FLIGHTS AND TRAVEL
HOW IT WORKS
SUPPORT ON TRAVEL DAY
A volunteer’s experience with AMIGOS starts before they land in Latin America! We help students and families navigate travel to and from the field with AMIGOS travel specialists and staff on-call and in-person on travel days.
All volunteers fly through or begin their travel in gateway cities like Houston or Miami. We have a dedicated Travel Hotline that’s answered 24/7 while students are traveling. Any questions or issues? Call 1-888-AMIGOS-L (264467-5)!
Once volunteers arrive in Latin America, staff members meet them at the airport and from there, the adventure truly begins.
ESTIMATED FLIGHT COSTS
AMIGOS manages flight bookings for all volunteers to ensure a safe and streamlined travel experience for each volunteer group. By purchasing flights, we are able to support our volunteers at gateway airports like Houston and Miami, handle any issues that may arise in the event of a delay or cancellation, avoid overnight international layovers, facilitate multi-day layovers as necessary for pre-departure trainings, and be on-call 24/7 when students are traveling.
We have included flight cost estimates below. The flight cost estimates are based on actual flight costs for the previous year. These averages are calculated nationwide, so departures from many different airports are taken into account. The estimates below are averages and the actual cost of your volunteer’s flight may vary.
| Project | Estimated Round Trip Flight Cost |
|---|---|
| Costa Rica: Cartago y Caribe | $1,100–1,400 |
| Costa Rica: La Bahia | $1,100–1,400 |
| Costa Rica: La Brunca | $1,100–1,400 |
| Costa Rica: Los Santos | $1,100–1,400 |
| Costa Rica: Montañas y Mar | $1,100–1,400 |
| Costa Rica: Olas y Cerros | $1,100–1,400 |
| Costa Rica: Pezeta | $1,100–1,400 |
| Ecuador: Chimborazo | $1,275–$1,450 |
| Ecuador: La Sierra | $1,275–$1,450 |
| Ecuador: Santa Elena | $1,200–$1,500 |
| Panama: Cocle | $1,100–1,400 |
| Panama: El Pacifico | $1,100–1,400 + Unaccompanied Minor Fees |
| Panama: Tierras Altas | $1,100–$1,300 |
| Panama: Valle y Veraguas | $1,100–1,400 |
| Gap Program: Ecuador | $1,275–$1,450 |
Flight cost estimates above do not include checked baggage fees or unaccompanied minor fees. Checked baggage policies vary. If volunteers plan to check a bag and a fee is required, they must use a credit or debit card at the check-in kiosk.
THE AMIGOS DIFFERENCE
Unlike other student travel companies, AMIGOS books airfare from your home airport to a gateway city, like Houston or Miami, as well as from the gateway city to your international destination. Staff are on-call to ensure all students make their connections to Latin America. This means you don’t have to worry about connecting flights! When possible, we also book volunteers traveling from the same city on the same flight, so you may even get to meet some new Amigos before you even get to Latin America!
AMIGOS travel specialists are on-call 24/7 on travel days and may be reached at 1-888-AMIGOS-L (264467-5). To make your trip as easy as possible, our staff manages any travel changes or issues so you don’t have to.
COMMUNICATION ON TRAVEL DAY
Families will receive an email when their volunteer’s flight lands in Latin America. Within the first 24 hours in-country, project staff will post a group photo on their project-specific Instagram. Families will receive those details in the communications guide before their student departs.
For any questions or concerns, email our Admissions Department at [email protected].
If any issues arise on your day of travel, call our travel hotline at 1-888-AMIGOS-L (264467-5).
PROGRAMS LOCATED IN THE UNITED STATES
AMIGOS will provide guidance regarding travel for U.S.-based programming, but families should arrange their own travel to and from the project location.
