FAQ
General | JewStuff | Booking a Trip
General
What makes a Katan Adventure different from any other adventure travel trip?
A lot of things, but we’ll just give you three examples. First, unlike the vast majority of other adventure tour operators, we focus on people in their 20s and 30s and we break down this age group even further by trip. While this deprives us of a substantial chunk of business, we believe our trips are
better off for it. It’s not that we don’t like old people; we just have more fun without ‘em. Second, our deep commitment to sustainable travel means that we fully offset all of your carbon emissions from air and ground transport when you are with us! Most importantly, when you travel on a trip with us you can rest assured that we have spent many nights awake in bed wondering how to make each one of our trips the single most exciting adventure travel experience of your life.
How are your trips broken down by age?
With some exceptions, college (18-24), 20s and 30s.
What if I want to go on a trip I am not in the right age group for?
We recognize that our age breakdowns are somewhat arbitrary but they are done to facilitate the social cohesiveness of our groups. That being said, we know a lot of 32 year olds that behave like 24 year olds. Therefore, we group by “psychological” age as opposed to absolute age, so feel free to sign up for any trip in your “psychological” age category.
What kind of community service do you engage in?
We are not interested in service for the sake of feeling good and not every trip lends itself to a meaningful service opportunity. On our trips under ten days we only provide opportunities where they are possible. For instance, in Costa Rica, we will often stay at Ranch Margot, a sustainable lodge and farm where we participate in reforestation projects.
How big are your groups?
That depends on the trip, but generally you can expect anywhere from 15-25 people in your group, with the average being around twenty.
All Katan Adventures are staffed by a professional, licensed guide based in the country of travel who remains with the group for the entire trip. Occasionally, however, such as in Jamaica, we send American guides who are familiar with the area and who work in conjunction with local guides for specific activities (i.e. river rafting, surfing). In addition, all Katan Adventures are staffed with a social guide whose sole purpose on the trip is to ensure that your nights are as action-packed as your days. Assuming you have the energy.
How can I meet the people I will be traveling with?
To protect the privacy of our customers, Katan Adventures does not provide advance details on the people in your group. However, if you are interested in meeting the people you will be traveling with, feel free to visit our Facebook page to connect with others who are booked on your trip.
Just because we spend our days shooting Class IV rapids or surfing Brazil’s best breaks doesn’t mean we sit on our asses at night. Our social guide who will accompany you on the trip is armed with the best information on where to spend your evenings and will often arrange discounted cover charges and drinks specials for our groups.
General | JewStuff | Booking a Trip
Jew Stuff
So where does the Jew part come in?
Although we are a non-denominational, non-agenda driven organization, our trips are guided by fundamental Jewish values and as such, all Katan Adventures strive, through the use of sustainable travel practices, to leave the world in a better place than they found it. Or at least no worse! Katan trips endeavor to achieve this by (1) patronizing eco friendly establishments as often as possible, (2) frequently participating in a day of eco-minded community service and (3) by providing carbon offsets for ground AND air transportation to all trip participants free of charge. In addition, if our trips happen to fall on a Friday night, we will usually host an optional, non-denominational Shabbat dinner whether we be in Costa Rica, Brazil or Montana. Finally, some of our trips are run in conjunction with Jewish organizations such as Birthright Israel NEXT (and are clearly indicated as such) in which case additional Jewish content is often provided by those organizations in addition to that described
above.
Do I have to be Jewish to go on a Katan Adventure?
Absolutely not. Katan Adventures are open to Jews and Friends of the Jew in their 20s and 30s. Because lord knows, the Jews need friends!
As long as you are not trying to convert Jews or are otherwise openly hostile to their beliefs or non-beliefs, yes. And you can’t be an anti-Semite.
What are fundamental Jewish values?
Good question. It depends on who you ask. Two thousand years ago, when asked to give the meaning of Judaism while standing on one foot, Reb Hillel said, “Love thy neighbor as thyself. The rest is commentary.” Nuff said!
Are your trips religious?
At Katan Adventures, we promote no organized religion, but we are Jews. Accordingly, we typically will have an optional, non-denominational Shabbat dinner if our trips fall on a Friday night and we try to spend Saturday relaxing (on the beach, where possible).
Are your trips kosher?
In line with Katan Adventures’ commitment to the environment, all included meals where we determine the menu are vegetarian. The number one cause of forest clearing in Central and South America is grazing area for cattle. We find that to be very disturbing (even though we love hamburgers!). On occasion, we will provide meat-based meals (never pork, we gotta draw the line somewhere) when we are able to patronize establishments that serve meat from humanely raised animals. Obviously, according to Jewish law, that’s not quite kosher. But we like to think of it as an evolution of kosher that reflects the moral considerations that engendered the laws of kashrut in the first place. Be forewarned, however, that many establishment Jews would strongly disagree with us on this point. Of course, when meals are not provided or when our accomodations proivde a la carte choices off a menu, which is often the case with dinner, you are free to indulge in whatever culinary delights you might wish. See our EcoloJEWcal section for more info on efforts to renew the laws of kashrut to reflect its true spirit. See Martin Buber for more on thumbing your nose at dogma.
What is your relationship with Birthright Israel NEXT
We are working with the Birthright Israel NEXT educational team to design trips for Taglit-Birthright Israel alumni. Information about those trips can be found here.
My experience with organized Jewish groups has not been so great. Why should I go on a Katan Adventure?
Because we know exactly what you are talking about.
General | JewStuff | Booking a Trip
Booking a Trip
Is availability guaranteed when booking online?
After you book a trip online, you will receive a confirmation email from us within 24 hours confirming that your credit card has been charged and that a spot is being held in your name. We strongly encourage you not to make any non-refundable travel arrangements prior to receiving such confirmation.
Are your trips guaranteed to run?
While we strive to ensure that every Katan Adventures trip runs, we cannot guarantee that they will due to factors beyond our control such as low interest, natural disaster in the country of travel, force majeure, etc. However, all trips will be confirmed at least thirty days prior to departure.
Do I need insurance?
All Katan Adventures require medical travel insurance that includes, at the very least, emergency evacuation and repatriation coverage. You can either fax or email proof of such coverage prior to your departure or have the proof available to show your guide on Day 1 of the trip. If you do not already have coverage, you can click here for more information on where to find it.
Can I cancel my booking if I decide not to make it?
If you are not sure you want to go on a trip, Katan Adventures allows you to hold a spot by making a $250 deposit that is fully refundable up to 120 days before the trip departure. After that point, it will be converted into a non-refundable deposit. Full payment is required 60 days prior to departure. If you cancel your trip within the 60 day period we will return 50% of the full payment, and if you cancel within 45 days of departure, you will forfeit 100% of the full payment.
