Ensenada Info

Information Packet

Thousand Smiles Club Trip 

Information Packet 

Please visit linktr.ee/1000smiles if you have not done so already. 

Below is some information on FAQs. I also highly recommend checking  

out thousandsmiles.org for more general information as well. 

FAQs 

SAFETY 

The Thousand Smiles Foundation clinic is in Ensenada, Mexico, about an hour and a half drive removed from Tijuana. The first concern for most parents is safety. This is the number one concern for us as well. Rotary International, one of the highest-rated charities for the 14th year in a row, has been managing the Thousand Smiles Foundation for 30 years. The local Rotary club is highly respected by the Mexican government for serving their kids. We work at a Rotary-sponsored, government-backed clinic. It is a safe zone, and we are in a low-risk, tourist-friendly area. 

LODGING 

We typically stay at either the San Nicholas Hotel & Casino or Villa Marina Hotel in Ensenada. We book the rooms for roughly $99, and we make sleeping arrangements so everyone is comfortable at 2-4 people per room. This accounts for $50 of the total trip cost. If any money is left over, it is donated to the Thousand Smiles Club at JSCHS.  

TRAVEL 

Pack work clothes and enough clothes for two days and your passport or birth certificate. More  on what to pack in the section titled “Checklist.” We will meet in the senior parking lot from 5:00-5:10 am to depart for Mexico. Make sure you're there on time! Next, we carpool to the border, pay for parking, then walk to the van pickup site. It is a courtesy that all share in gas and parking costs during the carpool.

The van accounts for $70 of the trip cost. Note: We recommend everyone set aside  ~$20 cash to take the border ‘FastTrak.’ (See: Personal Expenses) 

FOOD & PERSONAL COSTS 

Everyone should bring money for food. Foodservice around the clinic accepts US dollars. It's usually only $4 for a meal. Additionally, the clinic will provide food for free, but we will pay for breakfast and dinner. More on the price breakdown in the title sectioned “Personal Expenses.” If you would like to represent the club and support the clinic, we have Thousand Smiles T-shirts as an optional $20 expense. 

Typically, people save money on our trip, spending less than they would have spent the weekend at home (food is affordable, you won't be buying gas, but if you did, it's ~$2 a gallon). 

DATES

We leave early in the morning on Friday, work through the day, sleep the night, work Saturday,  and leave after that. We expect to be home by Saturday ~8:00 pm, but with traffic, this can vary.  You/your child will receive ~30-35 Christian Service Hours for his time and effort. 

TRIP COST  

These are the required costs of the trip to reserve a spot. If any money is left over it is donated to the Thousand Smiles Club at JSCHS. 

• $70 transportation (to and from) 

• $50 room 

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• Total $120

Venmo to @markacruzdds to reserve your spot. Because the trip cost is calculated by dividing the total cost of rooms and transportation by the number of trip members, deposits are non-refundable. 

PERSONAL EXPENSES  

Bring cash for Breakfast and Dinner (Lunch is provided by the clinic) as well as money to  take the ‘FastTrak’ across the border. Additionally, the clinic sells tee-shirts, crewneck sweatshirts, and other Thousand Smiles Foundation merchandise. 

• $15-25 Dinner Friday night 

• $15-25 Breakfast Saturday morning 

• $20 T-Shirt (Funds go straight to the clinic) 

• $20 ‘FastTrak’ across the border 

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• Total $40-90 

CHECKLIST 

✓ Passport ID

✓ 2 days' worth of casual work clothes 

✓ T-shirts 

✓ Jeans/pants

✓ Closed-toe shoes

✓ Casual clothes for dinner 

✓ Bathing suit 

✓ Sleeping clothes 

✓ Toiletries 

✓ Toothbrush, toothpaste

✓ Sunscreen

✓ Deodorant 

✓ Blow dryer (occasionally not included in room)

✓ Phone charger 

✓ Camera (optional) 

✓ Bag 

✓ Charger 

✓ Distilled drinking water 

✓ Snacks (optional) 

✓ Scrubs (Medical MAGNET)

✓ Discretionary cash