Welcome, team. This guide walks you through our journey from Seattle to Nepal and on to the Hearts for Nepal Expo in Istanbul — the schedule, the flights, what to expect on the ground, and how to care for yourself so you arrive ready to serve. Read it more than once, and bring your questions to Pastor Dennis. We travel as a family, and a family looks after one another.
For the first time, we are bringing members of our Nepali team and some of our girls out of Nepal and onto the world stage in Istanbul — several boarding a plane, leaving their country, and telling their own stories for the very first time. Your role: clear the path, carry the load, and let our Nepali family shine.
“True leadership is not about being in charge — it’s about taking care of those in your charge.”
Your trip is taken care of — here is exactly what that means, and the little you may want to bring for yourself.
Bring new, crisp $100 USD bills with the security strip, kept flat and unfolded. Nepali money changers require clean, new, unfolded bills and will reject anything worn, torn, marked, or folded.
Plan one large checked suitcase for your personal things and one carry-on. Turkish Airlines economy allows one carry-on up to 8 kg (≈17 lb), max 55 × 40 × 23 cm, plus one small personal item.
Flights must be used in the order they appear — skipping one cancels the rest. Build in airport time; international check-in and security take longer than you expect.
Be flexible. This is the plan, and the plan can move. Hold the schedule loosely and follow the team’s lead.
The Leadership Conference — a secular leadership training sponsored by Hearts for Nepal in the capital, reaching hundreds of leaders across business, education, government, the military, and police at once. It builds the relationships and trust that open doors for everything else we do — one of the most strategic days of the trip.
“A great leader doesn’t just lead for today — they lead with the future in mind, building a legacy that will outlast them.”
Nepal is a country of staggering extremes — and one of the most extraordinary places you will ever set foot in.
Nepal’s first national park (1973) and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Trade the Himalayas for steamy lowland jungle — dense sal forest, tall elephant grass, and the slow rivers of the Terai. One of the best places in all of Asia to see big wildlife in the wild.
On the way home we gather in Istanbul — the only major city in the world that straddles two continents, split by the Bosphorus. It has carried three names: Byzantium, then Constantinople, and finally Istanbul in 1930.
For our Expo days we stay together in a private Airbnb villa — a real home, not a hotel. Full kitchen, bedrooms we share with our team, comfortable common spaces, and a private pool, all a short ride from the venue.
The Expo is the work — but the city is a gift, too.
For our Expo days we stay together in a private Airbnb villa with a pool — a real home, not a hotel (shown on the previous page) — with a little time between sessions to see one of the world’s great cities.
Until you have lived a 13-hour time change, you cannot imagine how completely it scrambles your body clock. Do not depend on your natural rhythm — it will be wrong, and fighting it will wreck your first days.
Both travel with the team and are dispensed only by the medical lead — never self-started or shared. Tell the medical lead in advance about any allergies (especially to these drug classes) and every medication you already take.
Sleep is your best medicine. Follow the prescribed sleep schedule — and if you need over-the-counter sleep meds to fall back asleep, take them.
Nepal is a sharing culture. Food and water are offered freely and joyfully, and how you handle both says a lot about you. Here is how to stay healthy and honor the culture at the same time.
You’ll see Nepalis drink from a shared bottle without touching it to their lips — tipping their head back and pouring from a few inches above. It lets one bottle serve many without spreading germs. You don’t have to master it, but respect it — and keep your own Hydroflask for yourself.
“Leadership is not about position or power. It’s about taking responsibility, making hard decisions, and serving others even when it costs you.”
Every traveler on this trip is covered by global travel insurance. It is there to help you in an emergency — keep your policy details with you.
A comprehensive travel protection plan that helps with the most common trip disruptions — wherever you are, whenever you need it.
Both countries issue visas on arrival. You don't need to apply ahead of time — the team takes care of the application and the cost, which is already budgeted in your trip amount. Just bring your passport and follow the leader's instructions at each border.
At immigration, answer only the questions you are asked. Keep replies short and polite — don't volunteer extra information. Offering unsolicited detail can invite unnecessary scrutiny.
Clear the path, carry the load, and let our Nepali family shine. Let’s bring them home with a story that changes lives.