Summer Program Travel Information
2025 Montana High School Program
Arrive July 20th in Missoula*
Depart August 5th from Missoula
*Most flights to MSO are red-eyes, which means the group flight will likely depart from HNL on the night of July 19th.
2024 Big Island Middle School Program
Arrive June 10th in Hilo
Depart June 20th from Hilo
Montana FAQs
Who books our tickets?
Wild Kids works with Navigator Travel to find a group flight from Honolulu to Montana as a travel option for families. Families will be given group flight details by April 1st. If you prefer to book your tickets on your own, we ask that students arrive and depart within no more than 1 hour of the group arrival and departure time. The driving time between Pattee Canyon and airport is about 30 minutes, so fewer trips to the airport is best. Please note: airfare is not included in program cost.
Big Island FAQs
Who travels with the middle school group?
We always say, “A Wild Kids trip starts at the gate.” An important goal of our program is to teach self-sufficiency, independence, and flexible thinking. Expeditions, including flights, provide excellent experience to improve accountability, awareness and problem-solving. As such, we usually have the students fly as a group on their own or with a Junior Counselor in the past. There are many excellent tales of this part of the adventure from our alumni!
Can we drop-off or pick-up our child in Montana?
Absolutely! We highly recommend tacking this trip onto a family adventure. Please email Wild Kids Montana if you plan to either drop your child off or pick him/her/them up in Montana. We will work with you to make this possible!
Who books our tickets?
Our Wild Kids team will book a group flight for all participants through Southwest Airlines. If you prefer to book your own flight for your child, we as that you plan arrival and departure within 1 hour of the group flight. Please note: airfare is not included in program cost.
What type of bag should we bring as luggage?
We pack as a team in advance!
Because it is absolutely imperative that everyone arrive in Montana with the right gear, we pack as a team in advance. This allows our Wild Guides and Junior Counselors to actually see what is going into each bag and ensure that no one is overpacking, under-packing, or misunderstanding the gear and clothing guidelines.
Backpacking bags will be checked onto the plane.
What do we bring as a carry-on?
Participants can carry-on a small daypack.
What type of bag should we bring as luggage?
We pack as a team in advance!
For Middle School trips, each student is assigned a "duffle buddy." Then, each duffle buddy pair receives a Wild Kids duffle bag to use for the duration of the trip. The duffle buddy pair will pack under the supervision of a Wild Guide or Junior Counselor. After packing, one duffle buddy is responsible for checking the bag to Big Island and the other duffle buddy is responsible for checking the bag back to Honolulu. If a student requires certain gear or clothing for other trips throughout the summer, this must be cleared by the attending packing guides and students and parents must sign a contract to commit to bringing the items removed from the duffle bag to Big Island.
What do we bring as a carry-on?
For Middle School, you will carry-on your daypack with your sleeping bag and sleeping pad strapped to the outside.