July Trip Basic Itinerary

Day 1 (July 20): Arrive in Nicaragua, head to Granada and settle in at the hostel, then Amped staff will give a short orientation and the group will go out to dinner.

Day 2 (July 21): Walking tour of Pantanal in the morning, then the group will start their volunteer project (as of now we're not 100% sure what that will be, but there will be a mix of construction-type work and interaction with Nicaraguan students). The group will go out to dinner again in Granada.

Day 3 (July 22): Volunteering, then dinner at the Amped house aka Casa Roja.

Day 4 (July 23): Volunteering, then a boat tour of Lake Nicaragua and dinner either on the lake or in Granada. 

Day 5 (July 24): Volunteering, then people can choose to go on an optional ziplining excursion, or they can just hang out at the hostel. Dinner at Casa Roja.

Day 6 (July 25): Last day of volunteering, then the group will head to Masaya Volcano and Coyotepe in the afternoon. Dinner in Granada, then everyone should pack up to leave Granada in the morning.

Day 7(July 26): Leave the hostel in Granada early, and spend the day at Apoyo Lagoon. In the afternoon, the group will head south to a beach house on the Pacific Coast. 

Day 8 (July 27): Pacific Coast

Day 9 (July 28): Pacific Coast (pack up to leave for the airport early the next morning).

Day 10 (July 29): Group will leave the beach around 7am for the airport.

July 20-29 Group Meeting Monday 6/15 6pm

Hey Travelers!

Let's plan on meeting Monday 6/15 at 6pm in my room at Frontier to go over final travel details and some itinerary items.  We need to talk about planning transportation to and from the airport.  I can also answer any last minute questions and even go over packing lists!

Things to think about this month:
Vaccines?
Passports!
Paying the balance owed to Amped.

If you have any conflicts, let me know.

Tickets have been issued!

Thanks to everyone for getting their flight payments in and on time.  Tickets and flight itinerary information has been issued for our trip and I have them in my possession!

We are in the final stretch of preparation for our trip.  I have a meeting with Jeff tonight to finalize our ground travel plans and excursions.  I will pass them along soon.

I'd like to have ONE MORE MEETING before the end of the school year to talk about some nitty gritty logistics like getting to and from the airport, packing, whatever else come up.  Stay tuned for that date.

Otherwise, please keep up with the scheduled payments to Amped!  There is another scheduled for this Friday, though I know that several of you have completed payments.

Thanks!
--Joe

Post-Winter Reminders for our 7/20-7/29 Trip!

The long winter is over, and now its time to touch base again.  I hope everybody has been doing well!

This is a reminder to everyone about some of the deadlines coming up.

Firstly, Amped's website was down for a while but now it is up and running again with a new look!  It is still easiest to pay through the website (ampedforeducation.org).  Just click "Donate" and enter the payment amount and method (Paypal, credit card etc.) You may also write a quick note in the space provided to specify what the payment is for.  

Please make sure you select "Donate 100%" at the bottom so that the entire amount will reach Amped!

Secondly, there are 2 important deadlines coming up for flights:

1) I need the traveler's name and birthdate as it appears on their passport by May 10th.  I need to give it to our travel agent.  Please email this to me.

2) ALL of the the flight money ($711.60 per traveler) must be in the hands of Alice Blair and Continental Travel Agency by May 17.  Please refer to my flight payment details blog post: http://frontiergoestonicaragua.blogspot.com/2015/03/2015-flight-payment-details.html

Lastly, we will have one more meeting as a group, probably in early June, to go over final travel details and any other miscellaneous things.  In the mean time, check out this recent New York Times article: http://www.nytimes.com/2015/04/26/travel/26nicaragua-cover.html?smid=fb-nytimes&smtyp=cur&bicmp=AD&bicmlukp=WT.mc_id&bicmst=1409232722000&bicmet=1419773522000&_r=0

We will be visiting Lake Nicaragua and taking a tour of Las Isletas on our trip this summer.

If there are any other questions, please let me know.

Trip payment reminder!

If you've been keeping up with the schedule for payments then hopefully you made one last week!  I haven't been collecting money at school, so that's a good sign or a reminder that people need to continue to make payments.  We are only 3+ months from our departure.

Also, don't forget to send me the travelers name as it appears on their passport so I can give the information to our travel agent for the flights we have booked.  We will have a meeting, probably in May, where I will look to collect photocopies of everyone's passport.  If you need to get a passport then you need to start the process now!

Keep me updated with questions.  Thanks to everyone that has been in touch!
--Joe
508 944 7917
joe.costello2@gmail.com

2015 Flight payment details

Flights MUST BE PAID FOR IN FULL BY MAY18th!!!

What I need ASAP (please email):
Traveller's name as it appears on passport
Traveller's date of birth

Payment options:
1.  Mail a check for the full amount ($711.60) to

Alice T. Blair, CTC

Continental Travel Agency

16 Bellevue Avenue

Newport, RI  02840

or

2. Get a check to me for this amount and I will mail it.  

or

3. Pay with a credit card.  Must provide to alice@continental.necoxmail.com

CC #

Expiration date

Security Code

Name on Card

Address for the card

or

4.  Some combination of credit card and check.


I would like to be informed on the status of each traveller's flight payments for my own record keeping and to keep our other scheduling on track.  If we haven't paid the flight balance by the due date (MAY 18) we may be subject to some pretty nasty penalties.

Will we have a face-to-face meeting sometime in the coming months, perhaps before the flight cost is due.

Please email me with questions!
--Joe
508 944 7917

2015 Flight Details FINALLY!

I've mentioned to some how oddly difficult it has been to organize flights this fall.  Pioneer Valley Travel was so difficult to communicate with so I cut ties with them in favor of an STA Travel agent that was recommended to me by Amped.  THAT agent turned out to be pretty incompetent as well, finding me flights with the wrong times and MONTH that I requested.

Door number 3.

Amped staff contacted a second STA Travel agent and got 2 options immediately that are both BETTER AND CHEAPER THAN I ASSUMED THEY WOULD BE!

This is what we are going with:

AA2223Y 20JUL M*BDLMIA SS1   702A 1010A

AA1429Y 20JUL M MIAMGA*SS1  1243P  129P

AA 928Y 29JUL W*MGAMIA SS1  1138A  415P              

AA1194Y 29JUL W MIABDL*SS1   750P 1058P

On 7/20/15 American Airlines flight 2223 from Hartford (BDL) to Miami (MIA) departs 7:02a, arrives 10:10a.

Then connecting American Airlines flight 1429 from MIA to Managua (MGA) departs 12:43p, arrives 1:29p.

The return on 7/29/15 American Airlines flight 928 from MGA to MIA departs 11:38a, arrives 4:15p.

Then connecting American Airlines flight 1194 from MIA to BDL departs 7:50p, arrives 10:58p.

I'm awaiting confirmation from STA, but the cost per person for this package will be $711.60 with all money due by May 18.  Checks will be made out to "STA Travel" and I will have more details about payment options for this later.  REMINDER: This cost is separate from the payment schedule that was set up for money due for "Amped."

I'll have more details soon.  Contact me with any questions!
--Joe
joe.costello2@gmail.com
508 944 7917