Outdoor Adventure + Volunteer Vacation in Guatemala

To wrap up our PLAY it Forward Adventure, we participated in a service project, building a home for a local family. In only two and a half days, my group and I were able to construct this small structure. To us, this one-room home seemed simple and none of us could ever imagine this small space being a sufficient home. However to the family, this house meant a safe and sturdy roof over their heads. Seeing the family's gratitude and appreciation brought tears to my eyes as we held a blessing ceremony for their new home and provided them with two weeks worth of food. Knowing that we helped this family was worth every drop of sweat and aching muscle that went into building the home. This project was a perfect way to end the trip because I was able to connect with and give back to the local culture I had experienced all week through the adventure portion of our trip. It also helped me to further connect with this group of strangers that in a very short time had become my friends. That is the uniqueness of a PLAY it Forward adventure and the reason I will forever recommend as THE way to travel.

Casa del Mundo is located on the hillside of Lake Atitlan. There is nothing more relaxing than sitting in a chair on the edge of the lake staring at the surrounding volcanoes. The hotel provides the traveler with quite the exercise climbing the stairs to get to your cozy little room, but every step is worth it. While on the PLAY it Forward tour we took a couple short hikes to local villages around the beautiful Lake Atitlan. The hotel also provided us with kayaks to explore the lake.