Well, I spent about 6-8 months there, but it was 30 years ago. I loved it immensely and am very jealous of your opportunity. I found the people to be very generous and kind even though they had been through terrible trials.

Where are you staying?

I'm planning to divide my time between San Pedro la Laguna on Lake Atitlan and Antigua.

I was there on a cruise stop several years ago, so no help for you. I have a coworker who is Guatemalan - if you have any specific questions I’d be happy to ask her.

I have casually studied Spanish and I also find reading and writing to be much easier than conversation. :)

Donna

Even 30 years ago, Antigua was the place to go for language classes and the lake is beautiful. I mainly stayed in Panajachel (aka Gringotenango so I didn't learn nearly as much Spanish as I should have). Are you nervous about safety or ...? I seem to recall that you are quite an experienced traveller, no?

I'm always a bit nervous (and excited) about the unknown. I'm usually very excited until I actually book the flights, then the nervousness sets in. I've only been traveling on my own for a few years, and have always been in more developed countries, so I'm a little more concerned about safety. But I tell myself that if I can walk across Spain with everything that I need in a small backpack I can do this. :-)

Consider hepatitis A & typhoid vaccinations. Also travel insurance, in case you get sick while there and need/want to return home.

https://wwwnc.cdc.gov/travel/destinations/traveler/none/guatemala

terriks, I know my experience is way out of date, but I was a 19 year old single female travelling alone for the first time and I always felt safe there. Panajachel was my home base but I travelled for weeks at a time to southern Mexico and Belize. I never felt as safe in those countries as I did in Guatemala. In Gauatemala, I was always respected and never felt like I had to be on guard like I did elsewhere. I hope you have the same experience I did. I think it is really wonderful that you've created this opportunity for yourself. Not just going to Guatemala, but all your travels. When do you leave?

A friend's son went there recently. I think like anywhere, you need to always be aware of your surroundings.

Safety is a state of mind. I have a cousin who feels safe traveling all over Mexico. I wouldn't.

We travel throughout Costa Rica and feel safe. I was just talking to someone that felt a certain section was dicey.

I am sure you will do your research. personally, though I don't think you can compare your Spain travels to Guatemala.

I always like hearing about your travels.

I leave January 30th, and I'll return towards the end of March, stopping in LA to visit my daughter for a few days. I was able to use airline miles for all my flights except the one from Guatemala to LAX. I'll be back in time to take spring term classes at my university, and hopefully I'll be more comfortable speaking in my Spanish classes! The classes and homestays in Guatemala will be less expensive than my university tuition, so I'll actually be saving money. :-)

I got the hepatitis vaccines before I went to China a few years ago, and I have already purchased my travel insurance. I'll look into getting the typhoid shot too.

I went this year, but I was only there one overnight in Tikal. Safety in that country changes each year. Entire buses of tourists have been robbed/assaulted.... It seemed this and similar crimes had decreased in recent years, but it's still occurring. Of course, the odds are you will be fine assuming you are extra vigilant. We had a private car take us to Tikal and felt fine the whole time, but I think we were in a bubble because of it. Wish I could help more..... With that said, it you have a chance and are interested in Mayan ruins, definitely go to Tikal. It was an incredible experience. We stayed at one of the jungle lodges, and hiked in the morning to watch the sun/fog rise from one of the ruins.

http://www.news.com.au/travel/travel-updates/warnings/australian-backpackers-kidnapped-and-robbed-by-armed-bandits-in-guatemala/news-story/a9ca17febc0fe476fe7d8b4addbbf45d

Antigua is one of the most charming places anybody could visit. I think that in most countries, the foreigners looking to immerse themselves in the culture stand out even more b/c, in their efforts to “immerse” and downplay their foreigness, they get in riskier situations than the average tourist. Getting down with the locals must be done with prudence. So, when in doubt, be guarded and avoid being alone.

Do read up in advance about their history b/c interesting. But know there are dark eras like when they used kidnapping as fundraising. Americans were prime targets. There’s still some of that in guerilla areas but i doubt you will visit those. DH uses Rosetta Stone and he finds that it trains his ear to the sounds, intonations and tones of the language. You can know all the grammar and all the spelling in the world but if all spoken sounds like motor-mouth you may feel intimidated.

I am excited for you about this adventure.

There are 2 types of typhoid vaccine; oral & injectable. Oral lasts for 5 yrs, injectable for 2 yrs. (I did a rotation in a travel medicine clinic.) https://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/hcp/vis/vis-statements/typhoid.html

DF is medical director for company that does travel insurance, and approves medical evacuations from other countries, usually cost in excess of 100K. Something people often don't think of and don't realize regular medical insurance will not cover. Nice explanation: https://www.insuremytrip.com/travel-insurance-plans-coverages/travel-medical/

It's been 10 to 15 years (I think) but I've been to Antigua and San Pedro, and DH did two home stay immersion courses. DH stayed with a host family and ate with them nightly. It was part of their family income to host immersion students. Per the above, perhaps some things improved but others seemed to have remained the same. The people are wonderful and back then, Antigua was among the safest places in the country (but still take precautions). The lake itself was fine but our shuttle driver had a guy with a rifle riding shotgun, as a deterrent against the highway robbers and kidnappers. Probably mainly for peace of mind, probably, but based on historic threats.

There are some terrific restaurants and shops in beautiful Antigua, and lots of great local crafts. Be prepared to bring back a suitcase full of textiles like wool blankets. The main downside is there are a lot of ex-pats. If you are active (and I recall you are a walker), there are low cost tours you can take to the nearby volcanoes. You can walk all the way to the crater and peer over the edge (if it is not too active).. Tikal was wonderful, but it included taking a very rickety shuttle flight and a real bare-bones lodge near the site. Lake Atitlan was also great, and you'll have fun taking the ferry boats to the various towns on the Lake.

There are three different jungle lodges at Tikal now.... They turn electricity off at night and don't have A/C, but nothing else about it was bare bones as far as jungle lodges go. I'm guessing that has changed? We have a really lovely suite, there was a nice restaurant on site and a decent pool area w/ bar.

BTW, my Amex card includes emergency medical while travelling including evacuation. I was never sure if it was legit or had too many loopholes to be worth it, but we have had to prove we had evac insurance a few times and it was accepted as well as an actual policy. So you may want to see what your card says.

Thank you, mtnrdredux! That is great info. What level AmEx do you need for that to be included, do you know? Or maybe that question falls into the "If you need to ask, you don't qualify" category?

Sable, thank you for sharing your story! Truly a life experience!

Perhaps I am missing something but it looks like AmEx travel insurance only covers accidents, not illness.