Bold Hope plans and leads short-term mission trips that partner with the local church in the countries where we serve. You browse the upcoming trips on this page, pick a destination and travel dates that fit you, and reserve your spot. From there, our team helps you with trip planning, travel preparation, the required documents, and connecting with your team before you go. You can join an open trip as an individual or family, or create your own private team.
Mission trips are open to individuals, families, and groups. Anyone under the age of 18 must be accompanied by a guardian, or must know someone on the trip who is willing to act as their temporary guardian for the duration of the trip. If you are traveling as part of a youth group, you automatically fall under the temporary guardianship of the youth leaders traveling with the group.
Each trip on this page lists its own cost, since pricing varies by destination and by whether you join an open trip or create a private team. To reserve your spot, an initial payment is due at sign-up (a per-person reservation amount for individuals and families, and a group reservation fee for teams). Bold Hope also offers a monthly donor discount on trip costs for those who give to our general fund. For example, giving $30 per month earns a $450 trip discount and giving $50 per month earns a $750 trip discount. Becoming a monthly donor is optional, and you are always welcome to pay for your trip with one-time payments instead.
Your trip cost covers the in-country essentials our team arranges for your trip, and Bold Hope purchases trip insurance for every trip volunteer, so additional trip insurance is not required. Trip prices also include a $150 non-refundable trip payment that reserves your spot. Airfare may be handled separately depending on your trip, and you should plan to bring some personal spending money. Most volunteers bring between $50 and $250 in small U.S. bills for personal expenses. For the exact inclusions on a specific trip, reach out to our missions team.
The $150 initial deposit that every trip includes is non-refundable and, for tax purposes, is not treated as a donation, so it is not tax-deductible. This follows IRS Publication 526, which allows a charitable deduction for travel only when there is no significant element of personal pleasure, recreation, or vacation in the travel. Bold Hope sets aside this amount for non-ministry portions of a trip, such as a nicer hotel stay or an excursion. Your year-end tax paperwork will not include this deposit. For guidance on your specific situation, please consult a tax professional.
Yes. As the volunteer you are responsible for the cost of your trip, but you are welcome to raise support to help cover it. Direct your donors to make checks payable to Bold Hope and send them directly to you, then send all of your checks together by the due dates set by your trip leader. As a policy, please combine an entire payment into one envelope for each due date so there is no mistake in the accounting. Fundraising tools are also available to help you share your trip.
Browse the upcoming trips above and select the destination and dates that work for you, then reserve your spot to begin. If you have a question or do not see a trip that fits you or your team, our missions team is glad to help and can also help you create your own team with custom dates and a location. You can email us at the missions address listed on this page or call us at 833-265-3467 (833-BoldHope).