Most travel advisors would say that Mexico is a destination near and dear to their hearts. From Los Cabos to Cancun, and every beautiful place in between, the country has been welcoming tourists for years — and its warm embrace keeps them coming back time and time again.
The President of Travel By La Buena Vida and Owner/Co-Founder of Mexico FamTrips, Lori Swinderman, felt the urge to reciprocate this level of service and incorporate a giveback program within her business. Along with her business partner, Daniel Scheiman, that’s exactly what she did.
The Te Amo (which stands for Travel Experts in Appreciation of Mexican Origins) Foundation was born from this idea. “We knew we wanted to create Te Amo to make the travel agents aware of how important it is that we give back to the community that serves us and our clients continually,” Swinderman said, adding that many of the staff members at partner hotels live in these communities.
The main purpose of this organization is to assist indigenous families living in rural areas throughout Mexico who lack basic needs. Te Amo collects monetary donations and uses them to purchase items including school supplies, toiletries, clothes, toys and even larger items such as desks, chairs and air conditioning units for schools.
Travel advisors have the opportunity to visit these villages and see exactly where their donations go during a trip with Mexico FamTrips or one of the Giveback Fams in conjunction with ALG Vacations. Donations can also be made on the website or brought along on vacations to the Cancun area.
“We love taking travel advisors out to the villages for the first time! We often stay at these amazing luxurious hotels, and we are waited on hand and foot. We can easily forget the people that make that possible,” said Swinderman. “They are so proud to show us their homes and are so incredibly thankful. I love it when we can see the change in someone's eyes when they really ‘get it.’ We have the opportunity to change lives around us with what we do. We literally move wealth all over this world in our industry.”
Swinderman and her team have big plans to grow Te Amo in the future, which include expanding their services to additional villages south of Tulum, increasing the amount of Giveback Fams offered in 2024 and providing furniture and air conditioning units to at least three more schools.
Swinderman and Scheiman have a history of providing baby supplies to the General Hospital in Playa del Carmen, and their 2024 plans also include dispersing diaper bags to the hospital three to four times throughout the year.
How Can Advisors Get Involved?
If Te Amo’s vision, “to gather resources for families throughout the entire country that live in despair, so their children can have an opportunity for better life,” is something you’re interested in supporting, visit mexicofamtrips.com/te-amo to learn more.
Travel advisors can find a list of FAM trips to join at mexicofamtrips.com or make a donation at mexicofamtrips.com/te-amo/#donate. Donations can also be brought along during vacations to the Cancun area. Email info@mexicofamtrips.com to arrange for someone to pick them up.
This article originally appeared in the Fall 2023 issue of The Compass magazine.
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