Hello All! We are really excited to bring you a guest blog post from one of our good friends. His name is Omar and he is also addicted to travel-shocking right?! We met almost 10 year ago (gasp!) at work. When he started telling us about this crazy trek he was doing and why, we just had to help! So without further ado, here’s Omar’s story: 

I recently saw a commercial on a Delta flight and it’s message hit home: “That old saying, good things come to those who wait is just that, an old saying.  Those good things, you have to get out there and chase them.”  Both my parents immigrated to the US from Central America and I feel like this pioneer spirit was passed down to me. I caught the adventure travel bug as a kid visiting my parent’s native countries and always loved the new experiences it brought – jumping in cool rivers, playing soccer in alleys, and smelling and tasting all the native spices and flavors.  So much of this experience changed me forever. 

Traveling as an adult has brought me so many luxuries that were almost addictive in nature.  The intricate beauty of the Moorish architecture in Spain brought tears to my eyes and made me feel so fortunate. No matter where I went in Ireland, the instant community feel was so welcoming, and heartwarming. Not to mention how full my stomach was with their hearty home cooked meals and delicious desserts.  Travel can feel even more luxurious when you are able to take advantage of an exchange rate that makes the currency feel like monopoly money.  Such was the case in Bulgaria.  The odd thing was, that as I filled my senses with beauty, taste and sound, I felt a little bit guilty (I’ll get back to that).

2017 was a trying year and coincidentally a year that was tough to many closest to me. Last year I decided to solo travel. This was out of my comfort zone, but I read a quote that said, “If you want to travel and have no one to go with,go alone and you will find like-minded people.” So, I jumped in! And to help you guys out here are some tips I’ve learned:

Be as social as possible even if you are shy! 

• No one knows you-so who cares? Plus, you are foreign, so people will be intrigued. For me it started with the guy sitting next to me on the flight to Cusco that sold everything to move there. Boom, personal tour guide!
• Be Social with the locals. I talked to my bartender on my last trip, and he ended up inviting me to a South Africa vs. England rugby test match. His childhood friend was a pro rugby player and his friend’s brother was on the National team! Turned out to be one of the best sporting experiences of my life.
• Download WhatsAppand exchange numbers with the people you meet in your travels. I met a couple from Gibraltar on a cruise. I am unsure if I would have gone here if it weren’t for them, but I am glad I did. Not only did I get to see the African and European continents view from on top of the rock, but I also got to see the coolest concert venue inside the rock
• Book a Food, drink, walking, biking, hiking, sailing, any will do! This one is a little obvious but so true! You’ll make friends, exchange numbers and you’ll most likely meet them later for pint and grub at a pub! If you are with them for days they’ll feel like family.
• I was amazed at how many people from all walks of life travel alone. Fellow travelers are easy to spot with their rucksacks, hiking shoes and if their appearance differs from that from the country you are visiting. It was easy as “Hi, I’m Omar, where are you traveling from?”
  
  

Hopefully those tips help you take the plunge into solo travel, but back to my main story.

While I was in Peru I witnessed a huge protest that ended in a candle light vigil. The people were protesting their inability to afford to ride the train into Cusco. They seemed significantly affected so I asked my hiking guide about it and it affected him as well. The train takes 4 hours or less if you couple it with a taxi. The locals must do a combination of walking and taking a bus that takes over 8 hours. I cannot imagine having to endure that after hiking 50 miles, even if it was my job. I felt guilty taking the train back to Cusco that night. 

A little more than 6 months after my solo experience in Peru, I went to South Africa. It was absolutely a dream of a trip. The landscape, beauty, and the wine were spectacular. I thoroughly enjoyed myself and was hardly alone as a solo traveler.   learned that South Africa is a very diverse country with 11 official languages and a somewhat turbulent history. As I discovered more, it seemed to me that every culture in South Africa had a different struggle. As I was exploring the city one night, I found myself witnessing another protest on countering gentrification. Another night one of the friends I made was called home to help protect the family vineyard because there was recently an increase of murdered wine farmers.  The most pressing thing that affected everyone was a severe drought that almost caused Cape Town to run out of water this year. Seeing the hardships of the locals that lived in these dreamy destinations really opened my eyes in a way I had not experienced before. Coming home this time around was different. 

Previously, I would miss the destination, wine, food, and music. This time all I could think about was how I could help. Growing up, I witnessed poor living conditions in my parents’ home countries. As an adult I have learned about the struggles of people in many countries with unemployment rates of 20% or more. I have witnessed how hard people have to work for things I take for granted-like hopping on public transportation or grabbing a glass of water. Although I have always sympathized with the struggles, I now realized that I got lost and carried away in the excitement of rewarding my hard work with the bounty of travel. That is, until now. 

Sitting at work, I started to brainstorm my next trek and came across the Trilogy Volcano Hike in Guatemala. It includes 3 volcanoes, reaching an altitude of 13,000 feet, and it is all done within 36 hours. The hike is listed as a 9 out of 10 in difficulty as well as the toughest in the country.

I imagine that Guatemala is similar to El Salvador in its need for humanitarian help. This is when the light bulb went off for me to give back to travel. One of my mentors and his wife are partners in a charity that runs a school for special needs kids, an animal shelter, and an empowerment program for families to work for themselves and sustain their lives. I reached out to my friend to learn more about volunteering and to find out what they had been working on. As luck may have it, he and his wife are traveling back in September- and this is how “The Trilogy Hike for the Trilogy of Hope” was born. Oh, and did I mention I’m going alone? Well, I have a guide and security for one of the volcanoes-but essentially, I’ll be alone. Yes, 3 volcanoes in 36 hours-that’s only 6 hours of sleep. I might just be crazy!  

My goal is simple – to be able to give back to the Guatemalan community in an impactful way. The funds I am raising, will go directly to the overall foundation set-up by the Doppenberg family to support the programs I mentioned above. These funds are then distributed on a first-come, first-serve basis to the program that needs the most help at that time.

Since this is my first time raising money for something like this, my goal is simple. I’d like to be able to donate $3,000 USD. At this point, I am almost halfway there! I am going to include the donation specifics below, but many of us are on this website because we love to learn about travel so we can have the most fulfilling experiences possible. I hope you are reading this as a fellow passionate traveler and are discovering that our passion may also serve a greater purpose-to make a difference in people’s lives. I am personally going to put myself through some suffering to cross a finish line and raise money for this cause.

Anything helps, and it would mean so much to Guatemala if you donate to www.cohguatemala.com  “the American donation site.”  I also encourage you to watch the video to see how you will be influencing the lives the organization serves. Please also explore the http://thedoppenbergs.com/  “the main Canadian site.” 

To make this easy, here is the link to donate to my climb. It also includes information on what I’m doing and what levels of donations there are. Click that “Donate Here Button” and it will take you to a PayPal site to securely make your donation.

Lastly, please share and forward to whoever you know would like to make a difference with me in this endeavor.  Forever grateful, Omar Guerra JR.

Once Omar has finished his journey we will be inviting him back to follow-up and provide everyone with the details of what he experienced and how the donations were able to help those in need. We truly hope you’ve enjoyed hearing Omar’s story and will consider helping him reach his goal!