Refund Policy Overview
$500 deposit is refundable until January 16th, 2026. After that, the $500 is non-refundable under any circumstance.
- Builders will be allowed to change their trip location until January 15, 2026.
- Each additional payment is non-refundable after payment deadline (1st payment due January 23, 2026. Final payment due February 20, 2026).
- All donations are non-refundable, per IRS guidelines.
- Please read below for more details on the 2026 Refund Policy.
HXP Refund Policy:
1) If you sign up during Registration Week (December 1 – December 5, 2025)¹, and if the trip is canceled by HXP 90 days or more prior² to departure due to complications or restrictions arising from any pandemic, civil unrest, war, acts of terrorims, natural disaster, or other comparable force majeure, you may choose to (a) switch to one of our available International or Domestic³ alternative service trips, in which case you would receive a refund or charged for any additional increase in the cost of the trip or (b) cancel and receive a refund of all money paid toward your trip (less the original non-refundable $500 per person deposit⁴ and any donations).
2) If there are open spots that remain available after Registration Week, Builders may still sign up for a trip. In that case, if HXP has to cancel trips for any reason related to the COVID-19 pandemic, or previously stated scenarios, you may still choose to remain with your same group and switch to one of our alternative service trips (you would receive a refund in the difference in costs). However, you are not guaranteed a refund of any money paid toward your trip should you elect not to participate in the alternative service trip.
Payment Deadlines:
$500 deposit is refundable until January 16th, 2026. After that, the $500 is non-refundable under any circumstance. Each additional payment becomes non-refundable immediately after the payment deadline.
For international experiences (for participants that are 16-19 years old), an additional $1500 is due January 23, 2026 (for $2,000 total paid
For domestic experiences (for participants that are 14-16 years old) additional $500 due January 23, 2026 (for $1,000 total paid).The remaining balance of your trip is due February 20, 2026.
Anyone who registers after January 16, 2026, has 48 hours after being placed on a trip to cancel and receive a refund. Participants then must follow the payment plan outlined in the table below.
Payments and donations are non-transferable to another participant and cannot be deferred to a later year.
Travel Protection Coverage:
With the well-being of Builders as our top priority, HXP purchases travel insurance to protect Builders during the trip.
We highly recommend purchasing Cancel-for-Any-Reason insurance to protect your investment in the event that YOU need to cancel your trip prior to the start date (the Money-Back Guarantee, see HXP Contingency Plan for more details, only applies if HXP cancels the trip).
Trip Cancellation Due to Insufficient Participation:
If HXP is forced to cancel a trip for insufficient participation, then HXP will provide all new 2026 Builders a full refund of any money paid to HXP within thirty (30) days of the cancellation notice. HXP bears no further responsibility beyond the refund.
Donations:
All donations are non-refundable, per IRS guidelines. For this reason, if you are fundraising this year, you might consider encouraging your friends and extended family to give directly to you rather than giving to HXP. If they choose not to donate to HXP they won’t receive a tax deduction, but if they give to you and then you make your payment directly it is not subject to the non-refundable law. See the HXP Donations page for further details.
2026 Waitlist & Payment Schedule:
As long as you remain on the waitlist you can request a refund of the $500 deposit up until August 31, 2026. After August 31, 2026, the deposit becomes non-refundable.
If you get booked on a trip from the waitlist, HXP will deliver an email notification (“Booking”), after which you have 48 hours to cancel your spot and receive a refund of the $500 deposit, after which time, the deposit becomes non-refundable.
Once booked on a trip you will follow the payment schedule:
Trip Booked On or Before January 23, 2026
Second Payment Due on January 23, 2026
International Trips – $1500
Domestic Trips – $500
Final Payment Due on February 20, 2026
Remaining Balance (for international and domestic trips)
Trip Booked January 24, 2026 – February 20, 2026
Second Payment Due at Booking
International Trips – $1,500
Domestic Trips – $500
Final Payment Due on February 20, 2026
Remaining Balance (for international and domestic trips)
Trip Booked February 21, 2026 – April 30, 2026
Second Payment Due at Booking
International Trips – $1500
Domestic Trips – $500
Final Payment Due fourteen (14) calendar days from the date of Booking
Remaining Balance (for international and domestic trips)
Trip Booked After May 1, 2026
Second Payment Due at Booking
International Trips – $1500
Domestic Trips – $500
Final Payment Due three (3) calendar days from the date of your Booking
Remaining Balance (for international and domestic trips)
Each subsequent payment becomes non-refundable on the payment due date.
Failure to meet these payment deadlines may result in the cancellation of your reservation, at HXP’s sole discretion.
Switching to Other Trips:
Builders can switch their trips for free up until January 15, 2026. After January 15, 2026 Builders may call the office/email HXP to change their trip for an additional cost of $500 and any additional flight and trip accommodation fees.
HXP cannot guarantee any trip changes or accommodations.
1 To be eligible for the money-back guarantee, booking must be made during Registration Week (December 1 – December 5, 2025), and travel must conclude by August 31, 2026.
2 If the trip is canceled for any reason less than 90 days prior to departure, the money-back guarantee is no longer valid, and alternative trips may not be available. All payments will be subject to the normal HXP refund policy.
3 Keep in mind that the cost of building, lodging, food, and sightseeing for a trip that is planned last minute may be much higher, so the cost variation may not be significant.
4 The operation of trips requires extensive long-term planning, and costs are incurred long before the actual departure date, including non-refundable deposits paid to suppliers. Humanitarian Experience, therefore, retains the original $500 non-refundable deposit.