What's a "trip kitty"?

GAP Adventures and Tucan Travel had a similar charge known as the "local payment," although both abolished it within the last few years.

Whether you call it a "kitty," "local payment," or some other term, the charge contributes to a petty cash fund for the staff, allowing them to make arrangements for tour expenses like accommodations or local transport. By paying this amount in cash directly to the local staff, instead of to the head office, the tour organization would save on costs such as wire transfer and currency exchange fees, and possibly ameliorate exchange rate volatility. By having a dollar or euro cache on hand (no pun intended), the local staff has greater flexibility.

As transactional costs decline, and as headquarters wants tighter control and reporting on how funds are spent, the necessity of such a fund seems to have declined. GAP and Tucan, two of Intrepid's biggest competitors, now add the local payment directly to the cost of the tour.

It sounds like an amount to cover fixed costs, and your individual contribution might vary, depending on how many people are part of the activity. For example, if a bus is needed, the cost is fixed and divided equally between all of the participants. If more people participate, the individual's cost should go down (until they have to hire a bigger bus). If a guide is planned, then the guide's fee can be paid from the kitty in the same way.