Details: Transportation, Visas, Communication

Visas

When entering Honduras, you should request a tourist visa valid for 90 days in Honduras. In 2010, Honduras changed its immigration policies so that it does not participate in the single CA-4 immigration zone (Honduras, Guatemala, El Salvador, and Nicaragua). Teachers are not technically working but volunteering for the school. The school will cover the cost of renewing the tourist visas twice a year, in October and March, but volunteers must leave the country on their own over Christmas break to renew their 90 day visas.

Flights

We ask our foreign staff to pay their own airfare. For a non-profit organization such as Mayatan, the cost of the flight is considerable on top of the monthly stipends, housing and other benefits of working here.

Most teachers fly into San Pedro Sula, Honduras or Guatemala City, Guatemala. More detailed information about travel will be sent as part of the hiring process. Guatemala City is at least 5-6 hours

Buses

Buses are the cheapest and most convenient method of transportation within Central America. We recommend Hedman Alas for its tight security and the level of comfort on its buses, though it is the most expensive ($25 one way to Copán from San Pedro Sula). There are also second class buses providing transportation all over Honduras and Central America; prices and conditions vary, but a typical trip on Casasola Express from Copán to San Pedro Sula is about $7. There are also mini-buses all over the region. Second class buses and mini buses may not be as comfortable or secure as first class companies like Hedman Alas.

Please note that it is not safe to travel at night by bus in most of Central America, particularly Guatemala. It is at minimum a 5-6 hour trip from Guatemala City to Copán and a 3.5 hour trip from San Pedro Sula. If your flight gets in too late to get to Copán from these airports by early evening, we recommend spending the night at a hotel and coming the next day.

Bank Accounts

During Orientation Week, the school will help you open an account into which your monthly stipend will be deposited. The account will include a debit card, and there is an ATM machine in the center of town for easy withdrawals.

Mail

The mailing address is: Your Name, Escuela Mayatan, Copán Ruinas, Copán, Honduras, Central America. Teachers report that a letter generally takes 10-14 days to arrive from the U.S. and small packages in envelopes about 2-3 weeks. Your local post office can give you rates and approximate amount of time that the package will arrive in Honduras; once it reaches the country, it will most likely take a little longer to get to Copán.

There is no mail delivery and you will have to pick up your mail at the post office downtown off the Square.

The best and cheapest way to send packages from the United States is with the U.S. Postal Service in a flat-rate box. Although there is no long international land/sea postage from the United States, this is still a better option than a private delivery service because U.S. Mail is less likely to get stuck in customs, which can delay and add considerable fees to a package.

Telephones

Most volunteers buy cell phones once they are in Honduras, which can be as cheap as $25. Landlines are expensive and generally not available. A cell phone from North America will probably not work here without changes that can be expensive and difficult to make. Instead of monthly contracts, volunteers choose pay as you go plans from Tigo, Digicel, or Claro; minutes can be bought at stores all over town or at the bank.

When your family and friends call from the United States, they will find that rates are generally expensive, even with calling cards ($0.20+/minute), and the connections are terrible. It is often cheaper for volunteers to call from Honduras, although the $0.12/minute cellphone fees do add up on a volunteer's salary. There are services, such as Ezetop, that will let someone send you cellphone minutes with a credit card. Skype, Google Voice, and other online services may also be a solution for some volunteers and their loved ones.

Internet Access

Escuela Mayatan's campus is a wireless hotspot and you can connect while here. A number of restaurants in town provide free internet service while you patronize the business. You can purchase home wireless internet service  from several vendors in town for around $35.00 per month, and if you have an account with one of them, you can connect in businesses around town and the Park whose networks are password encrypted. Internet connection speeds will be much slower than volunteers are used to at home.

Laptops

Most teachers find a laptop computer essential. However if you do not have one, the school will check one out to you for use overnight or on weekends. The school cannot provide a computer to you during the day as school equipment will be use by students. There are some internet cafes in town, but these are expensive and not always convenient. It is more expensive and difficult to purchase computer equipment in Honduras than in the U.S.A., Canada, or Europe; the best way by far is to plan ahead and pack a laptop.