2016 EXPEDITION BAJA TRIP DETAILS

GLOBAL CITIZEN INSTITUTE: July 12 – July 14 10AM – 3PM ** Required to attend trip
MEXICO TRAVEL: August 17 – August 24

Cost: 
$950

What’s included in the price of the trip:
Your trip cost includes a three day intensive “Global Citizen Institute”, ground transport from Sacramento to Baja, all meals at base, purified water, construction materials/tools for house build, adult chaperons (1 to 5 ratio), recreational activities and leadership training. Individuals are invited to bring spending money for extra meals, shopping, etc. Very little is needed.

Location: Vicente Guerrero, Baja California Norte, Mexico (Near San Quintin, approximately 200 miles south of the U.S. border on Mexico Highway 1.

Accommodations: Dorm style enclosed cabins or modest motel accommodations. Hot showers (usually), flush toilets (a luxury in Rural Baja) and filtered water are included on-site. 

Activities: Beach, surfing, boogie boarding, fishing, snorkeling, hiking, and trips to the best taco stands on the planet! Please feel free to bring the items needed to engage in these activities.

Trip Length: 7 days including travel in and out of Baja.

Travel: Participants will be driven to Baja from Sacramento in a rental van by trip leaders.

Currency: American dollars are accepted everywhere and only small bills can be used. Nothing larger than a $20 will be accepted at most places. One’s and Five’s are much better. All change will be received in pesos. Please be conservative about the amount of money brought on the trip. Tacos cost $1.25, soft drinks are $1 and Mexican ponchos cost about $10 just as a point of reference.

Climate: The climate is very Mediterranean with warm days and cool nights. Summer temperatures average 85/50, winter is 60/40. It’s frequently cool on the beach and the pacific ocean is about 60.

Items needed for the trip: Sunscreen, towel, beach towel, sandals, a hammer, work shoes (boots or hardy sport shoes), gloves (optional), a modest swim suit (this is a humanitarian trip), sunglasses, work clothes, light shorts/t-shirt to sleep in, more sunscreen, a hat (something with a wide brim is recommended), a sleeping bag, toilet paper (for times away from the base), a backpack (normal kind), a water bottle (you will refill with purified water), toiletries (toothpaste, shampoo, etc). You can bring some snacks if you want. Please bring long shirts for the work site – the Mexican people are very modest.

Items not to bring: Any illegal substances, non-prescribed pharmaceuticals, illegal drugs, or firearms of any kind. These are illegal in Mexico and are punishable by Mexican law which provides for serious consequences. Alcohol, fireworks and other potentially dangerous items are not allowed on the expedition. 

Travel Information:

At the time of this writing, the requirements for coming back into the U.S. are: U.S. citizens and nonimmigrant aliens from Canada entering the United States by land or sea are required to present a valid WHTI-compliant document, which include:
        Passports
        U.S. Passport Cards
        Enhanced Driver’s Licenses
        Trusted Traveler Cards (NEXUS, SENTRI, Global Entry or FAST)
        Military Identification Cards (for members of the U.S. armed forces on official orders)
        U.S. Merchant Mariner Document (for U.S. citizens on official maritime business)
        Enhanced Tribal Card (where available)
        Children: U.S. and Canadian citizen children under age 16 arriving by land or sea from a contiguous territory may present an original or copy of his or her birth certificate, a Consular Report of Birth Abroad, a Naturalization Certificate, or a Canadian Citizenship Card.

“Mexican law requires that any non-Mexican citizen under the age of 18 departing Mexico must carry notarized written permission from any parent or guardian not traveling with the child to or from Mexico. This permission must include the name of the parent, the name of the child, the name of anyone traveling with the child, and the notarized signature(s) of the absent parent(s). The State Department recommends that the permission should include travel dates, destinations, airlines and a brief summary of the circumstances surrounding the travel. The child must be carrying the original letter – not a facsimile or scanned copy – as well as proof of the parent/child relationship (usually a birth certificate or court document) – and an original custody decree, if applicable.”

The form included in the document for minors will suffice as the parent/guardian permission form.

Check the U.S. State Department travel site for up-to-date information on travel in Mexico at: http://travel.state.gov/travel/cis_pa_tw/cis/cis_970.html