2025 Minnetonka Chile Exchange Program
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Travel Dates: |
June 15, 2025 -
July 3, 2025
Dates are tentative until flights are confirmed
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Group Organizer(s): |
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WTT Contact: |
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Program Tuition: |
$2,190 USD
Airfare not included in program tuition
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Estimated Airfare: | $1,750 |
Important Reminders
Passport check
Insurance Reminder
Fundraiser
Review all materials
What to Expect
Please read through all of the information below. More details will be added as your departure draws closer.
Itinerary
We do everything possible to abide by itineraries as originally planned, but decades of experience teachers that we must flexible in our planning. Changes to a trip’s schedule are uncommon, but Walking Tree reserves the right to make adjustments to programming in the best interest of the group.
Day | Location | Activity | Lodging |
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June 15 | USA to Santiago, Chile | Depart Minneapolis for Santiago, Chile | Airplane |
June 16 | Santiago | Arrive, meet your program leader, and head to the hotel for breakfast. Then, we explore! Today we'll visit Santiago’s most bustling highlights which include Mercado Urbano Tobalaba, Parque Forestal, tour of the museum created from Poet Pablo Neruda’s city apartment - La Chascona - and take a leisurely hike up Cerro San Cristobal for a 360 degree city view. | Hotel Neruda Express |
June 17 | Santiago | After having breakfast and spending the morning organizing, students will take a trip to the Museo de la Memoria, the human rights museum inaugurated in 2010 to educate the public and honor the victims of human rights violations in Chile between 1970-1990. After, one last lunch will be organized at Peluqueria Francesa, a historical barbershop constructed in 1868 that has now been renovated into a beautiful eatery in the old neighborhood Barrio Patrimonial Yungay. | Hotel Neruda Express |
June 18 | Santiago - Valparaiso | Today is the last full day of the trip, but there is still more to see! An epic adventure awaits in the port city of Valparaiso, only an hour and a half journey from Santiago. In this coastal and colorful town students will explore the UNESCO protected hillsides of Cerro Alegre, taste local seafood, learn about the street art movement of Chile, and visit La Sebastiana, Poet Pablo Neruda’s beach home. After dinner, students will return back to Santiago. | Hotel Neruda Express |
June 19 | Santiago - Concepción | This morning the group will catch their domestic flight and travel down to Concepción to meet their Chilean host families. Later today we head to Chillan with out hosts | Chillan Hotel |
June 20 - 30 | Concepción | Concepción programming with sister school and families. | Concepcion Host Families |
July 1 | Concepción - Santiago | In the afternoon students will arrive back to Santiago and have time to relax before riding up the 62 story elevator of the tallest building in South America, Sky Costanera Tower. Here they can sit or walk around the glass-encased rooftop admiring the pink sunset over the towering Andes Mountains and city skyline. | Hotel Neruda Express |
July 2 | Santiago - USA | Today we delve into some of Chile's history with visits to Cerro Santa Lucia, Barrio Lastarria, Palacio La Moneda, La Plaza de Armas, and El Catedral. We'll have a bit of free time this afternoon before heading to the airport for our flight home. | Airplane |
July 3 | USA | Arrive home | Your own bed! |
Fundraising
Need to Raise Money? We Have You Covered.
Walking Tree Travel is proud to team up with Equal Exchange, a worker-owned cooperative that distributes organic coffee, tea, sugar, bananas, avocados, cocoa, chocolate bars, and more. There is no limit to the amount you can earn, so the sooner you can start, the better!
Learn more here.
Accommodations
In order to provide a safe and memorable experience, we follow strict guidelines when choosing group accommodations. Walking Tree partners with hotels and guest houses which are centrally located, locally operated, clean and safe. We inspect each partner hotel to ensure they meet these standards.
MR. Hotel Providencia
MR. Hotel Providencia is a comfortable three-star hotel located in Santiago’s upscale Providencia neighborhood. All rooms come equipped with A/C, a TV. The hotel has lounge areas and Wi-Fi access to keep everyone feeling comfortable and connected. Students will be grouped in their rooms according to gender and availability.
Homestay
This will be the best part of your trip! Staying with a host family immerses you in the language and culture of the destination, and can lead to deep and lasting relationships with your hosts. Initially intimidating but ultimately unforgettable, there’s no better way to begin to truly understand the place you’re visiting.
Group Flight
Once your flight schedule has been confirmed, the itinerary will appear here.
Walking Tree will secure a seat on the group flight for each participant unless otherwise instructed.
Travelers are responsible for checked baggage fees. Please visit the airline’s baggage webpage to learn if you should expect to pay anything.
