Travel Booking and Billing

We manage travel so you don’t have to! Learn more about the support AMIGOS provides, what to expect, and how the process works below.  

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, Miami, or Panama City, handle any issues that may arise in the event of a delay or cancellation, avoid overnight international layovers, and be on-call 24/7 when volunteers are traveling. 

Booking & Billing Process

Does AMIGOS book flights for volunteers?

• AMIGOS coordinates directly with airlines to book volunteer flights to their project location. For our High School Volunteers (15-19 years old) we arrange domestic flights from volunteers' home airports to one of our gateway cities (Houston, Miami, or Panama City) coupled with group flights departing from our gateway cities (Houston, Miami, or Panama City). Additionally, we also offer the option for volunteers traveling to Panama to take a direct flight from their home airport to their project location if available.  There are many factors that we consider when booking volunteer flights that include arrival and departure times, other volunteers on projects, prices, layovers, and any special accommodations.   
• For our Biodiversity Conservation volunteers (13-14 years old), AMIGOS will arrange and book group flights with a chaperone from three hub cities in the US - SFO, IAH, and EWR to Costa Rica.  All families must travel with their volunteer to one of these hub cities and drop them off for the chaperoned flight.  On the return, a family member must pick up the volunteer from the chaperoned flight in the hub city of their choosing.  AMIGOS offers this option as United Airlines does not allow for passengers under the age of 15 to travel with a connection.

How does a volunteer indicate their preferred departure airport to AMIGOS for booking?

• On the Passport & Travel Information Form completed on the volunteer AMIGOS Dashboard, volunteers will indicate their preferred departure and return airport codes. Additionally, volunteers will indicate if they would like to be booked on a direct flight from their home city if the option is available to them (only available for Panama Projects). From here, AMIGOS will do the rest. AMIGOS will book all volunteer flights from their home airport all the way through to their final destination, with a layover in Houston, Miami, or Panama City, or a non-stop flight. (SJO - San Jose, Costa Rica for Costa Rica Projects; PTY - Panama City, Panama for Panama Projects; ASU- Asuncion, Paraguay for Paraguay Projects).   

How do families pay for their volunteer's AMIGOS flight? Is it included in the AMIGOS Program Fee Cost?

• Families of High School volunteers (15-19 years old) will be billed via email for the cost of their volunteer's flight plus a $200 Administrative Fee after the flight has been purchased by AMIGOS. Families will submit payment via an online link. *Please note that your AMIGOS Program Fee does not include flight costs nor the Administrative Fee. Our Administrative Fee covers domestic and international flight booking, security and boarding support in gateway cities, international flight chaperones on select flights, day-of Travel Hotline support, and hotel overnights in the gateway city in the event of any flight delays or cancellations. 
• Families of Biodiversity Conservation volunteers (13-14 years old) will be billed a $500 Administrative Fee rather than a $200 fee, as the fee will cover a chaperone for their flight from one of our US Hubs of SFO, IAH, or EWR.

What is the estimate cost for a volunteer's flight?

• We have included flight cost estimates here (includes applicable Administrative Fee). The flight cost estimates are based on actual flight costs from the previous year. These averages are calculated nationwide, so departures from many different airports are taken into account. The estimates listed are averages and the actual cost of a volunteer’s flight may vary.  

Is a volunteer allowed to opt out of the AMIGOS flight booking?

• On rare occasions, volunteers do choose to opt out of our AMIGOS flight booking.  We ask families to contact our Travel Team (travel@amigosinternational.org) if they are interested in arranging their own travel as it will need to meet all AMIGOS requirements and be approved by the Travel Team.  

Additional Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Can families ask AMIGOS to use their miles to book their volunteer's flight?  

• Unfortunately, AMIGOS cannot use a family's miles to book volunteers' flights. However, families can provide AMIGOS with their volunteer's frequent flyer number so that they earn miles for their volunteer's flight. 

Will volunteers have a layover? If so, where will their layover be?

•  Most volunteers will have a layover when traveling to and from their AMIGOS Project Site. Volunteer layovers will either be through IAH (Houston, TX), MIA (Miama, FL) or PTY (Panama City, Panama) where an AMIGOS Staff member will be present in the gateway city to support with connections. However, volunteers on Panama Projects who have a non-stop flight option from their home airport will be able to fly directly to their AMIGOS Project Site from their home airport if they prefer. In the event that an additional layover (other than a layover in Houston or Panama City) is required for your flight path, someone from the AMIGOS Travel Team will be in touch with you.

When should families expect to receive the Airfare Billing Statement?

• Airfare is booked on a rolling basis by the AMIGOS Travel Team based on project start date. Families should expect to receive the Airfare Billing Statement via email approximately four weeks ahead of their volunteer's project start date. Airfare must be paid for via an online payment page with a credit/debit card. We ask that all airfare payments be made within one week's time in order to move forward in the process so that we may send you your flight itinerary in a timely manner. 

When should families expect to receive their volunteer's flight itinerary?

• Families should expect to receive their volunteer's flight itinerary approximately two weeks ahead of their volunteer's project start date. The flight itinerary will be sent via email along with a travel memo outlining what to expect at the airport and who to contact if they need any support. A volunteer is eligible to receive their itinerary only once all payments (both Program Fee & Airfare), volunteer paperwork and screening, and pre-departure training have been completed. If any of these items are outstanding, AMIGOS will hold the volunteer itinerary until completion. 

What if a volunteer would like to depart from and return to two different airports?

• AMIGOS is happy to arrange travel that departs from one airport and returns to a different airport. In this event, a volunteer must fill out the Travel Deviation Request Form which is a Part 2 Paperwork item. You can find the Travel Deviation Request Form linked here. Please send the completed form to admissions@amigosinternational.org & the Admissions Team will be in touch should they have any additional questions about your request. Please note that for booking purposes, this form was due on April 15th. If you are requesting an alternate travel path after April 15th, there may be additional costs to changing your flight. 

What if a volunteer's family would like to meet the volunteer in-country at the end of their project and have the volunteer return with them at a later date?

• AMIGOS is happy to arrange volunteer travel that returns on a different day than the group if a volunteer's family is planning to meet them in-country at the end of their AMIGOS Project. In this event, a volunteer must fill out the Travel Deviation Request Form, which is a Part 2 Paperwork item. You can find the Travel Deviation Request Form linked here. Please send the completed form to admissions@amigosinternational.org & the Admissions Team will be in touch should they have any additional questions about your request. Please note that for booking purposes, this form was due on April 15th. If you are requesting an alternate travel path after April 15th, there may be additional costs to changing your flight. 

May a volunteer start the program late? Alternatively, may they leave their project early?

• No. Our programs take place largely in remote areas, and we cannot accommodate travel dates other than those published for the project.