Gen Z Travels PLUS: South America

Unstuck, Empowered, and Inspired: Your story begins here

Do you have big ideas and dreams but are feeling stuck, anxious, and unsure of what your future holds? Would you consider yourself neuro-spicy?

You’re not alone. We’ve got you. You can travel and feel supported.

We’re thrilled to announce a transformative collaboration between Vancouver Counselling and Wellness Centre (VCAW) and Fireside Adventures. VCAW is a counselling clinic with a wealth of experience supporting individuals and groups facing challenges with anxiety, identity, family struggles, and major life transitions.

Together, we’re pushing the boundaries of wellness and adventure travel by integrating the power of narrative therapy with outdoor experiential education. Fireside staff will work alongside VCAW counsellors to create an adventure experience that allows Gen Z to overcome obstacles, discover their voice, and find their purpose in life.

This is an empowering wellness adventure that helps Gen Z grow into the young leaders of a sustainable future.

Two countries, two awe-inspiring ecosystems (Andes and Amazon), three cities, and ONE adventure to bring them together

Join us for our most ambitious Cultural Travel Experience yet: Ecuador and Colombia in 21 days!

Ready for a once-in-a-lifetime mash-up of wild nature, vibrant cities, and real community connection? This specialized experience moves from the Amazon Rainforest to the Andes and into the urban energy of Quito, Bogotá, and Medellín—so you experience South America’s diversity through a climate-and-culture lens that changes how you see the world (and yourself).

Ecuador + Colombia are calling. Let’s go learn on the land, in the city, and with the people who call these places home.

DATES
July 19–August 8, 2026 (21 days / 14 in Ecuador, 7 in Colombia)

AGES
18+ (co-ed)

LOCATIONS
Ecuador: Quito • Otavalo • Cuicocha • Cochasqui • Cayambe • Cotopaxi • Napa River region
Colombia: Bogotá • Medellín

PRICES (CAD)
Early Bird Rate (Ends Dec. 1, 2025): $10,459 + GST
Regular Rate: $12,459 + GST
Non-refundable deposit: $1000
Includes flights to and from Ecuador/Colombia from Vancouver or Toronto. Payment plans available

Includes:
– Flights to and from Ecuador/Colombia (departing from Vancouver or Toronto)
– Pre-course Zoom orientation
– 8-hour Spanish
– 8-hour Coaching
– 14 days in Ecuador and 7 days in Colombia
– Direct contact with our Duke of Edinburgh Award Centre (18-24 year olds)
– 24/7 instruction and support by Fireside & VCAW staff
– Most meals
– All accommodation (eco-lodge, hotel, homestay)
– Private ground transportation
– Flight coordination and guidance
– Admission into all parks
– Horseback riding in Cotopaxi
– City tours of Quito, Medellín and Bogotá
– White-water rafting and river canoeing experiences with gear

Does not include: Anything not mentioned above.

More info: office@firesideadventures.ca

Why this hits different

Travel PLUS:
We believe every young person deserves the chance to truly see, feel, and experience the world—especially those who benefit from a little extra support and encouragement. We know that travel and cultural immersion have the power to reshape perspective, deepen one’s sense of belonging, and build lasting resilience. PLUS is an additional service for young people to feel more comfortable as they travel, while getting daily coaching. 

Two countries, one purpose:
Explore Ecuador’s cloud forests, crater lakes, and snow-capped volcanoes. Then, jump to Colombia’s coffee highlands, wax-palm valleys, street-art corridors, and community-led innovation.

People first, always:
Travel with Indigenous and local guides, not just past them. Learn Kichwa words in Amazon communities, try artisan weaving and cacao making, and hear stories of climate action and social transformation, such as Medellín’s neighbourhood revitalization and Bogotá’s bike-centric culture.

Wild + urban balance:
Paddle tributaries that feed the Amazon, ride horses beneath volcanoes like Cotopaxi, and trek Andean ridgelines. Then, compare that with metro lines, cable cars, markets, plazas, and music scenes that show how cities adapt to heat, floods, and growth.

What you’ll do

Go deep in nature:
Navigate rainforest trails, rivers, and high-altitude páramo (the Andes’ “water towers”), learning how ecosystems store carbon and supply water to millions.

Live the culture:
Stay in homestays with Indigenous families, help cook local meals, pick up everyday phrases, and learn maker skills, such as weaving, carving, and chocolate-making.

Meet change-makers:
Sit down with climate and social-justice leaders—from reforestation teams and river guardians to youth educators turning neighbourhoods into hubs of creativity and hope.

Build real skills:
Expedition planning, navigation, risk sense, city-transit savvy, storytelling, and a “Through-the-Lens” mini-doc (2–3 minutes) that captures your journey and voice

Pre-departure Learning & Preparation
Before you go, participate in an 8-hour online Spanish and  8-hour 1:1 Coaching Course with one of our Latin American instructors. This virtual program helps participants develop essential Spanish conversation skills while also introducing mindfulness and reflection tools to strengthen emotional readiness for travel and group life abroad.

What you’ll take home

Climate literacy that sticks:
You won’t just hear about climate change, you’ll see it in glaciers, forests, and streets, and learn what communities are doing right now.

Cultural humility and connection:
Respect, reciprocity, and real friendships—because the best memories are made around kitchen tables and campfires.

Leadership you can trust:
Confidence, purpose, and a plan—so you return as a Gen Z Traveller ready to lead at school, at home, and in your community.

Come with curiosity. Leave with courage.

Co-led by Vancouver Counselling and Wellness Centre

This journey is supported and co-led by Matty Devenish (founder of VCAW) and other very talented counsellors from VCAW, who provide wellness guidance, facilitate reflection sessions, and ongoing support throughout the expedition. Matty has been working with young people for 20 years in various settings and brings a unique blend of adventure, playfulness, humour and levity as well as mentorship, encouragement, support and deep conversations aimed to expand one’s sense of themselves and their lives. Matty believes that a solid balance between fun/adventure and challenges/growth can lead to life-changing experiences.

Their presence ensures participants have safe spaces for personal growth, open dialogue, and mental-health awareness woven into each stage of the adventure.

Eva Sarango

Eva is a proud and charismatic Ecuadorian outdoor educator who believes that protecting the planet means protecting and teaching humanity—especially youth and young adults. From this vision, Conscious Tourism was born as one of the most powerful alternatives for global awareness. Her purpose is to show her country and her continent in all its dimensions, cultures, and faces.

Besides her passion and commitment to exceptional experiences, Eva is bilingual, widely travelled, and recently graduated as a Development Projects Specialist.

Clara Kirby

“I went to Ecuador as a participant a few years ago, and it ignited my passion for outdoor education. Now being able to run that same trip means I can give new Fireside kids the same amazing experience and learning I had.