Working Without Borders - Mill Valley, California

Sarah W. R.

Our family spent a month in Medellin, Colombia, with Working Without Borders this past June/July 2023.

Our kids, ages 4 and 7, LOVED the summer camp. They had a blast each day and especially Friday nights, when the kids stayed late at camp while the parents enjoyed special excursions. The camp staff was very attentive to their needs; the facilities, in the hills above the city, were beautiful; and the kids loved getting to know the other children, forming a special bond with the other kids on the trip.

While the kids were at camp, my husband and I had time to either work or explore the city. We enjoyed leisurely coffees at coffee shops (Medellin is full of them!), long lunches at amazing restaurants, and Spanish classes. The food was out-of-this-world delicious. There were many extraordinary restaurants to choose from, we couldn’t even make it to all of them in our month.

On Saturdays kids and adults got together for planned family outings where we got to see more of the city and the surrounding areas together.

Our apartment building was close to a fabulous grocery store and two huge malls—including one with an incredible outdoor playground where you felt like you were in the jungle. A popular tourist neighborhood was in walking distance with parks, coffee shops and restaurants. Our accommodations were very comfortable and the families had a great time hanging out in the communal area—watching movies, playing games, and frequently eating breakfasts and dinners together.

Medellin is a beautiful city. Greenery is everywhere, in part because of the short rain they get each day. (The rain goes away quickly; we didn’t use our umbrella once!) The weather was perfect. And we never once felt unsafe during our time there. There was so much to see we didn’t even make it to all of it during our month there. It is very family/child friendly, with so many places to take kids—a zoo, museums, parks, botanical gardens, water parks and so much more.

Colombia is a really special country and we loved that WWB made it really easy to and enjoy everything the city had to offer. The local team was amazing, too. What an incredibly special time we had as a family—we can’t wait to take another WWB trip again as a family!

Bethany B.

We went to the Sacred Valley in Peru with Working without Borders. It was more amazing than I had imagined. The staff and hosts were all professional and wonderful people. Everything we needed and more was taken care of at all times. Our condo was beautiful, comfortable, and the view was outstanding. We were right on the river with mountains all around us. Everyone's condo was in the villa so the kids got to be neighbors the whole month. My husband and I worked while the kids were in school and at the workshops. The Wifi was strong and consistent the whole month. My kids enjoyed the school experience, but the workshops were their favorite. They learned about Peruvian art, music, cooking, and pottery. My girls got to bring their handmade pottery home. The weekend family excursions were unforgettable! Of course, Machu Picchu, but also meeting the Quechua people and seeing ruins, the picnics, hiking, shopping, the day at the lake. Every excision included wonderful food, adventure, and fun! However, above the great service and the outstanding experiences, is the community of worldschoolers that we met, connected with, and then became lifelong friends with. We had an unforgettable and amazing month with the kindest, coolest group of worldschoolers and that for us is priceless. We are grateful for Working Without Borders and looking forward to the next adventure!

Kristen D.

Our family recently spent time with Working Without Borders (WWB) in Calca, Peru, and overall, it was a unique experience. Be aware that this location is very remote, and during the dry season (June to August), it’s burning season for the locals, so most days are quite smoky. The villas where we stayed created a wonderful environment to get to know other families. (2 Stars for Location)

The school for the children was fantastic—our kids had some knowledge of Spanish and absolutely loved it. However, the city of Calca itself doesn’t offer much for those with flexible work schedules. Pisac is about a 45-minute drive away, and the city of Cusco is around 1.5 hours away. (5 Stars for School)

The onsite guide, Camila, was incredible. Her English is flawless, and she did an amazing job guiding us through the Sacred Valley. Most group excursions were well-organized and enjoyable. Every driver we had (rotating every 4 days or so) was super friendly and knowledgeable. Freddy, in particular, was outstanding, with so much local insight to offer. Only two drivers didn’t speak English, but we speak Spanish so it wasn't a problem. The Villas Innkeeper and their family were also amazing! (5 Stars for Onsite Staff)

One area for improvement would be to extend the Machu Picchu trips to at least 2-3 nights for future groups and consider changing the location of some of the prepaid group activities. For parents, weekday activities were quite limited and extremely costly through the third-party vendor partnered with WWB. (2 Stars for Group Activities)

