It depends, as there may be slight differences based on the number of people in the group and the time of year you are travelling. On the trip page, you will find a list of what is included and what is not. Fill in the form for the trip you are interested in, and we will get back to you with more precise information.

No, you buy the flight yourself, departing from whichever airport is most convenient for you. We will give you details on times and the meeting point. Wait to buy it until the departure is confirmed. If you prefer, our partner agency can buy the flight for you.

From the trip page, fill in the form with the departure date you are interested in. Once the trip is confirmed, you will receive instructions from our partner agency on how to pay the deposit. At that point, the trip will be confirmed.

It is not a full-time commitment: the project takes up part of the day, not all of it. The rest is for exploring, spending time with locals, and your own free time. The exact breakdown can be found in the itinerary for each trip.

Before a trip even exists, we work with local partners to understand what is truly needed and what makes sense to do in a week with six people. The project is created by them, not by us, and you can find it described on the trip page.

Absolutely not, you can go on your own or together with your friends.

We only go to places we have visited in person, we work with partners we know, and you will stay in verified accommodation. Before you leave, we will give you practical information on what to expect on your trip and if a country's situation changes, we don't go.

No. In volunteering you offer free labour to an organisation, often a job that a local person could do and get paid for. Here, on the other hand, you make an exchange: part of the price funds a project chosen by the community, and you work together with them.

25% of the price upon booking confirmation, and the balance 30 days before departure. The exact amount is in the quote. The deposit is required to confirm the trip.

Available means that you can book, but the group is not yet complete. The trip requires a minimum of 4 people to run. We will confirm the trip at the latest 60 days before departure and notify you in writing: from that moment on, you can safely book your flights. If the group does not form, we will refund you in full, deposit included.

The organiser's cancellation fees apply, calculated on the participation fee: 40% up to 30 days before departure, 100% within 30 days. The cancellation fees for your trip are indicated in the quote.

Yes, with a cancellation policy, which you can only activate at the time of booking. If you cancel for one of the covered reasons, usually illness, injury, bereavement and certain documented work situations, the insurance will reimburse the penalty within the policy limits.

Every trip includes a health insurance policy covering medical expenses and emergency repatriation, already included in the price you see. You don't have to look for it or prove you have it. The cancellation policy is a different matter: it protects you from penalties if you cancel, and is optional.

Knowledge of English is not an essential requirement, but it is highly recommended to get the most out of the experience. Almost all local partners communicate in English.

Most are between 25 and 40 years old. The minimum age is 18, there is no maximum limit.

No. The projects are designed for those arriving without technical skills, guided by locals who do that work for a living. If you have a skill that could be useful, let us know: sometimes it changes what we are able to achieve.

It varies from trip to trip, and the physical demands of each itinerary are outlined in its description. If you have a health condition to consider, please discuss it with us before booking.

Organising and selling package holidays in Italy is restricted by law to authorised agencies. Ours is Carousel S.r.l., based in Ancona. For you, this means that your contract, money, and legal protections are with a supervised entity, backed by a civil liability insurance policy and insolvency guarantee.

Each trip has different accommodation. You can find the details on each trip's page.

Before you leave, with everyone's consent, we will put you in touch with each other so you can get to know one another and we can provide you with more information about the trip.

Folk combines collaborative community engagement with a travel experience. Each project is built together with the local residents, and is not just a tourist stop in a village. For the rest, the best way to understand it is to read the trip itinerary.

It depends on your destination and your citizenship, and checking this is your responsibility. We will send you a list of what is required and official sources, but you must obtain the documents and vaccinations yourself. Some visas take weeks to process, so make sure you take action as soon as your departure is confirmed. In any case, you will need a passport with at least six months of remaining validity.

Bank transfer to Carousel's accounts. Payment by bank cards via Stripe is also available on request.

Payment is made in two stages: a deposit upon booking and the balance 30 days before departure. Usually, several months pass between the two. We do not offer an instalment payment plan.

Let us know when booking. In most destinations, you will eat what the host cooks, so we can give them plenty of notice to adapt, but we cannot guarantee every requirement everywhere.

There is no kitty and no cash to hand over to the group: what is included is already paid for, and you manage the rest yourself.

Where the accommodation allows it, yes, for a supplement. At some stops there are no single rooms: we tell you on the trip page before you book.

A meeting with the whole group before departure. We will talk about where you are going: how the host community works and what will be expected of you during the project. We ask everyone to be there, because arriving without knowing anything about the place causes more problems than anything else.

If we don't reach 4 people or if something serious and unpredictable happens, the trip is cancelled and we will fully refund what you have paid, with no penalties. However, you bought the flight yourself, which is why we insist on waiting for confirmation.

If you have activated the cancellation policy and the reason is among those covered, you send the medical documentation to the company, which will refund the penalty according to the policy conditions. Without a policy, standard penalties apply. We will help you with the claim, but the refund is issued by the insurer.

Travel insurance is included in the price and remains active even if you have your own, which you can use as additional cover. If yours also covers cancellation, let us know what reasons it includes before adding ours, so you don't pay twice for the same thing.

It depends on the price of the trip and how long is left until departure, so there is no single figure. You will find it shown separately in the Carousel quote, along with the full text of the terms and conditions.

Yes. It must be communicated in writing at least 30 working days before departure, the person must have their documents, visas and any health certificates in order, and the name change fees remain your responsibility. We ask you to discuss this with us: whoever joins needs to know where they are going and why.

Write to hello@folktrips.com. We will immediately forward the request to Carousel, who will confirm the date and amount to you in writing. The date on which Carousel receives the communication is what counts, so don't wait.

First name and surname as they appear on your passport, residential address, tax code, and the details of the document you are travelling with. Carousel needs these for the contract, and our local partners need them for bookings. How we handle them is outlined in our Privacy Policy.

Yes, the flight is yours to organise as you prefer. Just let us know when booking so we can give you some useful information, but any extra days will not be included in the package or its coverage.

You have the number of your Local Folk, active 24/7 for the entire duration of your trip. For emergencies, you will receive the organiser's 24-hour contact number and that of your insurance company's operations centre along with your travel documents.

Write to hello@folktrips.com, from Monday to Friday from 9:30 to 18:30. There are only two of us replying, so sometimes it takes a few hours, but we always reply.

We meet them in person before starting to work with them, and we define the project together instead of proposing it to them. If a partner isn't clear about what they need, we prefer to wait.

It is what we care about the most. Projects are chosen so that they still make sense even when the group is no longer around, and we stay in touch with our partners to find out how they are progressing. If something has stalled, we say so.

During the trip, let the Local Folk or us know straight away: almost everything can be sorted out on the spot, and by law, any shortcoming must be reported when it occurs. Upon your return, you can submit a formal complaint to Carousel within ten working days. In any case, we prefer to know, even if you don't make a formal complaint.

Drop us a line and let's have a chat. Often a ten-minute conversation clears things up better than reading through countless trip pages. And if we think none of our trips are right for you, we'll tell you.

Yes, up to six people. Write to us telling us how many of you there are, where you would like to go and when. The timeline is longer than a scheduled trip, because the project needs to be built with the community.

Yes, especially if you already know someone there. Almost all of our trips started like this, from contact with a local. Write to us at hello@folktrips.com.