Nicaragua Volunteer Program

It's so hard to choose just one, but I think I should go with a story from my first time backpacking since it obviously left an impression. Ultimately this story is what led me to continue traveling, to study ecotourism, and to have a career in the travel industry.

I finished high school a year early and I felt self conscious about heading straight to college and being younger than everyone else. Instead, I decided to enroll in a term at a Spanish language program in Costa Rica. It was wonderful, the program and other students were amazing and so was the homestay experience, I was in heaven.

A couple weeks into the program I decided to go to the beach for a weekend, and I stayed in a hostel for the first time. It blew me away, I couldn't believe people traveled like this for months at a time - basically I had no idea that backpackers existed. I loved the idea so much that I decided to become one - on the spot. I called my school to tell them I wouldn't be returning and I set out to see as much of Costa Rica as possible.

Turns out I had a pretty ambitious wanderlust and I ended up hitchhiking, busing, and walking through every country in Central America to return home over six months later, much to my parents relief.

That was eleven years ago (I feel so old saying that), and since that first impromptu backpacking adventure I've continued to travel (41 countries and counting!) and work in the tourism industry.

I'm the newest employee at Las Olas Travel as of July 2017 and I'm beyond excited to be a part of this team. I'm sure I'll soon have many stories about growth through my experiences at Las Olas.