Travel Plans Before Peace Corps: What You Should Know

If you're considering joining the Peace Corps, you might be wondering whether you can travel outside of the country you're posted in. The short answer is yes, you can, but there are some important things to bear in mind. You'll need to submit official leave and have it approved by your CD/acting CD, and you can only travel to countries that are safe. You'll also need to make sure you follow the correct protocols for disclosing your travel plans to the Peace Corps.

You can travel during your service, but you must use your vacation days

You can travel during your Peace Corps service, but you must use your vacation days. You accrue two vacation days per month, which means you'll have 48 days of leave in total during your two-year service commitment. You can travel within your country of service or internationally, but you must get approval for international travel. You can only leave the country if you submit official leave and have it approved by your CD/acting CD, and if the country you're transiting to or through is safe. You may also have limitations on how long or when you can be gone at a time. For example, teachers can't really leave in the middle of the school year.

There is also plenty of Peace Corps-sanctioned travel. For example, you might travel around to different volunteers' sites to demonstrate a project. You can also travel to neighbouring countries during your vacation, but make sure you follow protocols and disclose your travel plans to the Peace Corps so there are no issues. If you leave the country and they haven't approved it, that's an easy way to get kicked out, especially if something were to happen.

During non-COVID times, there was typically a limit to how often you could leave your town. You can also do official travel for work if you clear it with the Peace Corps, and you generally get a certain number of travel days per month that you can use.

You can only leave the country if you submit official leave and have it approved

Yes, you can travel out of the country before Peace Corps, but you must submit official leave and have it approved by your CD/acting CD. You get 48 days of leave for the entirety of your service if you're doing a normal 27-month stretch. Realistically, you can only use that leave after the first 6 months and before the last three months, so from months 6-24. You may also have limitations on how long or when you can be gone at a time. For example, teachers can't really leave in the middle of the school year.

If you want to travel around the country you're in, you'll officially have to use vacation days, though you can do official travel for work if you clear it with Peace Corps. You accrue two vacation days per month to travel within your country of service or internationally with approval. That means a total of 48 days of leave during a Volunteer’s two-year service commitment.

If you leave the country and they haven't approved it, that's an easy way to get kicked out, especially if something were to happen.

You can travel to neighbouring countries during vacation

Yes, you can travel to neighbouring countries during vacation. However, you must submit official leave and have it approved by your CD/acting CD. You must also ensure that the country you are travelling to is safe. You will need to use your vacation days to travel, and you will accrue two days of vacation per month, giving you a total of 48 days of leave during your two-year service commitment. You can also travel to different volunteers' sites to demonstrate a project, which is a great way to see more of the country.

You can travel to different volunteers' sites to demonstrate a project

Yes, you can travel to different volunteers' sites to demonstrate a project. However, there are some things to keep in mind. Firstly, you will need to use your weekends and vacation days for this type of travel. You accrue two vacation days per month, for a total of 48 days of leave during your two-year service commitment. You can also do official travel for work if you clear it with the Peace Corps.

If you want to travel out of the country, you will need to submit official leave and have it approved by your CD/acting CD. The country you're transiting to or through will also need to be safe for you to travel to or through. It's important to follow protocols with disclosing your travel plans to the Peace Corps to avoid any issues. During non-COVID times, there was typically a limit to how often you could leave your town.

You can travel internationally with approval

If you want to travel around the country you're in, you'll officially have to use vacation days, though you can do official travel for work if you clear it with Peace Corps. You also generally get a certain number of travel days per month that you can use.

If you want to travel internationally, you must submit official leave and have it approved by your CD/acting CD. You can only travel to countries that are safe for you to travel to or through. Realistically, you can only use your leave after the first six months and before the last three months, so from months 6-24. You may also have limitations on how long or when you can be gone at a time (teachers, for example, can't really leave in the middle of the school year).

If you leave the country and the Peace Corps hasn't approved it, that's an easy way to get kicked out, especially if something were to happen.

Frequently asked questions