Determining the availability of single occupancy rooms:
As a non-profit, our responsibility is to manage annual program costs responsibly. Our annual program budgets are designed for double occupancy lodging. In communities where and when it is possible, we offer a single option to accomodate volunteer needs.

However, it is not possible to guarantee the general availability of single rooms until the program begins. Team numbers and sizes fluctuate throughout the year. Unforseen circumstances such as emergencies and late cancellations/additions frequently change team composition. Despite these complications, we're often able to reserve your single room, only through assessment of an additional fee. This is consistent with all travel industry practices.

How the single supplement fee is calculated:
The fee to reserve a single room on a service program, when available, covers the cost of your single room plus our cost for the single room of the volunteer you have displaced. This is different from both the flat hotel rate for a single room, and the negotiated contract rate Global Volunteers obtains from the vendor. It is possible, if not paying a single supplement fee, you can obtain a single room solely because of your application date and the default gender composition of the team. But, this is neither guaranteed nor promised. The only way to reserve a single room is to request it and pay a single room option fee at the time of your application.

Please note that the single room option can be costly, depending upon the base hotel room charge. When calculating the single room option fee annually, we estimate the number of potential single room requests and budget for our team accommodations accordingly. The single room option fee covers the estimated added expense we anticipate to incure by providing the opportunity for you to reserve a single room. It is our practice only to cover our added costs of offering this option by assessing a single room option fee. We greatly appreciate your understanding.