Dominican Republic
2025–26 ENROLLMENT INFORMATION
Congratulations on being selected to travel on the Dominican Republic: House Building with Cambiando Vidas travel program! On this trip, you will travel to the Dominican Republic to build a house for a family with the organization Cambiando Vidas. You will have time in the evenings to bond as a group and reflect on the meaning of service and global citizenship.
Make sure to keep checking this page for Updates
General Program Information:
- Program Dates: May 25 – June 2, 2026
- Trip Leaders: Bob Graves and Jen Pousont
- Preliminary Itinerary: *This itinerary is subject to change.
This eight-day itinerary begins with travel to a hotel near the departure airport on day one to prepare for the trip. On day two, the group flies to Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, then travels to San Juan de la Maguana, stopping to explore the island’s geography, history, and culture. From days two to six, participants will work on building a house and forming connections with the local community while learning about Dominican culture and history. On day seven, the group returns to Santo Domingo for a day of exploration in this historic city, capped off with a final team dinner.
- Program Notes:
- On May 25, 2026, Students and Program leaders will meet at Deerfield Campus to travel by coach bus to Hotel near Boston Logan Airport where they will spend the night. On May 26, 2026, the group will travel together by hotel shuttle to Logan Airport where they will fly together to Santo Domingo arriving on May 26, 2026. Students and Program Leaders will be based out of San Juan de la Maguana. On June 2, 2026, Students will fly out of Santo Domingo and return to Logan International Airport in Boston, MA.
- Cell Phone Policy: This is an “unplugged” trip where students will not have access to cell phones or internet for the duration of their time in the DR.
- Other Important Information about the program: Students can expect to stay in hotels. Typically, they will have breakfast at the hotel; lunch will be shared with community members at the worksite, and dinner will be out at local restaurants.
Documents & Forms:
All forms will come in a DocuSign email.
Health & Safety:
Please review the following Health and Safety information
1. CDC and State Department briefings on travel to destinations.
- CLICK HERE to view the CDC traveler’s health and in-country guidance for travel to the Dominican Republic.
- CLICK HERE to view the State Department Travel Advisory for the Dominican Republic
2.Travel Medicine Advisory Letter:
A letter from Dr. Bryant Benson provides important guidance on health preparations for travel. View Letter
3. Vaccination Guidance
No vaccinations are required for entry to the Dominican Republic. However, we strongly recommend reviewing the CDC’s list of recommended vaccines and consulting your healthcare provider.
4. Travel Insurance
All students are covered by Deerfield Academy’s International SOS travel insurance policy while on the program.
- CLICK HERE for general information about International SOS Travel Insurance and the service they offer
- CLICK HERE for information on how to get in touch with them pre-travel
- CLICK HERE for the International Travel Insurance Program Summary of Benefits
- 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.
According to the US Department of State, visas are not required for US citizens to enter the Dominican Republic for a stay of less than 30 days. Students who are not traveling with U.S. passport please research entry requirements based on your country of citizenship and for obtaining a visa, if necessary
PACKING LIST
PACKING LIST
Click HereGroup Flight Information:
May 26
Jet Blue B61929
BOS – 7:00am – Santo Domingo 11:07am
June 2
JetBLue B61930
Santo Domingo 12:35pm – BOS 4:41pm
Pre and Post Trip Plans and Travel:
Pre- trip Plans:
Moving out of campus and departing for the CSGC trips is always a team effort, and for this to be a smooth and successful departure process, we are reaching out to families and students with reminders on how to “finish strong” and go on the summer travel programs without leaving behind more work for others!
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Families and students must pack as much as they can during the weekend of May 23 and 24.
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Students must “check-out” with the dorm resident on duty that day before departing on their CSGC trip.
Please note that this trip ends on June 2 in Boston Logan International Airport.
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 Summer break. Please discuss with your family your post-trip plans, and fill out this form before March 1st, 2026.
Payment Information:
All payment information, including non-refundable deposit amount, comes via email through a DocuSign envelope.
The remaining balance of the program fee will be billed to your student account on December 12, 2025 and due in full by January 1, 2026.
Please contact the Finance Office at [email protected] with any questions or the Center for Service and Global Citizenship via email [email protected] or phone: 413-774-1435.
This page contains enrollment information for students who have been selected for one of our 2026 trips. If you are interested in other Global Studies programs or future travel opportunities, please contact The Center for Service and Global Citizenship.