We will provide a group manifest – complete with reservation codes and ticket numbers – to the Group Organizer/s before departure, and travelers will need to check in at the airport in order to receive their boarding pass and have documents verified. We recommend arriving no later than three hours prior to the scheduled departure, but contact your Group Organizer for specific details on exactly where and when to meet on the day of departure.
FLIGHT INTERRUPTION, DELAY OR CANCELLATION
Air travel can be unpredictable. Regardless of proper planning, there may still be instances when a flight is delayed or cancelled due to staffing shortages, weather, mechanical problems, etc. Please note that in such an event, Walking Tree Travel (WTT) is not financially responsible for unanticipated costs incurred by travelers en route. Our programs officially begin and end in the destination country, and because our staff doesn’t fly with the group, Group Organizers (the traveling faculty member/s) become the front-line advocate for the group in the event of a delay. In most cases of cancellations or delays, the airline will be the one who re-books travel or possibly arranges a hotel and food the night. Our primary role will be to keep families updated and provide support to the Group Organizer to reach a quick and effective resolution.
Host Community and Project Details
Packing List
What follows is a sample packing list but you know yourself better than we do so please adjust accordingly. We recommend you bring a larger piece of luggage like a roller, duffel bag, or backpack, as well as a smaller backpack that you can bring on daily outings, weekend excursions and shorter activities.
“Less is more” is a packing tip we encourage for all our travelers. The list below should cover everything you would need, but know yourself and what you are comfortable traveling with. We suggest bringing only as much as you would be able to carry on your own.
Finally, we recommend consulting a weather forecast for your destination.
Most importantly, be sure to remember your PASSPORT!
CLOTHES (quantities depend on your trip length) :
- Underwear
- Socks (a mixture of good active socks and casual socks)
- T-shirts (some quick dry)
- Long sleeve shirts
- Sweaters or sweatshirts
- Warmer jacket
- Warm hat
- Scarf
- Warm gloves
- Rain jacket
- Travel/athletic shorts that are breathable and light
- Comfortable, everyday pants
- Nice shirt/top to be worn to more formal dinners (girls might want a skirt or something a little nicer for such occasions)
- Durable athletic/walking shoes
- Sandals (optional)
- Hat
TOILETRIES: BRING THE BASIC TOILETRIES YOU NEED PLUS:
- Sunscreen (you will use a lot)
- Mosquito repellent
- Band Aids and Neosporin
- Hand Sanitizer
- Medication in properly marked original container
MISCELLANEOUS:
- Sunglasses
- Journal and pen
- Book
- Camera (digital, disposable, waterproof)
- Power Converter
- Alarm Clock and watch
- Debit card/US Dollars (we recommend about $50-$150, depending on amount of desired souvenirs, extra items etc.)
- Durable water bottle
- 1 quick-dry towel
- Flashlight/headlamp
- Batteries
- Deck of cards or other portable games
- Host family gift
- STUDENT ID
- Spanish/English Dictionary
Support Team
At a minimum, one experienced Program Leader will travel on every trip. In addition to this full time leadership presence, Walking Tree has additional staff in all destinations and 24/7 support from our headquarters in Denver, Colorado. Below you’ll find the the team members involved in the preparation, planning and execution of your program.
Juan Carlos Trupp
Chile Country Director
Juan Carlos, spend most of his life living back and forth between Chile and California, he calls it the best of both worlds. While In Chile he had the opportunity to travel to Patagonia many times with friends and family, as well as studying business and economics at Universidad de Chile. In the United States, specifically in California, he also traveled and had a chance to visit most national parks. He is currently enrolled at The University of Tampa in Florida, where he will finish his studies. Juan Carlos is a PSIA certified ski instructor who currently finished a successful season at Palisades Tahoe, CA, where he fell in love with teaching the youth. He is Bilingual, fluent in Spanish and English as a traveler and culinary arts admirer he thrives to learn Italian and French.
Emory University – B.A. Sociology and minor in Latin American History
During college, Luke spent a semester living and traveling in rural Mexico. His experience sparked a fascination with Latin America and a commitment to community service that continues to this day. Upon graduating from college, he joined WorldTeach and lived with a local family in a small village in Costa Rica while teaching elementary English. After this experience, he moved to San José, the capital and largest city of Costa Rica, and wrote for The Tico Times newspaper. Luke has since traveled to over 60 countries on five different continents. Now settled in Denver with his family, he continues to crave massive helpings of rice and beans.
Group Roster
Below is a list of the travelers enrolled on the program.
