Curriculum-inspired field expeditions that connect students directly with local leaders, community-led conservation projects, and living cultures across Latin America.
Somos Impact Travel was built on a simple observation: the most effective conservation and community development work in Latin America was being led by local organizations with almost no visibility beyond their region. At the same time, school groups were traveling through these same places without ever connecting with the people doing that work.
We exist to close that gap.
When your students work with a reforestation organization that has planted 200,000+ trees with indigenous communities, they are not doing a manufactured activity. They are working alongside the people who built that from scratch. That distinction is what teachers respond to, and it is what students carry home.
We have brought 1,000+ travelers to Central America over 10+ years with zero safety incidents. We provide everything a school needs to get administrative approval, give parents confidence, and bring the curriculum to life in the field.
Partnership-based learning expeditions are among the highest-impact educational experiences a school can offer. Research consistently shows that immersive international learning develops the skills, perspective, and intercultural competency that classroom instruction alone cannot.
Students develop stronger critical thinking, cross-cultural sensitivity, and a greater desire to continue contributing to their communities after returning home.
A Somos expedition is a field research program designed from the ground up around community partnerships, active learning, and structured reflection. Students arrive as learners and leave with a broader frame of reference that stays with them.
Students engage directly with community-led projects in reforestation, clean water access, regenerative agriculture, and sustainable development.
Airport transfers, private shuttles, boat transport, accommodation, insurance support, and bilingual guides throughout.
Direct exchange with Indigenous leaders, local youth, and community members in the places we visit.
Programs map to environmental science, global studies, Spanish, biology, and leadership development. Alignment notes provided on request.
Orientation materials, reflection frameworks, and post-trip resources to carry the learning back into the classroom.
The Somos team is reachable throughout every program. Guides are CPR certified and carry comprehensive medical kits.
Book a call with our team to begin planning your next School Impact Expedition.
Schools can also explore dual-country trips including Belize, or customize based on dates and program priorities.
We prefer not to use that term. Students arrive as learners rather than helpers. The communities we partner with are not service recipients. They are experts with knowledge and systems. That paradigm shift is one of the things teachers respond to most strongly when we explain it. If your school needs to document community service hours, our partners are open to signing off on verified participation.
Our programs connect naturally with environmental science, biology, global studies, Spanish, and leadership development. After a discovery call, Somos can provide curriculum alignment notes specific to your program. Teachers have used a Somos expedition as the capstone experience for a year-long unit. A biology teacher, a global studies teacher, and a Spanish teacher would each find a different angle of entry into the same trip.
Yes, with the right operator. Context matters. Somos has operated in Guatemala for over 10 years with zero safety incidents as the result of deep local knowledge, vetted transportation partners, experienced bilingual guides, and programs that operate in communities where the Somos team has long-standing relationships. We operate in places we know and trust.
Yes. Somos designs every program specifically for the group. The area of focus, the depth of activities, the curriculum connections, and the balance of learning versus exploration are all tailored in the discovery call. Dual-country programs, extended itineraries, and alternative destinations are all available. This is something we walk through together on a 30-minute call with Shad.
No. All programs run with professional bilingual guides throughout. Many students find the language immersion motivating, especially for Spanish teachers looking for curriculum alignment, but it is not a requirement.
We build programs around three areas:
Environmental Conservation: reforestation, watershed restoration, regenerative agriculture, indigenous ecological knowledge.
Community Education: grassroots education access, youth mentorship, bilingual and indigenous language programs, women's empowerment.
Cultural Rights and Inclusion: indigenous language preservation, traditional knowledge systems, artisan cooperatives, land rights and community governance.
Every Somos trip builds trust, sparks connection, and supports long-term impact across Guatemala and Latin America. Let’s design something meaningful together.
