Thank you for your participation in a Help One Now Impact Adventure Trip! The Help One Now ethos is to remain invisible in our communities and focus our efforts on resourcing key leaders instead. All Help One Now Trips are built to connect you to the communities we serve through the building of relationships with local leaders, experiencing the beauty and adventure each country holds, and participating in intentional guided times of rest and reflection. We want you to return home from these trips with a renewed heart, mind, and soul, as well as a vision and passion for how we can work together to do good around the world!

A few important things to note about this trip: 

Airfare and all expenses on the ground (meals, lodging, transportation) are included in the trip price, but any other costs associated with your trip would be your responsibility (those costs may include spending money, or appointments at a travel clinic before your trip, for example). We do allow our trip participants to fundraise through their registration pages in order to make those trip costs more manageable!

Those traveling are required to carry a passport with an expiration date further than 6 months away from the date of travel. Should your passport have already expired, or should your passport expire within the 6 months after your intended trip dates, you can mail in your old passport to get it expedited and renewed. HERE is where you can find more information on how to renew your passport.

Due to the nature of our work, Help One Now requires special approval from the trip lead, and director of international operations to join the trip if you are under the age of 18. If approved, we will email out a form to get signed by parents or legal guardians, giving permission to travel out of country with the team.

In addition, the Center for Disease Control (CDC) recommends various vaccinations for international travelers depending on your destination country. Please visit a medical professional or a travel clinic as soon as you know you are traveling abroad, as they may recommend particular vaccinations or medicine based on your destination, some vaccinations are not always immediately available, and some vaccinations need to be administered over the course of months. **Please ensure you are up to date on all routine vaccinations. These vaccinations include a measles-mumps-rubella (MMR) vaccine, diphtheria-tetanus-pertussis vaccine, varicella (chickenpox) vaccine, polio vaccine, and a flu shot! Most of you are up to date on these anyway!**

The Dominican Republic does not currently have any required vaccinations; however, we recommend the Hepatitis A vaccination, a Typhoid treatment (pill or shot), and Malaria medication as well.

Some travelers choose to receive the Cholera, Hepatitis B, Rabies, and Yellow Fever vaccinations, but REST ASSURED: we know these lists may seem overwhelming, but all of these vaccinations are entirely optional and are merely precautions!

We’d love to encourage you to familiarize yourself with Help One Now’s philosophy regarding international mission. In preparation for your potential Learning Journey, please try to read Doing Good Is Simple by Help One Now’s founder Chris Marlow. Another great resource is When Helping Hurts by Steve Corbett and Brian Fikkert.

Tentative Trip Schedule

*Please note that this schedule is subject to change*

Monday 1/22

• 1:53pm Arrive in Santiago

• 3pm Late lunch in Santiago at Doña Pula

• 4:15pm Drive to La Vega

• Intro to trip meeting at the guesthouse, time to prep filming equipment

• 7pm Dinner at the guesthouse

• Meet local leader Rod Davis and his team, and hear his story and vision for Family Empowerment (time to film Rod sharing his story here)    

• Stay at TEARS Guesthouse

Tuesday 1/23

• 7am Optional morning run

• 8am Breakfast at the guesthouse

• Morning reflection time

• 9am Tour TEARS aquaponics project, high school, and medical clinic. Meet with Rod, Chelo, and Obed and talk about the TEARS sports programs

• 11:30am Lunch at a family's home

• 1pm Visit the clean water project, early learning center, and elementary school campus, and see the local baseball field

• 2:30pm Meet families in the Family Business Program

• 4pm Time for additional filming as needed

• 6pm Dinner at the Alta Vista Lookout Restaurant

• Downtime with Rod and the team at the guesthouse

• Stay at TEARS Guesthouse

Wednesday 1/24

• 7am Optional morning run

• 8am Breakfast at the guesthouse

• Morning reflection time

• Dedicated time for interview filming (Rod, Chelo, Obed, Fey, etc.)

• Lunch at the guesthouse

• 3pm Visit Salto Jimenoa waterfall

• 6:30pm Dinner at the guesthouse

• Stay at TEARS Guesthouse
  

Thursday 1/25

• 7:30am Breakfast at the guesthouse

• 8:30am Head to Santo Domingo

• 11:30am Lunch at the airport

• 1:20pm Depart Santo Domingo