines best practices for preventing and responding to sexual assault, emphasizing the importance of human-centered strategies, clear communication, and ethical conduct.
Insights from our 2024 Cornerstone Leadership Retreat
As the sun sets on our first leadership retreat, we find ourselves filled with inspiration, reflection, and a renewed sense of purpose. Over several days in April, CEOs and business leaders from member organizations gathered to delve deep into the challenges and opportunities of our industry. Here are some key takeaways from our time together.
Evolving Duty of Care for Travel & Experiential Education
Duty of Care is not merely a legal obligation; it's a moral imperative that organizations in the travel and experiential education industry must prioritize the well-being, security, and safety of their participants. However, the landscape of duty of care is as dynamic as the industry itself, constantly evolving with societal changes and industry advancements. In this blog, we explore the fluid and ever-changing nature of Duty of Care, emphasizing its practical application for organizations to operate confidently in a rapidly changing environment.
Traveling with Minors: Child Protection, Unaccompanied Minors & Mandatory Reporting
Embarking on a transformative travel program with minors is a rewarding endeavor that contributes to their growth, resilience, and global awareness. While these programs create profound impacts, they also come with unique challenges and responsibilities. At Cornerstone Safety Group, we recognize the importance of addressing the logistical and protective aspects of working with minors in travel and experiential education.
Protecting Your Programs: Addressing the Measles Outbreak
Recently, the resurgence of measles has become a concerning reality, particularly for the travel and experiential education sectors. Cornerstone Safety Group acknowledges the gravity of this situation and aims to provide comprehensive guidance to our members in navigating the current landscape effectively.
Navigating the Stress Continuum: A Framework for Organizational Wellness
While perseverance and dedication are commendable qualities, it's crucial to recognize the impact of stress on individuals and teams. In this article, we delve into the Stress Continuum model as a valuable tool for assessing and addressing stress within the travel and experiential education industries.
Cornerstone Membership: What it really means
Over the last two years at Cornerstone Safety Group, we’ve had the pleasure of working with 30+ member organizations as we provide the most comprehensive support possible to the travel and experiential education industry. We’ve also noted that members use their membership hours in thoughtful and creative ways that go beyond the obvious support resources.
So, settle in for some stories of success, strategy, and solutions. Today, we are offering concrete examples of how members utilize our services to reach improved outcomes in all functions of their organizations.
Managing Successful Intergenerational Collaboration in the Travel & Experiential Education Industry
Across management staff, field staff, and those in your senior leadership positions, you might be managing or working with a number of generations. For most organizations, that means you’re operating with staff who display (wonderfully) different perspectives, values, views, and backgrounds.
When it comes to your travel program, your staff may not only have different individual backgrounds and perspectives, but also different ideas about the nature of work itself. This can potentially create challenges if views aren’t aligned and entry level staff require a completely different approach than those who are more seasoned.
Proactive Mental Health Best Practices for You & Your HQ Staff
Bracing for the inevitable stresses of managing programs is a recipe for burnout and frustration among HQ staff and leadership teams. So, what can you do to proactively address HQ burnout and manage the leadership team’s mental health on the precipice of your busiest season? How do you support each other, as a leadership staff, through peak season before burnout becomes an inevitability?
We spoke with organizational leaders and the Cornerstone mental health team to offer best practices and insights below.