Puerto Rico Hurricane Relief
Mission Trips

Lodging

You will be staying at a local home in Dorado, Puerto Rico. The house is a place of respite after a long, hard day of work. With a pool and a close walk (4 blocks!) from the beach you will get to rest and enjoy after working hard.

Sleeping Arrangements

You will sleep in a gated house. Twin size beds or air mattresses will be provided. Sleeping quarters will include rooms inside a quad building (each quad has 3 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, a kitchen and living room- each sleep about 16 people). Teams on weeks with over 40 volunteers should be prepared to have some team members sleep on air mattresses.

Showers

Showers will be available at the house where you are staying.

Bathrooms

There will be modern toilet facilities at the house.

Water

There will be drinkable tap water available at the house.

Electricity

After Hurricane Maria, most of Puerto Rico was under a blackout. There is no way to know exactly when electricity will be fully functioning on the island, but the house where you will be staying will have a generator if electricity is an issue during your trip. This means that you can expect to have electricity at your lodging facilities without any major issues.

Food

A team of Puerto Ricans will be preparing and serving meals for your team. You will have an ample selection of tasty food. You can expect to be served breakfast and dinner at the church, and you will pack sack lunches to bring with you to work each day.

Flights

Destination Airport: San Juan, Puerto Rico (SJU)

You as a team are responsible to cover the cost of your round trip airfare to the San Juan airport and should make plans to arrive between 11:00 am and 2:00 pm on the first day of your selected trip.

Return travel should be arranged with your flight departing after 11:00 am on the last day of your selected trip. If you have trouble finding flights that fit into this time frame please contact us before booking your tickets to make special arrangements.

Ground Transportation

Upon arrival in Puerto Rico, all ground transportation is included in the cost of your trip.

We have partnerships with multiple churches, and we will not be able to confirm the specific church you will be staying at until closer to your trip. This allows us to more effectively spread out the impact of our teams in different communities. That being said, you can expect the church where you will be lodging to be within about a 2.5-hour radius of the airport or less.

Passports

Because Puerto Rico is a territory of the United States you do not need a passport to travel to Puerto Rico!

Experience Mission has specific policies regarding registration and withdrawal. Please refer to the document below for specifics.

View Registration & Payment Policy

INDIVIDUALS

All volunteers on a week-long EM mission trip must be part of a team of at least six (6) people, with at least one team member age 21 or older to serve as the Team Leader. Not part of a group? All young adults ages 18-30 are eligible to apply for EM’s IMMERSION program.

EM's Health & Safety Plan

Staff certification: All Summer Staff are certified in First Aid and CPR.

Medical kits: Medical kits that include first-aid supplies for general accidents and ailments are provided for each site. In international locations, we will also carry a Trauma Kit or First Responder Kit. In these remote locations we will have medications like Tylenol, Ibuprofen, Benadryl and Imodium on hand. We make these available to adult team leaders for their sole discretionary use with their team members. EM Staff will not dispense any medications. In our domestic and international locations, we ask that teams supply their own medications like Tylenol, Ibuprofen, Benadryl and Imodium as they deem necessary.

Emergency response plan: Based on the severity of each emergency, EM has a plan for appropriate response.

- If a team member becomes seriously ill, they will be taken to a local doctor to receive appropriate medical attention and medications. If they are a minor, their Team Leader along with our staff will accompany them to the clinic. If needed, their parents will be contacted. Their recovery will be carefully monitored by our staff.

- If there is an accident that requires a doctor, but is not life-threatening and does not have the potential to cause permanent damage, Experience Mission staff will locate the Team Leader, contact parents or guardians (providing the injured is a minor) and provide safe but quick transportation to a local clinic.

- In the event that an accident occurs which is life-threatening or has the potential for permanent damage, emergency medical care will be secured and arraignments will be made if necessary, to transport the injured person to the United States as quickly as possible providing they are serving in one of our International locations. In our domestic locations, local 9-1-1 services will be contacted immediately. The family will be contacted immediately to assist in guidance for an appropriate response.

