We are not a tour company. Our focus is providing good education for children who otherwise would not have access to it. Our trips are an opportunity for people who share this goal to see what we're doing, to take part, and at the same time discover parts of Laos that are rarely seen by visitors. So we do not have a travel desk; we ask that you read the information here, then ask if you have further questions.
Deposit: A non-refundable deposit of US $200 per person will hold your spot, with the rest to be paid 45 days ahead. Or go ahead and pay it all now and we'll refund all but $200 if you cancel more than 45 days in advance. After that, sorry, we cannot make any refunds. If we end up a bit ahead we'll use it to give more children and staff the opportunity to join us for a trip they'll always remember.
To reserve: If you want to sign up, please email to Kathy Kronenberg (kkronenberg@att.net) at Laos Literacy Project, our USA affiliate, to ask if there is still space. Then we'll hold the spot(s) while you send a deposit or payment, a few details about yourself, and a short application form.
How to pay:
We offer four options:
1. Check. For those in the US, a check is best, made out to Katherine Kronenberg with a notation on the check to say which trip month it's for. Send to:
Kathy Kronenberg, 2 Madre Mountain, Santa Fe, NM 87508
2. Wise. We accept payment through Wise (wise.com) which offers much better exchange rates than most other options. It's easy to register from most locations. For details about where to send, please ask Kathy Kronenberg at kkronenberg@att.net when you are ready to reserve.
3. By PayPal. This is not tax deductible, so you can't use our usual donate button. Please use this link:
https://paypal.me/LaosTrips?country.x=US&locale.x=en_US
4. Bank transfer. If you'd prefer to wire the money, please contact Kathy at kkronenberg@att.net and she'll provide details.
When you send payment to Kathy (who's in the USA), please also cc: to us at BigBrotherMouse@yahoo.com in Laos. We're in regular contact, but this helps us be sure we've got the records right.
If you volunteer for a day at our school, you'll enjoy a number of activities with students of all ages. Here is a favorite game you might play.
The dealer puts out 9 cards, in a 3x3 array. The standard deck has numbers 0 to 99; we also have decks with lower ranges.
Then each player looks for a way to make an equation using at least 3 of those cards, plus the standard math operations: Plus, minus, times, divided by.
When you have an equation in mind, say one number, representing what each side of the equation is equal to. Then explain the equation. If it only uses 3 cards, you can point and say what you're doing: "3 times 7 is 21." For more than 3 cards, pull them out and arrange them. Give other players time to be sure you're right.
For example: In the game shown above, the numbers are 40, 6, 7, 9, 24, 37, 8, 24, 18. One answer: 7-6=24/24. There's also an equation that uses all 9 cards. Can you find it? The answer (below) should make you smile.
If they agree, you collect those cards. If you're wrong, you pay a 1 card penalty from cards you've already collected.
It's fun, and there's never a dull moment. Everybody is always thinking, mentally racing through math sums. It's an exciting way to improve basic math skills, and it's effective.
Math game answer: (7-6) - (9-8) = (37/18) x 40 x (24-24)