Travel Policy: Panama 2009 Step-by-Step Guide

Quick Facts:

Students travel on group itineraries – not individual tickets

One person from each GLB campus club will be responsible for confirming that each GLB
participant has fully paid:

o Travel costs – the cost of airfare to and from your brigade ($Total$: varies depending on
flight price)

o In-country costs – the cost of all in-country logistics that GLB provides ($Total$: 850 USD
/per participant)

GLB’s travel partner, STA Travel, will assist your campus with all travel needs. Student Advisors
are also available to answer questions and assist with booking recommendations

Students will not pay STA directly but will pay through the Global Brigades fundraising site.
Remember all donations made through the fundraising site are tax deductible!

If you are not a US Citizen, you are responsible for obtaining any documents and visas required for
travel outside the US. You should immediately contact…

o International Student Affairs office at your university

o Embassies for your Country of Citizenship, Panama, and the US to confirm the
requirements for entry to Panama, and for your return to the US.

o Your Club President and GLB Director (Diane@globalbrigades.org)

Health & Safety: Please visit the Center for Disease Control (www.cdc.gov) and US Department
of State (www.state.gov) web sites for the latest travel information.

Global Law Brigades is a secular, international volunteer network of students and law professionals who collaborate with local
partner organizations serving at-risk communities to improve quality of life by implementing legal empowerment, human rights,
environmental protection, and business law strategies for community development.

www.lawbrigades.org
 Travel Policy: Panama 2009 Step-by-Step Guide
1) Club President or another member of the GLB leadership team is designated to serve as the
GLB Travel Lead
2) Travel Lead notifies Club President, Student Advisor and GLB Director of any participants who
are not US Citizens in order to allow time to research visa and travel document procedures for
travel to Panama

3) Travel Lead confirms GLB dates with club leadership, participants and GLB Student Advisor

4) Travel Lead contacts GLB contact at STA Travel to request available flights and
approximate prices to relay to club members.

STA Contact: Brenda Dang (Agents: Georgia Michlig or Abby Hartman)

Office: 972-538-8854 Fax: 972-315-9568 Email: bdang@statravel.com

For questions over the weekend, please email Brenda or contact your Student Advisor

5) STA Agent researches optimal group flight and relays to Travel Lead.

6) DEADLINE #1! One week after initial GLB Info Session, GLB club leadership must submit
$200 per person deposit online on the club’s fundraising webpage* -
(https://fundraising.intelis.com/gbl/Events/EventListing.jsp?ES=cc0d0bb8119df2dd5941000
37cf8b2b8&IC=BRIGADES)

All funds uploaded online/onto your university webpage are 100% tax deductible.
*For assistance in establishing your university’s fundraising site/homepage, please contact your
Student Advisor or Diane Dunn at Diane@globalbrigades.org

7) DEADLINE #2! Two weeks after initial GLB info session, all GLB participants must submit
$200 deposit online (Travel Lead and/or GLB President are responsible for ensuring all club
members understand deposit due dates, payment timelines and policies up-front)

8) Travel Lead contacts STA once ALL deposits (minimum: 10-15 GLB participants) are uploaded
online and relays the following information to STA: a) Travel Dates and Preferred Times, b)
Departure City (airport) and Destination City (airport), c) Number of Passengers, d) Names of
Passengers

Global Law Brigades is a secular, international volunteer network of students and law professionals who collaborate with local
partner organizations serving at-risk communities to improve quality of life by implementing legal empowerment, human rights,
environmental protection, and business law strategies for community development.

www.lawbrigades.org
 Travel Policy: Panama 2009 Step-by-Step Guide
9) STA agent will email initial travel contract to Travel Lead and CC Steve Atamian
(steve@globalbrigades.org) to officially reserve flights for participants.

10) GLB Regional Advisor will update your university’s fundraising webpage to reflect total
payment due. GLB club members solicit donations and upload payments for airfare and in-
country costs online.

11) Four weeks from info session, final payment for airfare is due. Travel Lead is responsible for
reminding all participating club members to submit online payments and/or checks made out
to Global Brigades, Inc.

12) DEADLINE #3! All students pay final airfare payment (four weeks from info session).

13) DEADLINE #4! Two weeks (14 business days) prior to brigade departure:

a. Total Payment for in-country costs due ($850 per person)

b. STA will email reminder travel itinerary to confirmed passengers

Important Global Law Brigades Payment Policies:

• Students travel by group – not individually. No deviations allowed.

• Full in-country payments are due NO LATER than 14 business days from actual
brigade. Any participants that have not completed the $850 payment for in-country
costs will be considered “non-participating” and will be removed from the GLB
itinerary and all in-country logistics plan (housing, food, etc.)

• Initial $200 deposits are non-refundable.

• Only tickets that have been fully paid (total amount of funds have been submitted online
or by check) will be purchased at time full payment is due (4 weeks after info session).

• Club Presidents pay no in-country costs. Each club president is responsible for covering
her/his own airfare.

• Online payments incur a 5% transaction/processing fee (industry standard for credit

cards)

Global Law Brigades is a secular, international volunteer network of students and law professionals who collaborate with local
partner organizations serving at-risk communities to improve quality of life by implementing legal empowerment, human rights,
environmental protection, and business law strategies for community development.

www.lawbrigades.org