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Travel Itinerary/Lodging/Food

The trip will be approximately two weeks. That includes approximately 4 days of travel and 10 days on the ground. The dates have not yet been selected.

Lodging will be in "guest houses" which are a cross between a bed & breakfast and a small motel. You will have the opportunity for a weekend stay in the home of a Zambian family, should you choose.

The food in Zambia includes chicken, fish, rice, vegetables and nshima (their staple carbohydrate food). We will not drink tap water unless it is boiled and most foods will need to be fully cooked.

Schedule

Costs/Tax Deduction

The trip cost will be approximately $4,500-5,000. This is a volunteer travel trip, so by making a donation to Spark Ventures in this amount, individuals will receive a tax deduction letter. Of course, you should check with your tax accountant to ensure the legal/maximum tax-benefit. We will ask you to complete a "Skills Worksheet" which will help us identify ways that you can contribute to the humanitarian work we will participate in on this trip. The primary purpose for this trip is volunteerism & humanitarian assistance. Any recreational activities will occur in the evenings or on the weekends and are not the primary purpose of our travel.

Individuals will be responsible for a valid passport, visa and recommended shots and malaria medication (these costs can range anywhere from $150-400) and most can be expensed/written off for tax purposes. Participants will be responsible for any meals/purchases during the flight travel or airport times, but all transportation, lodging, meals, activity fees and trip necessities will be covered. In addition, this trip fee includes a contribution to the work of Spark Ventures in Zambia--which is one of the ways we "compensate" our partners in Zambia for their hospitality, time and any materials required for our work projects during the visit.

The group will travel together and tickets will be purchased all at once, so it will not be possible to use airline mileage for your flights.

We will be flying on major international airlines (United, American, British Airways, South African Airways, Lufthansa, Delta, etc.).

Passport/Visa/Medical Concerns

Passport information can be found here.
Spark will assist travelers in acquiring a Zambian Visa once the dates and participants are selected.

To begin to research and prepare medically for this trip please visit the CDC website, along with your physician or a travel clinic.

International travel insurance is recommended. Check with your medical insurance company to see if you are covered for this trip, or additional information will be provided for temporary medical travel insurance.