For those interested in exploring ruins on their own, it’s worth noting that you can often walk up and buy tickets directly at the site—no need to book through the WWB vendor. There are two options: the full ticket, covering 16 sites and valid for 10 days, or the partial ticket, which covers 4 sites and lasts 2 days. We opted for the 10-day ticket and enjoyed managing our visits independently. Also, I organized Rock Climbing Gym for the kids one day and that was one of the best experiences they had! (2 Stars for Tours Offered)

The Welcome Picnic was one of the highlights—a fantastic way to meet everyone in the group while enjoying delicious traditional Peruvian food. It really helped bond the group together! (5 Stars for Our Group)

Overall, it was a rewarding experience, but there are a few areas that could be improved for future guests.

Lance C.

Our family attended the Medellin, Colombia trip offered by the Working Without Borders team in June of 2023. We were looking for an opportunity to connect as a family and found the option to experience living in a foreign city for a month to be really appealing. The city of Medellin is filled with amazing folks who are incredibly proud of what they've built and are excited and happy to share it with visitors. None of us were prepared for how much we'd come to love it there.

We joined a group of awesome families and lived alongside them as neighbours as our kids attended a local camp during the week. The camp captivated our kids and they loved both the amazing leaders that hosted and taught them and the many cool things that they were able to do. Parents are freed up to spend the weekdays as they like and are easily able to work remotely if they choose. There was ample opportunity to get out and see and experience what the city and surrounding area have to offer. Friday nights are also an occasion for parents to get a date night in as the children spend extra time at the camp doing a fun activity. Saturdays saw a family oriented outing that was always a great local experience and Sundays allowed for some needed down time.

The month that we spent there was an experience we'll never forget. We grew incredibly close to the awesome families that joined us and our time together made the time pass more quickly than we wanted it to. Both the incredible local team and the folks at WWB were instrumental in giving us an amazing stay and my complaints are mainly revolving around there simply not being enough time to experience more. It's a trip my family will remember forever and I'm grateful to have been able to take part in this amazing program.

Faith J.

My family spent a month in Medellin, Colombia with Working Without Borders. It was wonderful!

The kids were in a local spanish immersion camp M-F while we (the parents) were able to work, live, and explore the city. All of the families lived together in the same apartment building and we were able to get together for family movie nights and game nights in the evenings.

Friday nights there were date nights for the parents and they were so great and Saturday/Sunday Working Without Borders planned family excursions.

We fell in love with Medellin, the other families, and the camp the kids attended. It was a magical month and WWB made it possible. We can't wait for our next stay with WWB.

knute A. J.

My wife and our two young boys spent two weeks in Calca, Peru with Working Without Borders. The staff onsite were caring and responsive. Having a school community for our boys, 7 and 9, was great not just for my wife and me to have time- but to enter into the town. Our 9 year old wanted to stay at the school the whole time! We felt connected and people we met were heartfelt and genuine. The Pisonay cafe seems to be the nexus for artsy people to meet. Its an oasis. My two points of advice- be patient with the altitude- and talk to locals in whatever Spanish is available to you!

Fabrice F.

July 2022: Working without borders in Moorea was a great program for our entire family. we really enjoyed the way the program was designed and the family dynamic that happened during that month.

June 2023: Working Without Borders in Peru in the town of Calca. This program was well organized, the local team and WWB teams were available and knowledgeable to help make this 4-week program a perfect one.

The kids really enjoyed their time with the local schools in complete Spanish immersion and they built great friendship with their new Peruvian classmates and now friends. Adults had a great time as well during hikes, dinners and different adult-oriented activities.

Jamie N.

My son and I just returned from the Sacred Vally, Peru trip through Working without Borders, and we had a remarkable experience. The month-long program was well-planned, filled with engaging experiences with local communities, amazing day adventures in the beautiful Andes, including Machu Picchu. We could not have partaken in a better, well-planned trip, and we were the first group for this area.

I wanted a program that would allow my son to experience another culture and be immersed in it. Even though he does not speak much Spanish, he absolutely loved school and made many friends with the local kids. He also learned about the Peruvian culture through fun activities like cooking, art, music, outdoor adventure and circus. He gained knowledge, insight and friends that will last a lifetime. I highly recommend this program; you won’t regret it.