Health Insurance

You must have adequate medical insurance, which includes air evacuation, in place before you leave home. H4H will arrange insurance for each team member, as health/cancellation insurance costs little more than cancellation insurance alone, when we purchase your tickets.Cost is approximately $110.00.

Vaccinations

Your regular vaccinations should be up to date. In addition Hepatitis A and B and Typhoid is recommended for visits to Guatemala. A full course of Hepatitis B vaccine takes 6 months so start early. Malaria is not a problem in the highlands (Antigua), but prophylaxis is recommended if you plan to travel to the coast or the jungle areas. Please consult with your local travel clinic for the lastest recommendations. (Public health Agency of Canada - Travel Medicine Program)

Drinking Water

This may be really obvious but DON’T DRINK TAP WATER !! Although the water in Antigua is treated, there is always a concern that small earth tremors may have damaged the pipes and the water could be contaminated. Bottled water is available everywhere and is provided for team members at the hotel and the hospital.

Stay Healthy

• Avoid purchasing food from roadside stands and street vendors.
• Either peel raw fruit and vegetables, or wash with bottled water.
• Be careful of salads and dishes with raw vegetable unless you know they have been washed in bottle water.
• Wash teeth with bottled water.
• Avoid ice cubes unless you know they have been made from bottled water.
• Be careful of dairy products unless you know the milk has been pasteurized.
• Do not eat raw meat or raw seafood.

Money

Be discreet with money. Carry small bills in a separate pocket from larger bills so you’re not showing a lot of money around unnecessarily. We often carry in our pockets the equivalent of a month’s salary by Guatemalan standards.

Documents and Valuables

• A neck pouch or money belt under your clothing is useful for carrying money, credit card and a copy of your passport.
• Make several photocopies of your passport, birth certificate and credit card, pack them in different bags, and give one to a friend so that you will have copies if you lose the originals. The Quinta has a safe should you wish to leave originals there.
• Leave all jewellery and unnecessary valuables at home,

Safety around Antigua

• Team members have not had any safety problems while in Antigua, however, please be careful.
• When out in the evenings walk with at least one other.
• Walk only in lighted areas and main streets, stay away from dark alleys and doorways.
• Keep in mind that the later it is at night, the more dangerous it will be, whether walking or driving.
• Check with the local Tourism Office before going to the cross on the hill just north of Antigua. Robberies were common there. The cemetery is also not always safe.
• If you are taking a taxi in Antigua, it should be yellow with numbers printed on the side (approved by the government).
• In the unlikely event that you are involved in a robbery, calmly hand over your valuables. DO NOT RESIST!
• Kidnapping of Guatemalan children by foreigners is a real fear expressed by many Guatemalans. Refrain from picking up children or showing more than polite interest in children when in public places.