The Bahamas
2024–25 ENROLLMENT INFORMATION

Congratulations on being selected to travel on The Bahamas: Marine Ecology and Sustainability travel program! This trip is dedicated to improving your scientific research skills while contextualizing your findings within the realities of culture and the challenges of sustainability. Additionally, you will actively engage with place through a variety of challenging outdoor experiences.

 

Make Sure to keep checking this page for Updates

General Program Information:

  • Program Dates: March 9th – 16th, 2025 (** Please note that these dates a changed slightly from the application**)
  • Trip leaders: Megan Washburn & Andy Newlon
  • Updated Itinerary (COMING SOON), preliminary itineraries can be found on the Trip Page HERE
  • Program Notes:
    • Program Meeting Point: On March 9th, 2025, Students and Program leaders will meet at the airport hotel near the John F. Kennedy Airport. Since Program Leaders will be traveling from the Deerfield Academy campus students may choose to meet with Program Leaders on the Deerfield Academy Campus on March 9th and travel via bus to the hotel near the John F Kennedy International airport should that be easier.
    • Cell Phone Policy: This is an “unplugged” trip, so students will not have access to cell phones or the internet for the duration of their time in the Bahamas.
    • Other Important Information about the program: 
      • Deerfield students will live together in an open-style dormitory separated by gender, with several bunks per room and no air conditioning.
      • Students are expected to minimize wastewater production and electricity consumption throughout their daily activities. This means that Students may not bring their snacks to the CEI campus. Most meals will be prepared by CEI in its dining hall, where the kitchen team emphasizes sustainable practices and reducing food waste.

Documents & Forms:

Below we are providing a complete list of all of the forms you have previously receive through DocuSign for your reference and INFORMATIONAL USE ONLY.  

1. Deerfield Academy Forms:

2. In Country Provider Forms:

  •  More information on this coming soon!

 

Health & Safety:

Please review the following Health and Safety information

1. CDC and State Department briefings on travel to destinations.

2. Travel Medicine Advisory Letter from Dr. Benson

3. Vaccination Information: 

  • No vaccinations are required for the Bahamas but please review and consider all recommended vaccinations

4. Insurance Information:

  • Deerfield Academy provides students with International SOS Travel Insurance during the program.
    • CLICK HERE for general information about Internation SOS Travel Insurance, the service they offer and HERE for information on how to get in touch with them pre-travel.
    • Deerfield Academy also encourages Students and Parents to consider purchasing additional “cancel for any reason” insurance as available.

 

Visa Information:

Students and parents are directly responsible for the student’s immigration status and/or visa application process to comply with local laws for participation in this program. Deerfield Academy and the CSGC office are here to assist and can provide specific supplemental documentation as required for the application. 

Depending on your nationality, a tourist visa may be required to travel to The Bahamas. Please click here to check if you need a tourist visa to visit The Bahamas.


PACKING LIST

for the Bahamas

PACKING LIST

Please Click Here to View the Packing List from our Partner
Click Here

Group Flight Information:

(subject to change until tickets are finalized)

OUTBOUND FLIGHT:

March 10th:

  • Depart John F Kennedy International Airport (JFK) on Jetblue Airways 421at 9:10 AM; arriving in Nassau (NAS) at 12:25PM
  • Depart NAS at 3:30PM on Bahamasair 363; arriving at Rock Sound (RSD) at 4:00PM

RETURN FLIGHT:

March 16th:

  • Depart Rock Sound (RSD) at 10:30AM on Bahamasair 355; arriving at Nassau Airport (NAS) at 11:45AM
  • Depart Nassau Airport (NAS) on Jetblue Airways Flight 910 at 3:04PM; arriving at Boston Logan Airport (BOS) at 6:38PM

Pre and Post Trip Plans and Travel:

PLEASE CLICK HERE TO FILL OUT THE FORM

Pre-Trip Information:

After classes end on Friday, March 7th, students can depart campus or stay in their dorms for the night of March 7th. The Deerfield Academy Campus will be closed March 8th. The Program begins on March 9th, 2025, when Students and Trip Leaders meet at an Airport Hotel near JFK international airport where they will stay for the night before heading to the airport on the morning of March 10th to depart for the Bahamas.  

Students will have the option of meeting the Trip Leaders at DA and taking a bus to New York on Sunday afternoon or meet the group at the Airport Hotel on Sunday evening. (Specific meeting times and hotel information will be provided at a later date)

During the weekend prior to the start of the program on March 8th, some students will be engaged in post-season co-curricular tournaments, some students will return home or spend time with family, and others may spend the weekend with a friend. If you have any questions about that weekend, or if you are looking for support in finding an option for the night of March 8th, please reach out to us in the CSGC by January 15 to discuss.

Post – Trip Information:

Please note that this trip ends on March 16th at the Boston Logan Airport (BOS), with an estimated time of arrival at 6:38PM. Families should plan to meet their students at the airport or arrange for them to be transported to nearby family or friends for the remainder of the March break.  As you see in the form, there are a few options: 

  • Your family or friend of the family can pick you up at the airport.
  • You can travel back to Deerfield on the shuttle and be picked up by your family or friend on campus.
  • You can fly to another city to meet your family or friend of the family.
  • You can fly to another location, and deviate from the program at the airport in Nassau 

If you and your family decide on the final two options, it is important to start planning for this now and ensure that you have enough time between when we land in Boston and when your next flight takes off or to get to the airport or after all activities on the program have been completed. Things to consider are potential delays, customs and immigration, baggage claim, and possible terminal transfers. We recommend contacting the airlines directly to ensure appropriate layover times (taking into account the possibility of delays). If you have questions or require help with this process, please let us know.

 

Payment Information:

The remaining balance of the program fee will be billed to your student account on December 11, 2024, and due in full by January 1, 2025.   

Please contact the Finance Office at finance@deerfield.edu with any questions or the Center for Service and Global Citizenship via email csgc@deerfield.edu or phone: 413-774-1435.

This page contains enrollment information for students who have been selected for one of our 2025 trips. If you are interested in other Global Studies programs or future travel opportunities, please contact The Center for Service and Global Citizenship.