Getaway Trekking adheres to International standards with regards to porters working conditions. Our porters are more than just workers. We have an excellent relationship with many of our carriers and our trek leaders often spend holiday time in their villages. In many instances we exceed the minimum standard set down by the International Porter Protection Group (IPPG). We are also a founding member of the PNG tourism Operators association which is developing a code of conduct and ethics for PNG operators.

IPPG (International Porter Protection Group) recommends the following guidelines:

1. Clothing appropriate to season and altitude must be provided to porters for protection from cold, rain and snow. This may mean: windproof jacket and trousers, fleece jacket, long johns, suitable footwear (boots in snow), socks, hat, gloves and sunglasses.
2. Above the tree line porters should have a dedicated shelter, either a room in a lodge or a tent (the trekkers’ mess tent is no good as it is not available till late evening), a sleeping mat and a decent blanket or sleeping bag. They should be provided with food and warm drinks, or cooking equipment and fuel.
3. Porters should be provided with life insurance and the same standard of medical care as you would expect for yourself. The life insurance standard is not available in some of the countries we operate in. Getaway Trekking is in the forefront of developing insurance for porters.
4. Porters should not be paid off because of illness/injury without the leader or the trekkers assessing their condition carefully. The person in charge of the porters must let their trek leader or the trekkers know if a sick porter is about to be paid off. Failure to do this has resulted in many deaths. Sick/injured porters should never be sent down alone, but with someone who speaks their language and understands their problem, along with a letter describing their complaint. Sufficient funds should be provided to cover cost of rescue and treatment.
5. No porter should be asked to carry a load that is too heavy for their physical abilities (maximum: 20 kg on Kilimanjaro, 25 kg in Peru and Pakistan, 30 kg in Nepal, 25kg in PNG). Weight limits may need to be adjusted for altitude, trail and weather conditions; experience is needed to make this decision. Child porters should not be employed.

Questions to ask trekking companies:

1. Does the trekking company follow IPPG’s five guidelines on porter safety?
2. What is their policy on equipment and health care for porters?
3. What do they do to ensure the trekking staff is properly trained to look after porters’ welfare?
4. What is their policy on training and monitoring porter care by its ground operator in the country you intend to visit?
5. Do they ask about treatment of porters in their post trek feedback questionnaire to clients?