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Volunteer Guide - Travel Details

Air Travel

Air travel to the Dominican Republic is the responsibility of each volunteer. Several major airlines fly into Santiago from the U.S. and Canada, usually with convenient schedules and competitive prices.

We fly in and out of the Santiago (NOT Santo Domingo) Airport on the arriving and departing Saturdays of your trip. Ground transportation is included for flights scheduled to arrive and depart between 8:00 a.m. and 10:00 p.m.  If your flight is scheduled to arrive after 10:00 p.m. or depart before 8:00 a.m., there will be additional costs for transportation. 

Teams and Team Leaders (receivers of the group scholarship) - Ground Transportation is provided for your team when it arrives and departs on the same flight, in and out of Santiago, between 8:00 a.m. and 10:00 p.m on the Saturdays of your trip. If any members of your team choose not to arrive or travel with the group, they may be responsible for their own ground transportation costs. 

If your flight is scheduled to arrive into Santiago after 10:00 P.M. or depart before 8:00 A.M., there will be additional costs for transportation. The cost for a taxi is $150 each way, and the cost of a bus (15-18 passengers with luggage) is $300 each way. 

All ticketing arrangements and funding are made directly between you and the airlines. Funds can not come to Orphanage Outreach, and then be sent back to you for ticket purchases.

You will need to submit a copy of your itinerary to the Orphanage Outreach office by the funds due date to ensure a timely pick-up and drop off at the Santiago airport.

Your airline ticket is tax deductible (for U.S. tax payers) if the primary purpose of your trip is charitable work. Your ticket is your receipt; you will not receive a tax receipt from Orphanage Outreach for your ticket.

Please do not purchase your ticket until you are confident you will have the mission participant fee in our office on the funds due date.

Suggestions:

American Airlines is the major airline into Santiago. Continental Airlines and Delta Airlines also flies to Santiago, as do a number of charter airlines. Jet Blue flies in and out of Santiago, but with arrivals and departures after midnight.

Many volunteers have used a regional airline to get to JFK, and then purchased an inexpensive American Airlines ticket from JFK to Santiago. We recommend using an experienced travel agent to help with your booking, or an internet service like Expedia or Orbitz.

Puerto Plata/Santo Domingo Airports:

Individuals: If you choose to fly into the Puerto Plata or Santo Domingo aiport, you will be responsible for taxi transportation to the orphanage. Contact us for suggestions.

Groups of 10 or more: If you choose to fly into Puerto Plata or  Santo Domingo, we can arrange for a bus to pick you up and take you back. It will take 5-6 hours from the airport to the orphanage from Santo Domingo and 3-4 hours from Puerto Plata, compared to 2-3 hours from Santiago to the orphanage. The additional cost of the bus from Santo Domingo is $600 each way, and $300 from Puerto Plata. A bus can serve about 15-18 people with full luggage from the airport to the orphanage, and perhaps 20-22 people from the orphanage back to the airport with less luggage.

Additional Details

You will probably receive an electronic ticket. Bring your itinerary along with your passport to the airport, and they will issue your ticket there. Note: I suggest making two copies of your passport; put one copy in your suitcase separate from your original, and leave one copy at home with a friend or family member. If somehow you were to lose your identification in the D.R., having access to a copy would help the process greatly. If you are under 18 and not traveling with your parents, please complete theTemporary Guardianship Form and give it to the temporary legal guardian traveling with you.

Please wear your Orphanage Outreach tee-shirt to the airport. It will help you identify other volunteers, and help them to identify you. Most of you will be traveling with other volunteers, at least from Miami or JFK. If not, just follow the directions below. You won't have any problems.

When you land in the Dominican Republic, you’ll exit the plane. Follow the crowd, and you will get to a big room for immigration where people are standing in line. Look for a desk with a sign that says “Tourist Card”. You’ll need to purchase a tourist card for $10 in U.S. funds. Do not stand in one of the long lines until you have purchased your tourist card, or you’ll just have to go buy your card and then stand in line again. After you go through the immigration line, they will give you back a copy of your tourist card. Keep it! You will need that copy and another $10 U.S. when you leave the D.R.

Note: Explain to the tourist card official that you are missionaries, and they may waive the $10 entrance fee. If they do waive the fee, you are invited to donate that savings to the orphanage basic necessities fund.

You will then pick up your luggage, go through customs (they might inspect your luggage), and then go outside. Do not wait for a big group to congregate before going through customs; just grab your luggage and head out. We will be waiting outside with the bus ready to go to the orphanage. Note: Please bring only suitcases, not boxes. Customs will often let you through without inspecting your suitcases, boxes are always inspected. If your luggage does not arrive, please make sure to report it to American Airlines inside the terminal, and get a claim slip from them. 

When you exit the airport terminal, we'll be waiting for you with Orphanage Outreach tee-shirts on. Baggage handlers will be asking to help you with your luggage. They can be quite assertive. I suggest, unless you really need help, to refuse their assistance unless you are willing to pay a tip of $1-2 per bag. We'll collect in a group until all the volunteers are there. Please bring a water bottle with you, both for the trip and for your use at the orphanage. Also, bring enough snacks to sustain you during your airline trip and bus trip to the orphanage. Please tell your family not to expect a call home until 24 hours after your arrival. You will be able to exchange money after you arrive to the orphanage. 

If flights are full and the airlines offers you a travel voucher to take a later flight (even the next day) and you are willing to donate your voucher to Orphanage Outreach, you are encouraged to accept the voucher. Call us, and let us know the new flight you will be arriving into the D.R. We will meet you at the airport on your new flight. Do not accept a flight into any airport other than the Santiago airport. Your travel vouchers are valuable, especially if a group of you gets bumped. Those funds can mean a great deal to the orphanage. If you are not willing to donate your voucher, please do not accept the voucher.

Note: If you miss a flight and are not on the flight you are supposed to be on in getting to the Dominican Republic, please communicate by calling our number in Arizona: (602) 375-2900. Please leave a message, let us know your status, and when you will be arriving into the Dominican Republic (date/airport/flight #/arrival time). We will plan to be at the airport when you arrive. Remember, please call our number in Arizona and leave a message if your travel does not happen as planned.

If the airline loses your luggage, you will need to report it by the luggage area. The airline attendants will speak English. The orphanage address is:
Hogar La Esperanza de un Niño (Hogar para Niños) 
Calle Altagracia #80
Monte Cristi
Phone 829-342-6379
Remember to get a claim slip from the airline.