Frequently Asked Questions
General FAQs | Rwanda FAQs
General FAQs:
How are Metta Journeys trips different from other vacations and retreats?
Metta Journeys trips are a unique combination of travel and philanthropy, giving participants the opportunity to make lasting connections with people from different cultures. Each of our trips is tightly coordinated with a partner organization, ensuring that you will leave with a good understanding of how that organization works and the benefits it delivers to its clients.
Our goal is to ensure your comfort and safety as you travel to far-flung places and encounter people with vastly different lifestyles. We provide a high level of hospitality not found on more rustic trips, offering the best local accommodation, and an on-site concierge. We choose accommodation and transportation which may cost more than other locally available alternatives, but which we feel will provide you with the highest level of security and comfort. We offer these high standards of travel so that you can feel comfortable and safe, and use your energy and resources to fully connect and engage with those you meet.
Some of our trips will include yoga; however, those trips should not be thought of as typical yoga retreats. Because much of our trip experience is based on the interaction and connection with others, our trips are outward-focused, rather than the inward-focused experience common, and expected, on most true “retreats”. Our trips do not have as much time for aloneness and contemplation as one might expect on a typical retreat.
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Why do you require a donation directly to the Metta Journeys’ partner organization?
All Metta Journeys trips are designed to raise money and awareness for various programs doing important work on behalf of women and children.
We require a donation for two reasons:
- We want to make sure that our trip participants are serious about participating in the work of our partner organization.
- We understand that visits to our partner organizations require much preparation and effort on their part and take time away from their normal programs—time for which they need to be compensated.
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Given that Metta Journeys’ stated goal is to benefit women and girls, do your trips accept men as participants?
Of course—we welcome men! Metta Journeys trips are designed to foster understanding and connection; everyone benefits from exposure to different perspectives and viewpoints.
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Can I bring my child on a Metta Journeys trip?
We recognize that traveling with your children and exposing them to the world and its inhabitants is one of the most fulfilling responsibilities of parenting. We plan to have trips which will include children, especially when our partner organization is one working directly with children, and those trips will be marked as such on our website and other materials. In the absence of such notice, please assume that Metta Journeys trips are for adults (21+ years old) only.
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How many people are on each trip?
We keep our trips intimate in size, with only 20 guests per trip, affording you a more personal experience with everyone you meet, including the local staff and clients of our partner organization and your fellow travelers.
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Are portions of the trip fees and/or the required donation tax-deductible?
All Metta Journeys trips require a donation directly to our partner charity, and you will receive a letter confirming that donation directly from the relevant organization. In general, this donation should be tax-deductible under US law, and may also be tax deductable under other countries' tax codes. However, always check with your tax advisor to be sure. Other portions of the trip might be deductible depending upon your line of work and tax situation. Again, check with your tax advisor.
Metta Journeys makes no representation about the tax implications of the monies paid to us or our partners.
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How should I go about getting a visa?
You won't always need a visa for every country, so check with the embassy of the country in question to see if you do. To get a visa, you can go to the embassy site of the country in question, and you can also use a visa service such as Zierer Visa Services in the US (www.zvs.com). Visa services sometimes have more updated information, and you can talk to a live person at anytime. Either way, be sure to have all documentation, which will usually include a copy of your travel arrangements, in order when submitting your application. Allow plenty of time for your passport to be returned to you before the trip.
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What is the approximate cost of travel insurance?
The cost of travel insurance depends on a number of variables including the cost of your airfare and land package. We suggest going to a site such as www.insuremytrip.com to get an idea of cost.
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Do I need to have special health insurance for the trip?
That depends on your policy. Before traveling on a trip, Metta Journeys strongly recommends that you review your personal health insurance to ensure you have coverage appropriate to meet your needs, and the needs of your family and dependants, in case of any loss of property, or accident, injury or death.
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My company is willing to match the required charitable donation if I donate through a specific corporate process. I’d like to take advantage of this corporate match; how can I send the donation through my company and, at the same time, meet the Metta Journeys requirement?
Please do take advantage of your company’s generosity to increase the size of your donation. Send us a copy of a page printed from your company’s website showing your donation, or other evidence that the donation has indeed been made. Any other information which will help our partner organization to track the corporate match would also be helpful. Our goal is to help raise funds for our partner organizations; we and they appreciate your effort to raise even more!
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How does Metta Journeys choose where to travel?
We choose locations for our trips based on where our partner organizations are doing their work. We also venture only to places we believe to be safe, so that participants feel at ease and can devote all of their time and energy to engaging with the people and culture of our destination.
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