Travel With Us – Water1st International

Meet the people you support

See the transforming effects of water projects firsthand on a Water Tour.

Bangladesh

Visit projects in urban slum settlements in Dhaka, Chattogram and Khulna. Our Bangladesh partner is a pioneer in helping urban communities organize and gain access to clean water and toilets. This is a rare opportunity to interact with the amazing people who are improving the urban slums where they live.

Nov 29 – Dec 9, 2023
$1,750 + air

Please email Kirk Anderson for more information.

Dates & Prices

Nov 29 – Dec 9, 2023
$1750 + airfare
optional $250 single supplement

Payment Details

PAYMENT INFORMATION

The cost of the Water Tour is $1,750 per person for double-occupancy registrants. For a single room (if space is available), there is an additional $250 fee. The Water Tour fee includes emergency medical evacuation insurance.
Reservations are accepted on a first-come, first-served basis and a deposit of $500 per person is required by October 16, 2023 to secure your spot on the Water Tour. The remaining amount is due
by November 13, 2023.
Travelers are responsible for their own international airfare, vaccinations, medical insurance, and tourist visas/exit fees.

TRIP CANCELLATION AND REFUND POLICY

60 days or more: $250 handling fee plus the non-refundable portion of any cancelled reservation/service
30 days: $500 deposit is non-refundable
12 days or less: 100% of tour price is non-refundable

Itinerary

You will fly in and out of Dhaka, Bangladesh, and spend 6 days visiting Water1st project communities in Dhaka as well as either Chattogram or Khulna.

Our trips have two main goals:

1. To provide travelers with exposure to the severity of the issue. The lack of access to water and toilets has far-reaching impacts on every aspect of a person’s life. That is something that is hard to comprehend if one lives in the US and has never had to worry about access to water and toilets.

2. We also want to expose travelers to the Water1st solution, high-quality, comprehensive water and sanitation projects implemented in partnership with a highly skilled local partner to achieve great outcomes.

We achieve these goals by visiting communities at various stages in the life-cycle of a water project:

-communities that are on our waiting list for a project and are currently still walking for water
-communities that are in the process of implementing a water project
-communities that have just completed a project
-communities that are successfully managing a project they completed many years ago

The combination of those visits demonstrates how a well executed water project transforms a community.

This trip is unlike anything you could ever experience as a tourist. You will be invited into homes of our project participants. You will be be surrounded by curious children who are happy to play games with you. You will converse with community leaders. You will have the opportunity to ask women how their lives have changed because of a water project. You will interact with the staff of our local partner organizations to learn all you want to know about their day to day work to bring these projects to life. You will have the best home-cooked meals you’ve ever tasted.

Honduras

Visit rural projects in the beautiful, mountainous Lempira region. The roads are rough, but the projects, the people, and the refried beans are unforgettable. We are incredibly proud of the work of our Honduras partner, and we are eager for our supporters to experience this special organization in person.

Feb 24 – Mar 2, 2024
$1,750 + air

Please email Kirk Anderson for more information.

Dates & Prices

Feb 24 – Mar 2, 2023
$1750 + airfare
optional $250 single supplement

Payment Details

PAYMENT INFORMATION

The cost of the Water Tour is $1,750 per person for double-occupancy registrants. For a single room (if space is available), there is an additional $250 fee. The Water Tour fee includes emergency medical evacuation insurance.
Reservations are accepted on a first-come, first-served basis and a deposit of $500 per person is required 60 days before travel to secure your spot on the Water Tour. The remaining amount is due 30 days before travel.
Travelers are responsible for their own international airfare, vaccinations, medical insurance, and tourist visas/exit fees.

TRIP CANCELLATION AND REFUND POLICY

60 days or more: $250 handling fee plus the non-refundable portion of any cancelled reservation/service
30 days: $500 deposit is non-refundable
12 days or less: 100% of tour price is non-refundable

Itinerary

Travelers to Honduras are usually welcomed with courtesy and warmth. The slow pace, natural beauty and low-profile tourism make it particularly appealing to travelers who enjoy getting off the beaten track.

You will fly in and out of Comayagua, and spend 4 days visiting Water1st projects in the mountainous Lempira region. You will also visit La Esperanza, the heart of the Ruta Lenca, a region of Lenca ethnic influence.

Our trips have two main goals:

1. To provide travelers with exposure to the severity of the issue. The lack of access to water and toilets has far-reaching impacts on every aspect of a person’s life. That is something that is hard to comprehend if one lives in the US and has never had to worry about access to water and toilets.

2. We also want to expose travelers to the Water1st solution, high-quality, comprehensive water and sanitation projects implemented in partnership with a highly skilled local partner to achieve great outcomes.

We achieve these goals by visiting communities at various stages in the life-cycle of a water project:

-communities that are on our waiting list for a project and are currently still walking for water
-communities that are in the process of implementing a water project
-communities that have just completed a project
-communities that are successfully managing a project they completed many years ago

The combination of those visits demonstrates how a well executed water project transforms a community.

