I was particularly impressed by the warmth and openness of the people. You are often welcomed and supported very quickly, even if you don't know each other.
Jana's trip to Mexico was an intensive and personal experience, during which she was able to get to know the country far beyond typical tourism. During her stay in Sayulita, she worked together with children in a social institution and was able to gain an authentic insight into everyday life, the culture and the social challenges on site. She was particularly impressed by the warmth of the people and the strong cohesion within the community.
In addition to her project work, she spent a lot of time with new friends from the hostel, explored various beaches and discovered her passion for surfing. The quiet La Lancha beach in particular became a special place for her, where she was able to really switch off and enjoy the moment for the first time.
The trip showed her how valuable openness, serenity and interpersonal encounters can be. At the same time, she was able to improve her Spanish, deepen her understanding of Latin American culture and grow enormously on a personal level.
I have always been interested in Latin America. I went to Colombia for the first time when I was 18, then started teaching myself Spanish and later traveled to Argentina and Bolivia for several months and Mexico for a few weeks. I only experienced Mexico briefly back then, so I wanted to get to know the country more consciously and intensively and really immerse myself in the culture and everyday life.
I started preparing about four months before my departure. The focus was clearly on my Spanish because it was important for me to be able to communicate well on site - especially in everyday working life. As I already had some travel experience and WanderWorld took care of a lot of the organizational aspects, including preparation documents and an online info session, I didn't worry too much about the planning. Instead, I concentrated mainly on what the work on site would look like, how communication would work and how I could get involved in the organization in a meaningful way.
Unfortunately, there were some difficulties at the beginning. After the long flight, I got severe back and neck pain, which got so bad that I had to go to hospital. Fortunately, everything worked well there and I was fit again within a week. It was also very helpful that I could contact WanderWorld at any time via WhatsApp. They gave me information about hospitals in the area and made me feel that I wasn't alone. I was also very grateful for the support of my girlfriend, who accompanied me everywhere and gave me a lot of reassurance.
Overall, my impression on site was consistently positive. Sayulita is a small, cozy place where everything is within walking distance and which feels very safe. There are surf stores, small cafés and restaurants everywhere. The atmosphere is very relaxed and you immediately feel decelerated. The work experience was also very positive right from the start. The manager of the facility was incredibly friendly and helpful and gave us a very warm welcome. You can tell straight away that this is a project close to her heart, which gave us additional motivation and helped us to feel at home straight away.
Outside of work, I was out and about a lot with my fellow travelers and the people from the hostel and Sayulita. This led to many spontaneous contacts, some of whom we are still in touch with today. We took part in karaoke evenings, played music together and did yoga. We also went out a lot, explored different beaches and generally spent a lot of time in nature.
Surfing was a particular highlight for me. I surfed there for the first time ever and was immediately impressed. The conditions around Sayulita were ideal and we took every free opportunity to get into the water.
The experience with the culture was unique. Especially when working with children, you get to know a country from a completely new perspective. You understand the difficulties of structural problems from a completely new perspective and how they affect the people who need help, support and encouragement.
But it's not just the negative things. Quite the opposite. We were able to learn much more about how people support each other, how deep cohesion develops in a community, how not every day always has to be planned exactly or how much nature actually has to offer.
We were able to learn an incredible amount from the children. For example, they showed us flowers that you can eat or taught us new Spanish words. The founder of the facility also played a key role in our experience. She supports the village wherever she can and invests her free time in offering the children a future and providing them with warmth and security. She is not a person who talks a lot, but someone who does and leaves something valuable in the world. Many people can learn something from her.
One place that particularly fascinated me was La Lancha beach. It is very quiet, spacious and seems almost untouched. For me, it was perfect for learning to surf, but also just to spend the day there. What made this place special was above all the peace and quiet. It was the first time I really felt like I had completely unplugged. In contrast to my home country, where everything often has to be done quickly and everyday life is very fast-paced, everything was much slower and more relaxed there. It was precisely this contrast that made the place so special for me.
I lived in shared accommodation and shared a room with my girlfriend. It was very easy to settle in, especially at the beginning, as the overall atmosphere was open and informal. Due to the large number of people on site, spontaneous encounters and conversations kept happening without having to actively plan them. As a result, everyday life developed very naturally and you were quickly integrated into a social environment.
Compared to my life at home, everything was much more unplanned and lively, which I found very pleasant. If I wanted to retreat, I could do yoga on the roof or simply retreat to my room. I never had the feeling that hostel life was overwhelming - on the contrary, I found it very enriching and got to know lots of interesting people.
It is definitely an experience where you learn to let go of tension and let things come to you a little more. At the same time, you can learn a lot from the way of life and attitude of the people there. I was particularly impressed by the warmth and openness of the people. You are often welcomed and supported very quickly, even if you don't know each other. At the same time, however, it is important to remain vigilant and find a healthy balance between trust and caution.
What I can also tell you: You should be aware that every country in Latin America is very different. It is therefore worth finding out individually before each trip and not lumping everything together. Good international health insurance is also very important. It is best to inform yourself well in advance or ask WanderWorld for advice. It is also important to really speak the language. Even if English is sometimes spoken in touristy places like Sayulita, Spanish is crucial if you really want to become part of everyday life and the culture.
I would like to travel to Peru in the future, but at the moment I'm more drawn back to Mexico to spend more time there.
Founder of Wanderworld Travel
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