Rick Steves Partners with Augsburg’s Center for Global Education and Experience

When well-known travel author, activist, and media personality Rick Steves went to Central America to film segments for his new public television special, “Hunger and Hope: Lessons from Ethiopia and Guatemala,” he called on Augsburg staff to provide expert guidance and introductions to community leaders and regional organizations committed to ending hunger and extreme poverty. That’s because Augsburg’s Center for Global Education and Experience has a vast network in Guatemala and has offered educational programming in the country since 1985.

One of the key people Steves spoke with during the production of his television special was Fidel Xinico, director of Augsburg’s CGEE Guatemala programming. [Editor’s note: Xinico passed away in September 2020.] Xinico set up Steves’ trip logistics from Guatemala and served as a cultural guide and language translator. He is a trilingual Guatemalan citizen of the Kaqchikel Maya ethnic group. Susan Peacock, a CGEE program coordinator based out of Minneapolis, connected Steves and Xinico and helped shape the direction of the television show. Augsburg is now planning a travel program for the general public that will take participants to inspiring destinations in Guatemala.

Participate in CGEE’s newest trip: Hunger and Hope in Guatemala

When non-essential travel resumes, travelers will get an inside glimpse of Guatemala and visit many of the same places depicted on “Rick Steves Hunger and Hope: Lessons from Ethiopia and Guatemala.”

From the charming colonial city of Antigua, to Lake Atitlán and its surrounding volcanoes, to the colorful tapestry of Mayan history, there is an abundance of things to do, see, and learn.

Registration open for:

• Trip 1: April 11–18, 2021
• Trip 2: June 13–20, 2021
• Trip 3: August 8–15, 2021

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WEB EXTRA: Visit go.augsburg.edu/hope to learn more and register.