I am really excited and honored to lead another Bottle School Trip to Guatemala! This will be my fifth trip, and each time my life has changed in drastic ways. If you’ve been on a trip, you know what I mean! I can’t tell you HOW your life is going to change, but I can tell you that it WILL change! I have seen each person come back greater. This is such an eye opening experience for people, that we come back better for it! Not only are we changing an entire country, one school at a time; but we are also changing the world, one volunteer at a time.

Many times, each volunteer bonds with a specific kid or two – which creates a special connection that you will cherish for the rest of your life. Pedro is one of my buddies! He’s from the village of El Chocolate, Guatemala! You’ll see him in some of my pictures. The group picture is from the first Bottle School Trip I went on and the picture of the building frame is the one we helped build in honor of our fallen brother Andrew.

Hug It Forward takes phenomenal care of us while we are down there. They keep us safe, provide clean drinking water everywhere we go, and some exceptional meals prepared by our personal chef! You don’t need to know Spanish – we will have translators. You don’t need to have construction experience – we’ll teach you what to do. And you don’t need to worry about anything – Hug It Forward has done hundreds of these trips… and exceedingly well!! Come join us 🙂

Warm Regards,

– Tony Caruana

As a proud member of WorldVentures for over nine years, I have had the ultimate privilege traveling and VolunTouring in the US and abroad (Africa, Peru, India, Asia, Nepal, Mexico, the Caribbean and Guatemala) with my non-profit company, WorldVentures Foundation.

VolunTours are professionally planned, guided trips that put volunteers to work beautifying communities, building infrastructure and brightening the lives of children one experience at a time. No special talents are required, just equal parts compassion and commitment. What a way to vacation! I am Making a Living – Giving!

Nearest and dearest to my “HART” is the building of Bottle Schools in Guatemala (using inorganic trashed-stuffed plastic bottles) which is an UNBELIEVABLY rewarding experience. The first VolunTour DreamTrip I went on was to Guatemala in April 2012. The Bottle School that I helped build was featured in Oprah’s magazine.

I was so poignantly touched by that experience that I went on to Host/Lead 25 more of those trips over the last 8 years. WorldVentures Foundation, partnered with a non-profit organization HugIt Forward. We have now built 125 schools in Guatemala. Each was an emotional journey and an unbelievably enriching experience for all who went. We are leaving a legacy in Guatemala. My calling has come again to Lead another trip along with a great friend, Tony Caruna, September 6-12, 2018.

I found out what it really means to “give back” and truly bless the children around the world with my TIME instead of MONEY. I have found my true self through my VolunTouring with the WorldVentures Foundation and participating in VolunTourism DreamTrips. These trips offer you an ideal combination of group service and global travel while submerging yourself in enriching cultures.

Please come JOIN Tony and I in an unforgettable, life-fulfilling experience! I would love to share with you how we have helped improve the lives of thousands of underprivileged school children in Central America. It will renew your spirit and enrich the lives of hundreds of children.

FYI… Spanish not required – the love, gratitude and appreciation is all so evident in the joy in their eyes and the never ending smiles on their faces!

– Hollie Hart

How kids and communities build bottle schools

Some pictures from past bottle school trips