This trip is unlike anything you could ever experience as a tourist. You will be invited into homes of our project participants. You will be be surrounded by curious children who are happy to play games with you. You will converse with community leaders. You will carry water alongside women who still carry water every day, and have the opportunity to ask women how their lives have changed because of a water project. You will interact with the staff of our local partner organizations to learn all you want to know about their day to day work to bring these projects to life. You will learn how physically challenging it is to dig trenches. You will have the best home-cooked meals you’ve ever tasted.

Kenya

Visit our newest program that is the first of its kind in the region. Rural households will have a connection to a piped water system as well as water-seal toilets and a place to bathe. We’ll travel to the western region of Kenya, near beautiful Lake Nam Lolwe (renamed Lake Victoria by colonists). We are eager for our supporters to meet our two newest partner organizations in person.

June 22-29, 2024

Please email Kirk Anderson for more information.

Dates & Prices

June 22-29, 2024
$1750 + airfare
optional $250 single supplement

Payment Details

PAYMENT INFORMATION

The cost of the Water Tour is $1,750 per person for double-occupancy registrants. For a single room (if space is available), there is an additional $250 fee. The Water Tour fee includes emergency medical evacuation insurance.
Reservations are accepted on a first-come, first-served basis and a deposit of $500 per person is required 60 days before travel to secure your spot on the Water Tour. The remaining amount is due 30 days before travel.
Travelers are responsible for their own international airfare, vaccinations, medical insurance, and tourist visas/exit fees.

TRIP CANCELLATION AND REFUND POLICY

60 days or more: $250 handling fee plus the non-refundable portion of any cancelled reservation/service
30 days: $500 deposit is non-refundable
12 days or less: 100% of tour price is non-refundable

Itinerary

Travelers to Kenya are usually welcomed with courtesy and warmth. The slow pace, natural beauty and authentic interactions with local communities make it particularly appealing to travelers who enjoy getting off the beaten track.

You will fly in and out of Kisumu, Kenya, and spend 5 days visiting Water1st projects in the hills above Nam Lolwe, one of the world’s largest and most famous freshwater lakes. You will cross the equator on the way to visit project sites in Kakamega. And you’ll pass within miles of the childhood home of Barack Obama, Sr., father of the 44th U.S. President. These are just a few examples of the diversity of experiences that await you in western Kenya.

Our trips have two main goals:
1. To provide travelers with exposure to the severity of the issue. The lack of access to water and toilets has far-reaching impacts on every aspect of a person’s life. That is something that is hard to comprehend if one lives in the US and has never had to worry about access to water and toilets.

2. We also want to expose travelers to the Water1st solution, high-quality, comprehensive water and sanitation projects implemented in partnership with a highly skilled local partner to achieve great outcomes. We achieve these goals by visiting communities at various stages in the life-cycle of a water project:
-communities that are on our waiting list for a project and are currently still walking for water
-communities that are in the process of implementing a water project
-communities that have just completed a project -communities that are successfully managing a project they completed many years ago

The combination of those visits demonstrates how a well executed water project transforms a community.

This trip is unlike anything you could ever experience as a tourist. You will be invited into homes of our project participants. You will be be surrounded by curious children who are happy to play games with you. You will converse with community leaders. You will carry water alongside women who still carry water every day, and have the opportunity to ask women how their lives have changed because of a water project. You will interact with the staff of our local partner organizations to learn all you want to know about their day to day work to bring these projects to life. You will learn how physically challenging it is to dig trenches. You will connect with people you never dreamed you would have an opportunity to meet.

More Info About Our Trips

What's included

A small, friendly group of 15-25 people
You will be accompanied by Water1st staff as well as the staff of our local partner organization
All group transportation once we arrive in country
All tours and admissions — at no extra cost
All hotel stays in safe, clean, and centrally located hotels
All meals
All tips for hotel staff, wait staff and drivers
A suggested packing list as well as basic pre-trip information about the country you are visiting
Optional single supplements — this tour has a limited number of private rooms for solo travelers for an additional fee
Help with making your air reservations
Flexibility if you need to transfer or cancel your tour

Fine print: You are responsible for the cost of your drinks and free-time sightseeing.

Physical Demands

Our tours are physically active! Among other things — you’ll need to happily…

Carry/roll your luggage over uneven pavement (possibly several blocks) and up stairways to reach your hotel, then up several flights of stairs to reach your room.

Be on your feet, walking and standing, for up to ten hours, indoors and outdoors, in all weather conditions. In Honduras, there will be some moderate to strenuous hiking in order to reach some communities and move around in communities.

Ride on rough, mountainous, dusty roads for 2-4 hours per day (Honduras) or spend 2-4 hours per day in traffic jams (Bangladesh).
Sleep with street noise and no (or weak) air conditioning.

Vaccinations and pre-trip health care

Individuals traveling with us should ensure that all their routine vaccinations are up to date. You should also make sure you have the appropriate additional immunizations for the areas you will be visiting.

In addition we recommend bringing:
-Over-the-counter diarrhea medication (like Imodium)
-Prescribed antibiotic for diarrhea (like Cipro)

Travel clinics we recommend in the Seattle area are:

Travel Clinic at Downtown Public Health Center

Northwest Travel Medicine Clinic

Travel Center at the Polyclinic

Flights

Our tours don’t include airfare, so your flight arrangements and transfers are completely up to you.

Water1st can recommend a travel agent to help you in making flight arrangements.