Antigua Guatemala, Sacatepequez Guatemala

Antigua Guatemala, Sacatepequez Guatemala

Antigua Guatemala, Sacatepequez Guatemala

Antigua Guatemala, Sacatepequez Guatemala

Antigua Guatemala, Sacatepequez Guatemala

Antigua Guatemala, Sacatepequez Guatemala

Antigua Guatemala, Sacatepequez Guatemala

Antigua Guatemala, Sacatepequez Guatemala

VolunTour: Build a Bottle School

Antigua Guatemala, SacatepequezGuatemala

7 Days / 6 Nights
for Member Pricing

VolunTour: Build a Bottle School

Improve the lives of Guatemalan village children by working to build a school out of repurposed plastic bottles.

About Your Trip

On this VolunTour for guests ages 8 years and older, show your Heart to Serve by spending 7 days and 6 nights in Antigua and other sites in rural Guatemala. You'll work alongside WorldVentures Foundation™ volunteers and Guatemalan villagers to build an eco-friendly bottle school. The work you do will provide a place for children to learn and will engage the community in improving their environment.

As part of this ongoing effort, on your trip you’ll:
• Help build a village school using plastic bottles stuffed with inorganic trash to form “eco-bricks.”
• Depending on the school’s stage of construction, you may dig and move dirt; stuff, classify and place bottles; cut and bend rebar; mix cement and layer it onto the walls; or paint.
• Work directly with villagers and take turns shoveling, gathering bottles or sharing other tasks.

At a Glance:
• No matter your skill level, age or physical strength, team leaders will find something useful for you to do. NOTE: See Special Disclaimers in Policies for other health-related information.
• Every step of the building process is done by hand — literally leaving your handprints all over the school.
• Village volunteers give talks about subjects such as the Guatemalan Civil War and migration, to help you better understand the people.
• Start and end your trip in Antigua, which charms with cobblestone streets and Spanish colonial buildings, and even remnants of a devastating 1773 earthquake. For most of your visit, you’ll stay in small towns and rural areas.

What do those who’ve taken a VolunTour say about the experience?
• “Our first bottle-school trip was a life-changer; call it a reset button. It helped us see life from a different perspective … of so much love to give, and caring from the kids and their parents, all without the material things in life. … We already have No. 2 and No. 3 bottle-school trips on our calendar!” — Raymond & Janie B., United States

• “The idea of using bottles and trash to build a school is brilliant! I have gone on VolunTours to Guatemala to build schools, and the experience has been life-changing. We can truly help change the world!” — James L., Singapore

Check out this DreamTrip on Facebook.

This trip will close by March 27.


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What's Included

• Spend 7 days and 6 nights in comfortable accommodations with private baths in Antigua and other locales in Guatemala.
• Price is per person and is based on room sharing. Single, double, triple and quadruple rooms are available. Sharing a room may be necessary and roommate requests are accepted. Single occupancy is an additional US$100; availability not guaranteed.
• Participate in a welcome ceremony or group activity.
• Volunteer for 3 days in a rural village, helping to build a bottle school.
• Hike to see farms, family homes and places of worship. You may see women making tortillas and weaving traditional fabrics.
• Visit Mayan ruins where you can participate in a spiritual ceremony, at your discretion, and learn about Mayan history and tradition.
• The trip cost covers all meals, unlimited purified water, ground transportation and a bilingual guide. The on-sight cook prepares foods using methods consistent with United States safety standards. Food allergies can be accommodated; please contact adam@hugitforward.org to discuss.

  • This VolunTour will be hosted and led by Rene Castaneda and Kim Boyko.

  • For any questions regarding this trip, contact the DreamTrips specialist at DreamTrips@rovia.com.



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    Itinerary

    Please note that this is a sample itinerary only. The actual itinerary for your trip may vary slightly.

    Breakfast, lunch and dinner, along with purified water, are provided every day of the trip. Please note possible exceptions: Lunch on arrival day and breakfast on departure day may not be provided, depending on your flight time.

     

    Day 1

    Arrive in Guatemala City, where you’ll be met at the airport by a Hug It Forward representative and escorted into Antigua.
    If you’ve arrived early enough in the day, you can spend the afternoon exploring Antigua, a UNESCO World Heritage City.
    Orientation dinner.
    Overnight in Antigua.

    Day 2

    Transfer to the town or rural area where your bottle-school project will take place.
    Unload luggage and take a brief break.
    Transfer to the rural village of your bottle-school location.
    Welcome ceremony.
    Begin work on the bottle-school project.
    Presentation from a community member about the Guatemalan Civil War.
    Village hike.
    Overnight in a town or rural area near the site of the bottle-school project.

    Day 3

    Transfer to and work on the bottle-school project.
    Presentation by a community member about migration.
    Overnight in a town or rural area near the site of the bottle-school project..

    Day 4

    Tour Mayan ruins with a guide who practices Mayan spirituality.
    • See temples and other buildings made from shimmering stones (unique among Mayan ruins in Guatemala).
    Overnight in a town or rural area near the site of the bottle-school project.

