Family Mission Trips

What is a family mission trip?

A family mission trip is a service-learning trip of about a week where parents, children, and other relatives can serve alongside a local ministry in communities across the U.S. and beyond. Experience Mission (EM), an interdenominational Christian organization, hosts family mission trips in the United States, the Caribbean, Latin America, Africa, and Asia. Most communities require a family team of 6 or more people, and the youngest participants range from late elementary to high school age, depending on the trip.

If you are comparing mission trips for families, this page covers ages, costs, safety, and how to start a team. When you are ready to look at available dates to serve, view all group mission trips for open weeks and prices or submit an interest form to get started and learn more.

What ages can join a family mission trip?

Each of EM's community partners sets the youngest age they can accommodate, so your youngest family member determines where to start. Grade ranges run from late elementary school to high school and up, and each community trip page lists the accepted range.

Most family teams include students, parents, and sometimes grandparents, with adults of all ages welcome to join mission trips. Teams with middle school (or younger) students bring one adult for every 5 students, and every team is required to have at least 1 adult leader age 21 or older.

Families with students can also read about middle school mission trips and high school mission trips.

Which EM communities welcome families?

Start with the grade range, then compare cost, travel, and the kind of service. Two communities welcome late elementary students:

• Pikeville, Kentucky - $550 for 6 days, late elementary and up. Teams repair homes, clean yards, sort donations, and visit neighbors, mostly with elderly and disabled residents, alongside Rob Musick and Pikeville Presbyterian Church. Pike County trips do not include Kids Club.
• Navajo Nation, Arizona - $550 for 6 days, late elementary and up (depending on the week). Families with children age 9 and up may attend, and younger children stay with their parents. Teams participate in construction projects and home repairs alongside House of Joy Church, and lodging is rustic.

Five communities welcome 6th grade and up:

• Portland, Maine - $475 for 6 days. Teams sort medical supplies with Partners for World Health, serve neighbors with Preble Street, and help with kids' and youth programs at The Root Cellar.
• Muskegon, Michigan - $495 for 6 days. Teams work with Kids Belong on home projects for foster families, prepare meals, and may lead Kids Club.
• Belize - $855 for 7 days. Teams build with Family of God Church and Pastor Nelzon Guillen, lead Kids Club, and visit neighbors. The team minimum is 10, and each traveler needs a passport.
• Costa Rica - $995 for 8 days, summer only. Teams join Victor and Sara Mayorga-Molina in Shiroles for work projects and Kids Club.
• Namibia - $1,595 for 12 days. Teams of 5 or more serve with Shofar Christian Church, Feeding Namibia, Clothing Namibia, and the Ubuntu pre-primary school.

Families with high school students can also choose from Chicago, New York City, Savannah, Rio Grande Valley, Rincon, Puerto Rico, Cuba, Cape Town, Pretoria, Sentani, Indonesia, and Jamaica, which welcome high school students and older. Highland Lakes, Texas, Marion, North Carolina, and Newport, Tennessee welcome high school students and older, and middle school students on a case-by-case basis.

Looking only at the United States? See mission trips in the United States.
Planning for adults only? See adult mission trips.

What do parents and kids do on a family mission trip?

Local partners help determine what mission trip teams will work on each week, and teams are invited and encouraged to learn about the community history and stories present today by listening to the people they serve alongside. Depending on the community, your family may join:

• Kids Club - A VBS-style program for local children in communities such as Muskegon, Belize, Costa Rica, Jamaica, and Cuba
• Home repair and construction - Tiling, roofing, and repairs in Navajo Nation and Pikeville, or building projects with a church in Belize
• Neighbor care - Serving meals, sorting donations, and visiting neighbors in Portland, New York City, and Pikeville
• Disaster recovery - Cleanup and rebuilding in communities still recovering, including Highland Lakes and Newport

Not every community offers children's ministry, and Pikeville, Savannah, and Newport trips do not include Kids Club. On summer trips (June through August), all teams present also gather each evening for an Evening Gathering to worship, pray, and reflect together.

How much does a family mission trip cost?

EM mission trips cost $475 to $599/person for United States trips, $795 to $995/person for the Caribbean and Latin America, $1,395 to $1,595/person for southern Africa, and $1,345 for Indonesia. Trip costs are the same for minors and adults.

Trip costs always cover lodging, food, necessary project supplies, local partner support, and EM field staff. Additional expenses to consider are airfare, gas, and other travel to the community.

Families often share the cost through church support and fundraisers. EM's Mission Trip Fundraising Guide is full of helpful ideas (start with this list of top mission trip fundraising ideas!) EM's registration and payment policy lists out deposit and payment due dates.

How does a family team form?

Most communities ask for a team of 6 or more people, so a family of four could invite relatives, friends, or additional church members to join. A few communities set a lower or higher minimum: Cape Town and Pretoria accept teams of 3, and Namibia accepts teams of 5, while Belize asks for 10. Each trip page lists the minimum group size allowed.

EM cannot place individuals with a group already signed up for a 6-10 day mission trip. If you are starting from scratch, submitting an interest form is the best first step, and EM staff will help you think through team size and dates.

EM’s guide on how to plan a mission trip walks leaders through each step.

Are family mission trips safe?

Safety planning starts before a team arrives and continues all week, with EM field staff and local partners guiding the work on site. These layers apply to family teams:

• Adult leadership - Every team has a leader age 21 or older who stays responsible for the group
• Supervision ratios - One adult for every 7 high school students and one adult for every 5 middle school (or younger) students
• Screening - All adult volunteers complete a background check, under EM's background check policy
• On-site staff - EM field staff carry medical kits and hold First Aid and CPR certification

EM's Health & Safety Plan explains emergency response and how EM staff and team leaders share responsibility for younger participants. Travelers on international mission trips need a valid passport, except for Puerto Rico, and trip pages list any extra requirements.

When can families go on a mission trip?

Summer is the main season, and several communities offer spring break trips. Belize; Cuba; Jamaica; Highland Lakes, Texas; the Rio Grande Valley; Cape Town or Pretoria, South Africa; and Namibia list weeks throughout much of the year, while Costa Rica trips are an opportunity only in summer. Navajo Nation's spring break trip requires a team of 20 or more.

Kids Club and Evening Gathering are not part of spring/offseason trips. Open weeks change as teams register, so check each trip page for current dates.

Can Catholic families serve with EM?

EM is an interdenominational Christian organization, and Catholic families and parish groups can and have served alongside EM's local partners on week-long mission trips. For questions specific to Catholic groups, see Catholic mission trips.

What is EM's approach to a family mission trip?

EM trips join a community in motion! Each trip centers around coming alongside local partners serving their communities year-round who help determine the work being done by volunteer groups. EM encourages all teams to come with a posture of listening first and open-handed engagement without an agenda.

Teams are also encouraged to participate in daily worship and reflection to give participants of every age an opportunity to process what they see and grow in their faith together. To this end, EM strongly recommends teams utilize pre-trip cross-cultural training for teams supplied by EM.

Learn more about EM's approach to missions to see how healthy service shapes each trip.

How do you start a family mission trip?

Begin with your youngest family member and your possible team, then work toward dates:

1. Choose a community - Match the age range, budget, and travel availability for your family
2. Check open weeks - See current dates with per person costs on the mission trips page
3. Submit an interest form - Share your team size and dates through the interest form, and EM staff will connect with you over the phone to answer any questions and help you prepare to register

You don't need a full team put together to start asking questions!

Family Mission Trip FAQs