2015 Guatemala Trip - Getting Ready to Leave!

Well, I'm mostly packed!  After my trip was scheduled, I started slowly accumulating gifts for the kids and families that I would visit and I printed photo books from my last trip for each family.  For other preparations, no vaccinations were needed this time since I covered that last trip, but my doctor did prescribe new antibiotics in case I get sick in Guatemala.  I'm bringing my good camera (a Canon Rebel) this time because I felt comfortable with that after my first trip - we'll see if it attracts bad attention!

As far as what I'm bringing for myself, I largely wore loose long pants the first time I went to Guatemala, but women there largely wear dresses or skirts.  I'm a big fan of when in Rome, dress like the Romans (to paraphrase) because I believe it is both respectful of the culture and it also helps you avoid standing out.  I already stand out enough by being both tall (my fully grown 19 year olds there are 5'6" and 5'0" respectively - I'm 5'8") and pale skinned.

For currency exchange, I didn't use Wells Fargo this trip.  Although people do choose to exchange solely in country or to withdraw cash from ATMs, I always like to have some local currency on hand when I first arrive.  I used foreignmoney.com and was very satisfied with their service.  They called me to confirm my date of departure since it was an uncommon currency that would take longer to order - what great customer service to ensure the money would arrive before I left!  The currency came with a good mix of small and larger bills as well, although honestly the small bills are the most useful in Guatemala.  It can be difficult to break larger bills.

The final preparation piece I have to mention is that I doubt I'll ever fly American Airlines again.  With every other airline, when I book through them and have a flight on a code share partner, I'm either given a record locator for that airline or when I check-in with my original airline, it forwards me to complete the check-in.  Both times I've flown AA in the last 3 years, they couldn't check me in with a code share partner.  So, I have a record locator with AA and received an e-mail to check-in with them . . . I tried and their site says I have to check-in with Alaska Airlines.  Yet, AA gives me no ticket number or record locator that I can use to check-in with Alaska.  I called them and was told I need to call Alaska Air to obtain that information.  I also contacted AA both times and had their system hang up on me before I was actually able to reach someone.

My upgraded seats were also changed to not upgraded seats when they changed my flight times.  I contacted customer service and am hoping to get that fixed.

So, if you're planning a vacation in the near future, you may want to reconsider flying with American Airlines or at least make sure they aren't putting you on any code share flights!

Despite difficulties checking in, it appears that the Fuego volcano quit erupting and that my trip will be starting tomorrow as anticipated!  Stay tuned for reviews of various museums in Guatemala City, details of sponsor child visits and maybe a couple of extra hotel and restaurant reviews for others who may be considering a visit to Guatemala City!

2013 Preparations - Currency & Cheapest Place to Buy

Having never visited an impoverished country, I wasn't quite sure what to expect.  Would the exchange rate be crazy like Japan (although converting roughly 1,000 yen to $10 becomes mentally easy fairly quick) or fairly close?  What would the currency look like?

Well, here is the answer - the exchange rate is roughly 7 to 8 Quetzales to USD.  I was also happy to see it is like currency nearly everywhere I've been other than here - bright and colorful!  See the pictures below:

 I found the backs to be the most interesting as they show various pictures of life - children being taught, government in action, and even people harvesting by hand.

After hunting around, I found the best rates with Wells Fargo's service.  If you order over $1,000 total, there is no fee.  Otherwise, it is $15 online or $5 in their branches.  Be sure to call ahead for unusual currencies though!  While they had plenty of yen for my Japan trip, they had to order in Quetzales and it took some time for them to arrive (a bit over a week).

I found WF to be cheapest for my trip to Europe a few years back as well, so that's my travel tip for this topic.  Check because some countries it is cheapest to buy in country - that was true of some places in Japan and not others.  I saw better and worse rates than what I got at WF. 

Tips (summarized):

• Order at least 2 weeks in advance if you're buying currency before your trip
• Wells Fargo seems to have the best exchange rates for buying foreign currency (2015 UPDATE - ForeignCurrency.com had better rates this trip)
• In many countries, travelers checks have become difficult to cash.  Look for tips about this online before you buy them.
• Bank of America has many banks (unfortunately not in Guatemala) where there is no fee to withdraw cash.  This was very helpful for me when I went to Europe.
• I personally use an internet-based account now.  They will refund ATM fees to you automatically stateside, but by request for all foreign transactions.  By using this account, I avoid a bank fee from Capital One & get reimbursed for what the foreign bank charges me.  This is how I intend to get additional cash since carrying large amounts of cash in a dangerous country, like Guatemala, is not advised.
• Capital One also does not charge a foreign transaction fee and I've found their exchange rates to be fairly reasonable.  I carry their card when I travel for emergency purposes due to this.  Most cards have a 1-3% transaction fee on top of a slightly inflated exchange rate, so be sure to find out about yours before traveling.
• Notify the bank for any cards you carry with you so you don't find yourself without access to your funds while on vacation.  Finding yourself in a foreign country with a fraud hold on your account(s) would not be fun!