- 1 Aidan Hollands
- 2 Ava Hustad
- 3 Bronson Calatayud
- 4 Caroline Dosek
- 5 Elizabeth Donohue
- 6 Haakon Knutson
- 7 Josephine Mann
- 8 Lucille Flood
- 9 Marla Laninga
- 10 Molly Gammill
- 11 Natalia De La O
- 12 Noah Farnum
- 13 River Olson Low
- 14 Timothy Felty
- 15 Wade Vorland
Blog and Communication
During travel we work hard to keep families updated as frequently as possible with blog posts and photos, giving you peace of mind that your traveler is safe and thriving on their program. Students regularly contribute to these posts, providing families bak home a great way to vicariously track the progress of the trip. You will be notified when the first update is posted, after which we recommend checking in regularly via the black “Program Blog” button at the top of this webpage.
Assuming your school allows the use of cell phones, most destinations are wired enough to allow participants access WiFi at different moments in the program, allowing them to communicate directly with home. Ask your Walking Tree representative about the degree of connectivity on your program.
GLC Curriculum
Walking Tree has developed a curriculum of activities meant to help travelers get the most out of their trip before departure, during travel and after they return home. These simple and engaging activities are meant to spark discussion, frame experiences, and prepare participants to travel ethically and effectively both on this trip and on future adventures.For more information about student learning objectives and the format of the curriculum, click on the ‘learn more’ button below.
To view and complete the Pre-Program Activities, visit our online portal at the button below.
Standards of Behavior
In order to run a safe and successful program, it is vital that travelers are prepared to be on their best behavior and bring enthusiasm and interest to each and every day. A communal atmosphere of trust and mutual respect is the foundational. As such, all individuals participating on a Walking Tree program are required to take responsibility for their actions and adhere to a high standard of personal conduct.
IMMEDIATE DISMISSAL
- Possessing, consuming or distributing alcohol or illegal drugs.
- Associating with participants while they are in possession of alcohol or illegal drugs.
- Behaving in a way that consistently damages the group dynamic or jeopardizes personal or group safety. This includes consistently displaying a negative attitude, intimidating or excluding other participants, sneaking out, disobeying group leaders, and any other behavior that is not conducive to an atmosphere of trust and mutual respect.
GROUNDS FOR DISMISSAL OR IN-COUNTRY CONSEQUENCE
- Getting a piercing or tattoo.
- Stealing, or deliberately damaging or defacing any personal property, buildings or materials.
- Threatening physical or emotional harm, or brandishing a weapon.
- Possessing, consuming, or distributing tobacco or nicotine, including vape pens.
- Riding mopeds, motorcycles, or any other type of unauthorized vehicle.
- Being out of designated area or accommodations after curfew.
- Breaking group rules.
These standards of behavior are essential for the successful completion of your program. Please take the time to review these as a family and make sure everyone understands and agrees to them.
Health and Safety
We strongly recommend visiting the CDC Chile website to get the most updated information on health and vaccination considerations in your destination country. In addition, we encourage you to consult with your personal family physician so you can be as informed as possible when making important decisions about vaccinations and other necessary health-related preparations before travel.
Beyond these recommendations, our in-country staff prepare meticulously for all programs. Walking Tree will register our programs and travelers with the U.S. Department of State Smart Traveler Enrollment Program (STEP) in case of emergency. In country staff also verify the safety records of our partner organizations, vendors, and transportation providers, thoroughly vet homestay families via in depth interviews and home visits, and keep up on important current events in the region.
Program Leaders are seasoned travelers who are CPR and First Aid certified, undergo thorough training in crisis management, and participate in a multi-day leadership training retreat. We do our best to prepare for any eventuality and have detailed emergency protocols for our leaders, in-country staff and U.S.-based staff.
We receive medical disclosures from all participants to ensure we are able to meet every students’ needs during the program. Please inform us immediately of any additional health issues that you did not list during your initial registration process. Program Leaders will also hold an online information session before your departure, as well as an arrival orientation in-country, in order to give participants important instructions on food safety, hygiene and preventing injury and illness. Leaders and in-country staff always respond immediately to any mental, physical or emotional health issues and follow comprehensive emergency protocols.
Insurance
While we work hard to ensure the safest experience possible for our travelers on program, experience teaches that travel is never without risk. For this reason, we recommend that all travelers consider a travel insurance policy with two additional provisions: Cancel for Any Reason (CFAR) and Bed Rest. Detailed explanations of both provisions can be found on the link below.
To provide travelers and families with a quality option, Walking Tree has partnered with Travel Insured International, one of the most respected providers in the industry. Begin by getting a quote here.
IMPORTANT NOTE: in order to secure coverage with CFAR included, you must purchase the plan within 21 days of your deposit/first payment. You must also insure 100% of your trip cost, so program tuition + flight.