Obviously, each person or group will have different needs and priorities. Therefore, the range of services that they select, the living arrangements that are most comfortable for them, the volunteer agency they choose to work with and the optional activities that they choose to engage in will all affect the overall cost of their experience in Guatemala. One of our most important services is to provide each individual or group with a detailed Budget Planning Worksheet that helps identify the majority of anticipated costs for their visit to Guatemala. This way participants in our program can work with us to tailor an experience that fits realistically into their budget. We now offer that Budget Planning Worksheet as a free service to anyone interested in our SAGE Program. It is an Microsoft Excel spreadsheet which can be downloaded by clicking the link at the bottom of this page. With it is a companion document which goes into more detailed explanation about the various sections of the Planning Worksheet. Please feel free to utilize these documents to help you plan your possible trip to Guatemala. As a general rule of thumb, here are basic estimated costs associated with travel to and living in Guatemala.
Minimal basic travel and living expenses:
$600-1000 for round trip airfare, ground transportation, and other pre-departure travel preparation expenses
$125-175 per week for basic living expenses in a home-stay (room and board, laundry, transportation, etc.)
$50-75 per week for other discretionary expenses such as Sunday meals out, personal supplies, etc.
Optional or Additional Expenses:
$300-500 per week for basic living expenses if staying in a hotel
$85-140 per week for Spanish Language Instruction (depends on program/school chosen)
$32 per class session for academic seminars offered by Avivará (These can range from single, one-day seminars for $32.00 per seminar up to full quarter length courses costing $272.00 per course.)
It is also prudent to plan for additional discretionary expenses such as meals and entertainment (beyond basic room and board), purchasing traditional Guatemalan items for gifts, and visiting various tourist destinations. These of course would be highly dependent on each person's budget.
Avivara does have a basic registration fee for assisting individuals and groups with the planning and arrangements necessary for a smooth and relatively "hassle-free" Guatemalan experience. (Remember, travel in a developing country is never completely "hassle-free." That is part of the adventure.) Those fees are:
For an individual: $ 150.00
For groups of 2-5: $ 125.00 per person
For groups of 6 or more: $ 100.00 per person
This basic fee would be payable to Avivara after the completion of an initial SAGE Program Application Questionnaire which provides us with your basic contact information and information regarding the scope of services you might require from us. Once we have received your completed questionnaire and received payment of our basic fee, then all of our support services would be made available to you. In general, most costs associated with your visit would be paid directly to the vendor providing the service (e.g., the airlines, ground transport, the homestay family, etc.) unless other arrangements have been made in advance with Avivara to prepay those expenses. We hope that this information has helped in your consideration of participating in our Service and Study Abroad Program. If you have additional questions please Contact Us. We very much look forward to being of assistance to you.
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To help you in your discernment process regarding participating in our SAGE program. We are offering free access to our SAGE Program Budget Planning Worksheet. This is a pre-formated Excel Spreadsheet which goes into considerable detail regarding the types of expenses you would need to account for in planning a budget for your trip to Guatemala. It allows for budget planning for individuals, as well as for families or groups, and automatically calculates costs based on the size of your group and the length of time that you plan to be in Guatemala. It may be opened or downloaded by clicking on the link to the right.
A companion document, which gives more detailed explanations of the various sections of the Budget Planning Worksheet, may also be viewed or downloaded by clicking on the link to the right.
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SAGE Program Budget Planning Worksheet |
SAGE Program Budget Planning Information Addendum |
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