Close-up of entry and exit stamps in a passport

Traveling abroad for a ceremony: a safety checklist

BySafe Ceremonies

Traveling for a ceremony adds a layer of risk on top of the ceremony itself. You’ll be in a country whose laws, hospitals and language you may not know, often somewhere remote, and in a state where you can’t easily look after yourself. Most of that extra risk can be reduced with planning that is dull but worth doing before you go.

This checklist works for any destination and any kind of retreat. Our country guides for Peru, Colombia and Costa Rica add the details for those places. It was checked on 2026-10-08. This is not legal or medical advice. Travel conditions and laws change, so always read your own government’s current advice for the country.

Weeks before: research the place, not just the retreat

  • Read your government’s travel advice for the country and the exact region the retreat is in. The UK Foreign Office and the US State Department both publish country pages, and the UK pages for Peru and Colombia describe ayahuasca ceremonies by name, including reports of serious illness, deaths and sexual assault.
  • Check whether any part of your route passes through an area your government advises against. Many travel insurance policies won’t cover you there.
  • Find out the legal position of everything the retreat offers in that country. “Not illegal” and “legal” are different things, and our guide to plant medicine laws around the world explains why.
  • Read reviews of the retreat from past participants, and look for what they say about screening, staffing and emergencies.

Weeks before: ask the retreat the hard questions

A 2026 study of 49 organizations that advertise psychedelic retreats, many of them abroad, found that safety practices varied widely with little oversight. About a third had nobody with medical or emergency training on site, even occasionally, and 29 of the 49 said facilitators took psychedelics during ceremonies. You can’t assume any of these things. You have to ask.

  • Who leads the ceremonies, and who on staff has medical or emergency training? Will they be present and sober all night?
  • Where exactly is the retreat? How far is the nearest clinic and the nearest hospital, and how would someone get there at night?
  • Has anyone needed emergency care at the retreat? What happened?
  • Which substances are on the program, on which days? Is there separate screening for each?
  • Who picks you up, and could you leave on your own if you wanted to?
  • What is the refund policy if you’re screened out, need to leave early, or the center is closed?

Our guide to questions to ask before you book has a fuller list.

Six to eight weeks before: health

  • Book a travel health appointment early. Some vaccines need several weeks, and some countries ask for proof of yellow fever vaccination. The UK advice for Peru suggests seeing a health professional at least eight weeks before you travel.
  • Ask about malaria. If you’re prescribed tablets to prevent it, tell the retreat, because a good center screens for every medicine you take.
  • Make a complete list of your medicines, supplements and health conditions, and give the same list to the retreat and your doctor. Never stop a prescribed medicine without involving the person who prescribed it.
  • Bring enough of your regular medicines for the whole trip plus a few days, in their original packaging, with a copy of the prescription. Some countries won’t accept a foreign prescription at their pharmacies.
  • If the retreat is at altitude, such as Cusco, plan a few days to adjust before any ceremony.

Before you pay: insurance

Read the policy wording, not just the summary. The UK government’s guidance on travel insurance warns that most policies don’t cover events that happen after you’ve taken recreational drugs or other substances, and that many won’t cover travel to areas the government advises against. It gives examples of medical evacuation costs running to tens of thousands of pounds.

  • Ask the insurer in writing whether you’re covered at a retreat where substances are taken, and what would happen if you were hurt on a day you didn’t take anything.
  • Check that the policy covers medical evacuation and getting you home.
  • Check coverage for any activities on the program, such as hiking or water sports.
  • Keep the insurer’s emergency number somewhere you can reach without your phone.

Before you leave: documents and people at home

  • Leave a copy of your passport, insurance policy and itinerary with someone you trust.
  • Give that person the retreat’s full name, address, phone number and the name of the lead facilitator.
  • Agree a check-in time and what they should do if you miss it: call the retreat, call your embassy, call local emergency services.
  • If you’re a US citizen, you can register your trip with the State Department’s Smart Traveler Enrollment Program. Other countries have similar schemes.
  • Save the local emergency number and your embassy’s emergency number in your phone and on paper.

Getting there

  • Arrive a day or two early so you’re not starting a ceremony jet-lagged, dehydrated or at altitude you haven’t adjusted to.
  • Know who will meet you and how to recognize them. Have the retreat’s address written down in the local language.
  • Keep your own passport, phone, cash and a bank card. Don’t hand them over for “safekeeping” unless you can get them back at any time.
  • Be wary of ceremonies offered by strangers, hostels or dating apps. In Colombia, the UK advice warns that criminals use drugs to rob and assault travelers they meet this way.

When you arrive

  • Find out where the nearest hospital is, and ask to see the first aid supplies.
  • Check whether there’s phone signal or another way to call for help.
  • Meet the people who will be responsible for you during ceremonies.
  • Look for hazards nobody mentioned: open water, steep paths, a busy road. On coasts with strong currents, don’t swim alone, and don’t swim at all in the hours after a ceremony.
  • If something you were promised has changed, decide before the first ceremony whether you’re comfortable staying. That is the easiest moment to leave.

During your stay

  • Say no to anything that wasn’t agreed in advance, including extra substances, private sessions and touch you didn’t consent to.
  • Stay in touch with your contact at home at the agreed times.
  • Don’t drive, ride a motorbike or travel alone after a ceremony. Give yourself at least a full rest day before a long journey or a flight.

Coming home

  • Don’t bring any ceremonial substance home, even a small amount, even as a gift. Your home country’s law applies at the border, as does the law of every country you pass through. Don’t post it either.
  • Never carry a package or bag for someone else.
  • Expect to feel tired or unsettled for a while. Plan some quiet time, and line up integration support before you leave. Our guides to the first week after a ceremony and finding integration support can help.

If something goes wrong

  • In a medical emergency, call the local emergency number or get to a hospital. Don’t let anyone talk you out of it.
  • Contact your embassy or consulate. They can’t get you out of legal trouble, but they can help you find a doctor or lawyer and contact your family.
  • Call your insurer as soon as you can.
  • Write down what happened, with dates, names and any messages or receipts.
  • If you need to talk it through, Fireside Project’s free psychedelic peer support line, 62-FIRESIDE (623-473-7433), takes calls and texts from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Pacific time every day. In the US, the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline is available by call or text at 988.

More guides

Past participants are often the best source on how a retreat abroad handles the practical side, from airport pickups to night-time emergencies. You can search the Safe Ceremonies listings and read reviews in categories such as ayahuasca, San Pedro and huachuma and psilocybin and mushrooms.

Sources

Photo: Passport stamps by madmack66, CC BY 2.0.

Safe Ceremonies
Author: Safe Ceremonies

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