Trek America (Playa Del Carmen to Antigua) | Summer '14 Continued!

After working at camp in America, I thought i'd let off some steam by going on a tour with Trek America with my best friend! 

Trek America are a reliable and safe way to travel around ensuring you get the best of your trip! Also because I am a previous Americamper I got 10% of this trip - result! I booked my trek through Trek America however it was the partner company Geckos who lead the trek.

The trip I chose was the Playa Del Carmen to Antigua. With this trek I traveled through Mexico, Belize and Guatemala for 16 days with lodging and one home stay.

Copyright Trek America

Start destination: Playa del Carmen
End destination: Antigua

I'm sorry about a very half review on this trek, I stopped writing down what was going on a few days in as I was just so busy and couldn't possibly now remember everything that I did (yay for having a bad memory). However, if you're curious as to a specific place or the activities I did please just let me know in the comments and I will try my very best to remember what happened! 

Day 1: Playa del Carmen, Mexico

The tour started in Playa del Carmen in the early evening. We met the tour guide and all the other people on the trek in the lobby to go over details. We were given a free evening to explore Playa del Carmen, however because we'd arrived a couple of days earlier before the trek and had already seen what this place had to offer we decided to go on a dinner trip to Walmart and to have an early night so we were fresh for the next destination.

Tulum

Day 2 - 3: Tulum, Mexico

After a short ride by 'local transport' (which was more of an air-conditioned mini-van) we arrived in Tulum at Villa Tulum hotel. We ventured out to the beach shortly after our arrival where we swan in beautiful, clear waters and had lunch. After enough sun we walked down the beach to the Ruins of Tulum.

The next day we visited the Gran Cenote which is a natural pit of crystal clear water. We were able to swim here with the fish and turtles. In the evening we went out for our first group meal!

Caye Caulker

Day 4 - 5: Caye Caulker, Belize
This day consisted of quite a bit of traveling. We got a taxi from our hotel to the bus station where we caught a surprisingly nice coach. After our stop on the coach we had lunch at a local cafe and from there we caught taxis to the border. Here we pilled into a private van. It was about 307 pesos to exit Mexico. After we paid we walked through customs and on the other side got back into our van in Belize. It took us around two hours to get to Belize City where we caught water taxis to the island of Caye Caulker (the ride was about 50 minutes). Once arriving at the island we checked into Tom's Hotel. As we were too tired to do much on the island from all the traveling we checked out the main street and went out for dinner with the trek group.
The main activity on this island was the snorkelling. We managed to get a good price for them to take us out on our own private boat with three stops. First we stopped at Hol Chan, Shark and Ray Alley and finally Coral Gardens. On the way back our guide spotted a lone manatee and we swam with it until it became out of our zone. In the evening we visited 'the place to be' I & I Reggae Bar.

San Ignacio

Day 6 - 7: San Ignacio, Belize

Flores

Day 8 - 9: Flores, Guatemala

Rio Dulce

Day 10 - 11: Rio Dulce, Guatemala

Antigua

Day 12: Antigua, Guatemala

San Jorge La Laguna

Day 13: Chichicastenango & San Jorge La Laguna, Guatemala

Panajachel

Day 14: Panajachel, Guatemala

Antigua

Day 15 - 17: Antigua, Guatemala

Have you been on any treks? Where would you like to travel to if you had the chance? Let me know in the comments below!

Summer '14! | Returning To Camp

I'm finally back after what seems like forever! Hopefully I will get more posts up in the next few weeks and get back in to things again. Here's the first update of what I have been doing these past months...

       

I had such a good time at camp last year I thought i'd do it all again this year! I was lucky enough to receive an email from the camp I worked at asking me to return in the summer. The process of returning is much less hassle as the majority of work and forms were done when applying for your first year.

After accepting and receiving your returning contract from camp you need to re-register with your agency (in my case, Americamp).

The process was simple! I re-enrolled as a returnee on the Americamp website (the information you added in your previous application will still be on there), sent my contract with the camp to Americamp and paid my £199 fee (be aware of any hidden fees when paying). After your application has been processed you can start applying again for your CRB check, medical with your doctor and also your visa. In most cases if you have already been to the embassy in person the first time, you can apply for a postal application saving you the hassle of going to the embassy. Next you need to sort your flights, insurance, currency etc. and you're off!

I hate to say this, but my experience with Americamp this year hasn't been as enjoyable as last year. E-mails took far too long for a response and I had many e-mails ignored. Compared to last year my e-mails were answered straight away. I'm unsure if this is because they've seen a rise in the people joining their agency or it is something else... They're still a great company though, I just felt like I should mention it as I want to give an honest review of everything here on my blog! 

The camp I worked at was a sleep-away co-ed camp in the Catskill Mountains of New York. 