All medical care is the sole responsibility of the team member. Experience Mission requires every team member to be covered by domestic medical insurance and recommends that team members traveling abroad carry additional international travel insurance to cover any medical needs their domestic medical insurance may not cover.

Immunizations: As with all mission trips, it is essential that volunteers are up to date on all childhood immunizations. Each volunteer must also have a tetanus shot.

For more information about health concerns and recommended immunizations, you can visit the CDC travelers guide to Puerto Rico. You should consult your local doctor prior to receiving any immunizations.

Wondering what all goes on during hurricane relief mission trips to Puerto Rico? You’re not alone! Here’s a list of frequently asked questions about this trip.

What age group can you accommodate in Puerto Rico?
These trips are open for high school age youth and older. Because of the nature of the work there, we are unable to make many exceptions. View all EM mission trips for Jr. High students.

How much do Puerto Rico mission trips cost?
The cost for this trip is $795/person for 2019. This includes all lodging, food, ground transportation, staffing and trip-related expenses. Note that all construction projects are generally provided at no cost to families. Your fees help cover this blessing for homeowners.

What seasons do you offer Puerto Rico mission trips?
Trips to Puerto Rico take place in the spring and summer. To see more spring options, check out this list of all available spring break trips.

What will volunteers do on Puerto Rico mission trip?
Ministry in Puerto Rico is specifically focused on home repair and clean up after the devastation caused by Hurricane Maria, but there is also an intentional relational aspect. Teams often work alongside local Puerto Rican volunteers throughout the work week. We also host a Thursday community BBQ after the work week where you'll get to celebrate with the community members and volunteers all of the hard work that was done that week Monday through Thursday are intense work days where you and your teammates could find yourself on a variety of stages of the home-building process, depending on your skill level.

Will we work with children in Puerto Rico?
Because the housing needs are so great in Puerto Rico, we are currently focusing our efforts entirely on construction. There will be various opportunities to engage with local families in the community, and taking breaks to get to know these families (and children) during the work week is highly encouraged.

What paperwork is required for this mission trip?
Each team member will need to fill out a team member registration form and liability waiver, and all adults are required to pass a background check. Your mission trip support representative will contact you if any other paperwork is required.

Where will my mission team stay in Puerto Rico?
Teams are placed either at a local church or a bunkhouse nearby in Dorado, Puerto Rico. Your mission trip support representative will be able to provide you with specific details 30 days prior to your trip.

Are meals provided on Puerto Rico mission trips?
Yes! Meals will be provided by Experience Mission staff for the duration of your trip. Because of the limited availability of certain commodities, our ability to accommodate certain dietary restrictions is limited. Please contact the EM mission trip support team to work out a plan for these restrictions.

How does transportation work during Puerto Rico mission trips?
Ground transportation is included for our Puerto Rico trips. Experience Mission community partners will pick your team up at SJU airport, arrange transportation for all trip-related activities, and return you back to the airport at the end of the week.

What time should I arrive on the first day in Puerto Rico?
Teams are asked to arrive between 11 AM and 2 PM on the first day of their selected trip and book flights no earlier than 11 AM on the last day to return home. Please let us know if you will not be able to book flights in this timeframe so we can ensure ground transportation for your team.

Can I extend my stay through the weekend?
We are unable to accommodate teams after Friday morning. We encourage teams who are interested in experiencing the tourism options in Puerto Rico to book a hotel and rent vehicles to stay longer. This is a unique and meaningful way to support the once-thriving tourism industry as the locals continue to rebuild.

Will I need a passport for a Puerto Rico mission trip?
No! US citizens only need to show a valid drivers license or state ID. For more information, contact U.S. Customs and Border Protection.

What do I pack for a Puerto Rico mission trip?
A packing list will be available to you once you register for your trip. Generally, be prepared to bring work clothes. All construction tools will be provided to you.

Does EM offer any other disaster relief mission trips?
Yes! We currently also offer relief trips to Florida and Coastal Texas.

Have more questions about Experience Mission trips? Check out our general FAQs, or call our support team at 888-475-6414.