    Day 5


    Transfer to and work on the bottle-school project.
    During the afternoon, you might spend time practicing your Spanish.
    Closing ceremony by the community, including a dance.
    Overnight in a town or rural area near the site of the bottle-school project.

    Day 6

    Transfer to Antigua.
    Afternoon at your leisure.
    Overnight in Antigua.

    Day 7

    Transfer to the La Aurora International Airport (GUA) in Guatemala City and return home.

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    Transportation

    Airfare is not included in the trip price! The closest commercial airport to the hotel is La Aurora International Airport (GUA). Arrive before 4 p.m. on the first day of the VolunTour, if possible; and leave at any time on the last day of the VolunTour. We highly recommend that you purchase travel insurance for any trip.

    We’ve got you covered when it comes to transfers between the airport and your hotel. 

    Your trip includes 2 airport transfers:*
    May 3, timing based on arrival: From La Aurora International Airport (GUA) to the hotel.
    May 9, timing based on departure: From the hotel to La Aurora International Airport (GUA) to the hotel.

    To get free access to airport transfers, you must submit your flight information here by April 19. Helpful reminder: Flights are not included in the price.

    The distance from the airport to the hotel is approximately 39 km (24 miles).

    *These transfers are available only for the airport(s) and dates listed above.

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    Terms and Conditions

    Cancellation Policy: If you cancel 28 days or more before departure, you will receive a 50 percent refund. If you cancel 27 days or less before departure, you will not receive a refund.

    Name Change Policy: If you change any name(s) on your booking 7 days or more before the start date of your trip, you’ll be charged a fee of US$50 per name change. Name changes are not permitted within 7 days of the start date of your trip.

    The minimum age for this trip is 8 years old.

    A signed WorldVentures Foundation Volunteer Waiver will be required to participate in this DreamTrip VolunTour. Please click here to download the waiver.

    Children ages 8 and older, accompanied by a parent or legal guardian, are welcome on this VolunTour. The child’s reservation must be booked, paid for and his/her name on the rooming list to be checked in. Regardless of age, all guests are charged the adult rate.

    If you would like to bring your child on a bottle-school trip and he/she is age 10 or younger, please contact adam@hugitforward.org to discuss additional considerations. 

    At the time of booking, you will see a page with your order number and trip cost. This is your confirmation. Please retain and bring this information with you on your trip. Another confirmation will not be sent.

    Members booking this DreamTrip VolunTour are required to purchase insurance from the vendor of their choice. Proof of insurance must be received 4 weeks prior to travel. Please click here for more information. 

    This DreamTrip VolunTour is run in collaboration with and sponsored by Serve the World Today LLC and Hug It Forward. Participation on this VolunTour is subject to your acceptance of Serve the World’s terms and conditions: Please click here for more information.

    Hug It Forward is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization that supports and empowers communities in Guatemala by building bottle schools with trash-stuffed plastic soda bottles. Visit Hug It Forward or more information.

    Please contact Travel Support if you have special requests regarding rooming, bedding, meals or medical needs, or any other questions about this trip.

    At the time of booking, you will see a page with your order number and trip cost. This is your confirmation. Please retain and bring this information with you on your trip.

    Hotel/resort credits and/or discounts cannot be converted to cash, and any not used during your stay will expire immediately upon your departure.

    In the unfortunate event that an activity or excursion is no longer available, we will substitute a similar activity of equal or greater value.

    As always, make sure that your passport/visa is up-to-date before you leave! It’s very important to double check that you have all the necessary identification required for the specific country you’re traveling to. Keep in mind that many countries require passports and/or visas to be valid for a minimum of six months after the end date of the trip.

    Members with additional people in room, not booked prior to travel, will be charged the hotel’s prevailing rate, not the DreamTrips™ price.

    Pricing shown is for each person, and is based on two people per room.

    Please don’t consider your change requests official until you receive a confirmation email from your DreamTrips Specialist.

    SPECIAL DISCLAIMERS: 

    • If Hug It Forward determines that it is unsafe to go on this trip, for whatever reason, no refund will be offered, as all deposits in Guatemala will have already been paid. However, you will be given a credit and priority booking for another trip within 1 year. You will be responsible for any flight change fees if a DreamTrip VolunTour is postponed for safety reasons.
    • If, due to rain or other extreme conditions, it is impossible to work on a bottle-school site, the trip will still go ahead as scheduled and you will instead visit a community where a bottle school has already been built. Once there, you will interact with children and the community. For full Terms & Conditions, please visit Serve the World Today. 
    • Those traveling on this VolunTour should not have any serious health issues. Unfortunately, accommodation for those with handicaps is not available. 
    • Minimum number of people required for this DreamTrip VolunTour to travel is 15. If fewer than 15 people book this DreamTrip VolunTour, it may be cancelled. You will be notified if your trip is going to be cancelled.

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