What is a Beyond Borders Road Trip?
This is a chance to step beyond the borders of your life; your world, and get a taste and see experience of what it’s like to live on mission. You will be Road Tripping to one of our 3 NieuCommunities sites.
We have purposefully called these 1-2 week experiences “road trips” vs. “short-term missions trips” because we hope to create a different experience and stimulate a different outcome than what generally happens on a “missions trip.”
On a missions trip you go to help people.
On a road trip you come to be with people.
On a missions trip you go to speak.
On a road trip you come to listen.
On a missions trip you go to see the world.
On a road trip you come to better understand the world.
On a missions trip you go to do accomplish something.
On a road trip you come to be transformed.
Yes, there will be opportunities to serve but our Road Trips are crafted to give you a more holistic and realistic experience of what it’s like to live on mission with the hope that’ll you’ll never want to live life as usual again.
What is NieuCommunities? [top]
We’ll be taking the Road Trip to a NieuCommunities site. NieuCommunities is a division of CRM (http://www.crmleaders.org/) It is a missional readying site with a 42-week apprenticeship experience designed to help shape leaders to live-out a deep and contagious spirituality. Each year 8-12 participants join the staff at one of our sites to form a community of 12-20 sojourners who will do life and mission together for the year. They pursue God relentlessly, they allow their faith and character to be shaped in the crucible of community, they submerge into the culture around them and they learn what it takes to create communities of faith where they didn’t exist before.
NieuCommunities is a spiritual harbor that helps people gather the rigging and the compasses they will need to navigate life amidst the emerging cultures all around us. We do this by creating an environment that weaves together personal mentoring, interactive workshops, spiritual exercises, worship, and a transforming presence in the multi-cultural neighborhoods we live in. For more information, see http://www.nieucommunities.org/
What happens on these Road Trips? [top] 
Because we are setting out to give you a holistic missional experience, we will take pieces of what we naturally experience throughout the year and bring as many of those pieces together as we can to provide a compact, integrated experience.
Three currents will run through the road trip, because they run through everything we do. Those are the currents of Communion, Community, and Mission. So there will times of spiritual reflection, worship, or prayer each day. We’ll carve out time nearly every day to talk about what we’re seeing and what we’re learning. We’ll do some exploring together and we’ll engage the culture through acts of service, kindness, and prayer.
We’ll also throw some adventure into each trip and take you out to see and experience more of the country. Depending on the site, that may be a kayak trip up an ocean inlet, a trip to the Highlands, or a game drive and camping amongst wild animals.
Who are Road Trips for? [top]
These trips are for those who want to look outside their world, who want to see what it’s like to live on mission, who want to encounter God in new ways, and who perhaps even want to change the trajectory of their lives. They are for singles or couples, usually between 20-35 years old.
When and where are the road trips? [top]
Road trips are 7 - 14 days long depending on the NieuCommunities location. Check the Road Trip web page for current dates.
Where will we stay on these road trips? [top]
Each site will be different. Some sites have youth hostels near by for lodging. Others have a NieuCommunites community house for you to stay.
Where will we eat? [top]
We’ll mix it up. There will be meals together in homes, lunches on the road, and community meals with some of the NieuCommunities coaches. Each day is flexible.
Can I stay a few days after the road trip is finished? [top]
Absolutely, you won’t be able to stay with NieuCommunities but feel free to travel around and extend the Road Trip to other regions or countries!
What is the cost of each trip? [top]
Costs will vary from site to site and the price will fluctuate slightly based on currency valuations and the unique types of experiences that are built into each Road Trip.
The money can be raised and/or paid personally.
Keep in mind that you may have some personal costs on top of the trip cost. (e.g., passport application, insurance, baggage and other packing needs, personal purchases in country etc…)
Check out the Road Trip web page for current costs.
What expenses does the cost actually cover? [top]
1. Lodging/food
2. Cultural experiences, ministry costs and in-country transportation
What are the possible extra costs beyond the required trip amounts? [top]
* Passports ($50-$70 per person if you need to get one)
* Travel insurance
* Baggage and packing necessities
* Personal spending money for things like souvenirs, film, unexpected emergencies, etc… though this varies greatly from person to person, we would recommend that you bring between $50-$150 for spending money.
* Also consider any additional costs you might have while staying in the country after the road trip. The amount needed would depend on the length of stay, housing arrangements and activities planned etc…
Who books the tickets? [top]
You’ll make your own flight arrangements from your home to the airport in each Road Trip country. You’ll get specific info on that once you apply. We’ll help you with travel to and from the airport to each NieuCommunities site.
You’ll want to make reservations about 2 months before you travel. We can reimburse you for your ticket cost once you have enough money in your fund.
How do we prepare for the trip ? [top]
After you apply, you’ll get an Info Packet with additional info forms to fill out and send back in to us. You’ll book your flight, get your money in to us and you’re set to go! Before you leave for your Road Trip, we’d like you to read “The Celtic Way of Evangelism,” by George G. Hunter III to help you better understand why we do things the way we do and what we hope to learn together while we’re on the trip.
Do we need to get a visa to go on a road trip? [top]
No, you won’t need a visa since you’ll be in country less than three months. You will need a passport for all three countries, as it will also serve as a tourist visa for up to 90 days.