This year I was a counselor for the age group 'freshmen' (age around 8-10). I lived in a large cabin with the children and counselors which was divided into two sections (A and B). Each side of the bunk was split between around 2-3 counselors and 9 children on each side.

I was a pool lifeguard this year and also a swim instructor. Here in the picture you can see the pool I worked at! The swim instruction was mandatory for the lower camp and as well as this they also had time for free swim.

The camp session lasts for 7 full weeks with one parent visiting day. 

Camp isn't for everyone as it is hard-work and exhausting with the long days however it is a truly rewarding experience and you will gain great memories and experiences. I made so many new friends and it was great to meet like-minded people. If you have any questions or are interesting in doing this type of work feel free to drop me a message and hopefully my two years of experience doing this will help you out a little!

My American Summer '13 | Applying

Working at a summer camp has always been on my bucket-list. It all seemed a bit bewildering every time I looked into it, but this summer in 2013 I finally went for it. 

Here i've broken it down and explained how I went through the process.

Choosing the agency:

Choosing an agency to go with is the first step to the summer of a lifetime! There are many different companies you can go with and here is a break down of what some of these have to offer:

My personal choice was Americamp. 

What you get:

• Comprehensive medical insurance
• 9 weeks food and accommodation (provided by your summer camp)
• Counsellor pocket money of up to $1,845

What you pay with Americamp:

• Americamp fees of £199
• Third party fees: Police check - £44, US Embassy fees - £130.
• TOTAL: £373

(This fee excludes your flight fare and any regional airport supplements. It also excludes GP's examination fees (medical) and your travel to and from the US Embassy. You may also want baggage / travel insurance. Check with the agency to see what you are covered for.) 

(*note: these prices are at time of blog post)

Extra Benefits:

• Skype interviews if necessary
• Visited in camp by experienced Americamp team members
• 24 hour emergency hotline in the US, plus Facebook and Twitter support
• 30 days travel after camp with itinerary assistance
• 10% discount with Trek America
• UK-based preparation and orientation days before going to your American summer camp placement
• Flight deals through STA travel

Applying:

The sign up process with Americamp is easy and simple. You make an account, fill in your details and in no time someone from the Americamp team will be in touch and the interview process is less scary than it may seem! 

You can have a choice of meeting a representative or arranging a Skype interview. I opted for the Skype option and had a lovely guy named Mikey. The interview is informal and quite oddly, fun! 

You can have two options to be hired by a camp in America. One: make a video showcasing your talents and personality or two: you can head along to one of the recruitment day fairs (details of those will be given to you closer to the time).

I went along to a recruitment fair in Leeds (they have them dotted around the country) where I was greeted

(Americamp, 2012 - Taken from their facebook)

with tables of camp representatives. If you go for this option, Americamp will let you know what to bring (document wise). The fair was very popular, so I advise you get there early. Each camp has their own set-up and signs saying what they are recruiting for (volleyball, archery, mountain biking etc.). My advice is to do your research on the camps before you go so you have an idea of the ones you want to go see! Be prepared to wait in a queue for a very long time. The camp directors have to give a short interview to each and every person before deciding to hire them! I was at the fair for a good few hours but only managed to see 3 camps. The recruiters have a small talk with you and decide if they want to hire you on the spot. Don't be disheartened if you get turned down. You will get hired!

If you don't get hired at the fair, you can make a video and upload it to Youtube for the camps to see.

(*note: there are hundreds of camps which can't be at the recruitment fair so if you make a video you'll get a wider option!)

I got hired at the recruitment fair as a lifeguard for Camp Chipinaw in New York. 

In many camps as long as you are a strong swimmer they will hire you without a lifeguard qualification as they will train you when you get to their camp to the American Red Cross. 

I had the best summer ever and met so many new people from all around the world, but keep in mind you shouldn't be expecting a holiday as it is a lot of hard work looking after the children. Adjusting to camp life can be tough as its early mornings and sometimes late nights. Its a non-stop activity adventure! Be prepared to get stuck in and don't seclude yourself. You're there to enjoy it!

I hope this post has given you a few things to think about but don't over think things! The process if very simple and you will not regret it! If you're scared to travel on your own, don't be. Originally myself and my best friend applied together but got accepted at the fair with different camps. Even though we wanted to be together, because of our skills and what they were hiring we knew that couldn't be. I was nervous to go alone but you meet so many people in the same position as you and you will make friends in no time. Many people who work in camps in America go there on their own but leave with tons of friends and memories and you can also have the opportunity to travel with these new friends after camp to amazing places! 

Whichever agency you choose to go with, working in an American summer camp is a highly rewarding experience for both students and graduates that you are sure to enjoy.

Camp Chipinaw/Silver lake lifeguards 2013