Mother/Daughter Guatemala Experience 

March 9-17, 2024

Welcome to the mother daughter experience! (Basically a freaking epic girls trip) We can’t wait to share our passions of Guatemala with you! Get ready for yummy food, beautiful culture, rural adventures, amazing people and once in a lifetime opportunities to hangout with your mom/daughter.

Who is Hosting?

Mandee is a wife and mother of 4 children. Her and her husband Cam moved their family to Guatemala for a year in 2018. Since then, she loves sharing the unique learning opportunities Guatemala has to offer. She helps run Mason Gives, a non-profit organization that teaches children proper oral hygiene and provides comprehensive dental work for children that need it most. She also accompanied her husband as they host youth, family, and dental missions to Guatemala every year. Mandee is a certified life coach and loves working with teens and young adults.

Kate was 13 when she moved to Guatemala for a year with her family. She’s the oldest of 4 and is a natural born leader. She absolutely loves traveling and has been back to Guatemala 5 times since moving back to Utah in 2019. Her hobbies include singing, guitar, climbing, riding bikes, skiing, scuba diving, making new friends, and the latest…surfing! She is currently 18 and living in Oahu, Hawaii.

COST:

  • ● Early Bird Price: $1695.00. Sign up by Nov. 15, 2023 and pay deposit of $300 for each participant if you want this pricing.

  • ●   Regular Price: $1895.00

  • ●   Full Payment: Due by Jan. 15 2024

COST INCLUDES:

  1. Cost includes everything except airfare, souvenirs, and personal snacks

    • ●  Food

    • ●  Drivers

    • ●  Hotels

    • ●  Interpreters

    • ●  Tips

    • ●  Humanitarian Projects

    • ●  Adventure Experiences

    • ●  Cultural Experiences

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8 DAY EXAMPLE ITINERARY

Every day is full. We typically start with breakfast between 7-8 am and go hard all day long. There will be a variety of humanitarian projects and experiences, adventure, culture, and team building. You will be tired at the end of each day. We go-go-go!

  • ●  Arrive and Drive to Panajachel

  • ●  Church and tour Panajachel, Lake Atitlan.

  • ●  Spend the day with Juanito and Mason Gives helping teach oral hygiene to elementary age children.

  • ●  Cultural tour in San Juan La Laguna. Cliff jumping in San Marcos.

  • ●  Faith Seeds Service, Humanitarian Service, Short Visit to See The Temple of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Quetzaltenango.

  • ●  Ziplines and Travel to Antigua.

  • ●  Hike Volcan Acatenango, Sleep on Volcano

  • ●  Summit Volcano at 4am, Breakfast, Hike Down, Drive to Antigua, Souvenir Shopping/Free Time

  • ●  Fly Home

Frequently Asked Questions

● Is the trip safe?
We take this very seriously and recognize this is a big question for many participants. We have taken all precautions to make this trip safe for our participants. Cam and Mandee Quayle moved to Guatemala with their four children in August 2018 for a one year family humanitarian mission. Cam and Mandee have been hosting groups of families and youth to Guatemala on numerous trips. Participants stay in safe hotels, all of which we have personally stayed in before and approved of their conditions. All transportation is private and with responsible drivers. Participants are always in groups and accompanied by adult leaders.

● Who can participate?
Any mother, and daughter between the ages 15-19 when the week begins.

● How many spots are available?
We have 24 spots available. (This depends on how many daughter-to-mother combos we have signed up)

● Do I need to get vaccinations?
No vaccinations are required to enter Guatemala. Talk to your family physician for any specific questions about vaccinations.

● What if I get sick?
If someone were to get sick or injured, we have direct local access to doctors, hospitals, pharmacies, etc. The travel medical insurance, which we include in the cost of the trip, would cover any cost incurred.

● Do I need insurance?
We include medical travel insurance in the cost of the trip. This covers any emergency medical or dental expenses, as well as emergency evacuation or repatriation.

● What is lodging like?
Lodging for participants is in approved housing. All rooms have two to four beds and a full bathroom with hot water. Depending on flight times when returning home, there may be a need to overnight in Guatemala City. We use a safe, secure and trusted hotel near the airport.

● What is the food like?
Breakfasts are provided by our hotel or tour companies and include things like Guatemalan beans and eggs or pancakes and fruit. Lunches and dinners are either dine in at our hotel, at a local restaurant, or provided in the field on service days. All food is washed and prepared using modern practices. The food is delicious and healthy. We do not serve a lot of processed food. We will make sure you have plenty of food. We will also provide safe drinking water at all times.

● What will we do for service projects?
We will be working with Faith Seeds International. Faith Seeds International focuses on educating the children whose parents work in the Quetzaltenango City dump. We will visit the dump, interact with the workers and then meet the children at a local soccer field to play and connect with them. These are some of the poorest families in Guatemala and this day is typically a highlight for our groups.

Visit one of Mason Gives sponsored schools and help teach the students oral hygiene and hand out oral hygiene kits. After the kits are handed out we will play soccer and basketball with the students, color coloring pages with them and have fun.

● What is the in-country transportation?
All in-country ground transportation is in private, modern vans with trusted, professional drivers. This includes rides to and from Guatemala City, as well as transportation on service days.

● Is this a tourism trip?
We will see and experience many amazing things and have some awesome adventures, but this week is more than that. We will learn about ourselves, about effective humanitarian work, and be directly involved in hands-on service.

● Do I need to know Spanish?
No knowledge of the Spanish language is required. There will always be Spanish speaking leaders available to help.

● Do I need a passport?
Yes, a valid passport is needed to travel to Guatemala. At the time of travel, it must have at least six months left before it expires. This can take time to receive, so you should order your passport as soon as you are accepted.

● Do I need a visa to travel to Guatemala?
Yes. When you arrive in Guatemala, your passport will be stamped, giving you a 90 day tourist visa.

● How much luggage can I bring?

Each participant is allowed one checked bag and one carry on.

●  What should I bring?

Each participant will be provided with a detailed packing list.  It includes basic clothing, toiletries and a water bottle. You do not need to bring anything out of the ordinary.

●  Can I wash clothes during the trip?

There are no washing facilities for participants. Please plan accordingly and bring enough clothes, especially socks and underwear. That being said, we can arrange for laundry to be done for emergencies.

●  What flight should I purchase?

You are welcome to purchase the flight that best suits your needs. We will let you know when our drivers will be picking the group up and you can arrange your flights accordingly, and arrange an extra hotel stay if needed. We require that all participants arrive on Saturday March 9th, and depart on Sunday March 17. Host flight itineraries will be provided to allow you to purchase a ticket on the same flight if possible. Participants will fly into and out of La Aurora/Guatemala City International Airport.

● Is the volcano hike hard?
Yes! It is uphill for 4 miles to base camp, with an additional 1 mile to summit in the morning if you choose. You start at about 8,000ft elevation and end at about 13,000ft elevation. It’s not for the faint of heart, BUT it is so worth it! You get to see an active volcano erupt if the weather and volcano cooperate. It’s incredible!! One of those once-in-a-lifetime opportunities for most. There is an option to pay extra for a horse to ride up the volcano tobase camp. They only offer the horse up, they do not offer it back down. The horse is about $100 extra.

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