Hola!

(Please note, this is another Baja-specific email. If you joined our mailing list for non-Baja-specific content, please know that what we are trying to do in Baja is at the heart of who we are and we hope you’ll stick it out with us!)

As we continue to roll out the details of the first edition of our “Wander to Baja” RV meetup event in La Paz February 19-23, 2024 we want to introduce you to what we believe will be a truly unique and transformative way for you to experience more during your visit to Baja while helping others along the way.

When we first visited Baja in 2019 we participated in multiple volunteering opportunities. This included a weeklong stay at an orphanage in La Paz and a weeklong caravan, what we call the “Christmas caravan,” where we used our four-wheel drive to visit lesser-known parts of Baja donating winter clothing, school books, medical supplies and toys to some of the poorer fishing villages along the Pacific Ocean.

We worked with equine-assisted therapy organizations in numerous places, where they use horses to help children overcome physical and mental development challenges. And we spent lots of time working with a handful of dog rescues that welcomed us with open arms (paws!).

This is not to toot our own horn. Rather, the experience opened our eyes to all of the ways that we, as travelers, could give back some of what Baja had given to us.

To say it was a life-changing experience is an understatement. Because years later, those initial experiences have led to what we have organized into our “Baja Give and Take.”

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What is Baja Give And Take?

“Baja Give And Take,” at its core, is a way for you to immerse yourself in local communities throughout Baja where you either give of your time or financial contributions, or you take much-needed items from home (or purchase while in Baja) to bring with you to give away at various locations throughout the peninsula.

RVers/Van Lifers are transient, by definition. So it makes sense that as we enter a new place, such as Baja, there is an enormous opportunity to engage with the people who live there.

And as a guest, we believe that you have a certain responsibility to appreciate the people, cultures, landscapes and wildlife to some degree even more than the residents of the community.

We realized in our first year, and every subsequent year that we’ve returned to Baja, how small acts of kindness and donations of time, money or needed materials can go a long, long way in the lives of the community members you meet along the way.

So what better way to show our appreciation for the communities we visit than to engage with them in meaningful ways?

The Who, What, Where, When… do we need to say Why?

If you are looking for ways to engage with local communities as you travel south (or return north) through the Baja peninsula, please take a look at our Baja Give And Take page:

​https://wandertobaja.com/baja-give-and-take/

On this page you’ll find a few things:

• A map of Baja showing participating non-profits so you can see where there may be some overlap in your travel plans
• A list of organizations in each destination along the way and, most importantly,
• A list beneath each organization for specific items they request

Please note that, to date, this map and list are not complete! We are actively reaching out in the hopes of filling the map with every organization with any kind of need in Baja!

HELP US: If you happen to know of any organizations we can add to the list, please let us know!

Also note, that various organizations are requesting very specific items. We ask that you honor their requests and do not donate items for which they are not requesting. It is our goal that we, as travelers, can meet the needs of these organizations, and not burden them with items they cannot use.

If everyone brings a little (or volunteers a little), then we are confident that we, as travelers, can make a positive impact in the communities we visit.

Don’t like people? That’s great because we’ve got loads of dog rescues you can help! Afraid of dogs? No worries, you can help out groups that manage the landscape and/or rescue marine animals!

Our goal is to provide you as many ways as possible to engage with the local communities in helping them to solve the issues they face every day!

And as a reward… wait, what? A reward for giving?

Yep!

The “Reward” in Giving

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As a “reward” for donating your time, items and/or financial support, we are happy to provide you the opportunity to win some really fantastic RV-related products and services at our Wander to Baja Raffle!

We have reached out to many of the incredible brands that we have worked with over the past few years and we asked them if they would be willing to donate products and/or services to our Wander to Baja Raffle.

No surprise, every brand we reached out to enthusiastically donated something to the Raffle!

We’ll share more about the Raffle itself in a future update (or you can get a sneak peek of some of the prizes here, page updates on their way!). But know that we have THOUSANDS of dollars worth of prizes to give away as part of our “thank you” for being willing to engage yourself in being a part of the solution that so many seek in Baja!

For various increments of time, donations and financial support, each participating organization will provide you with a Raffle Ticket good for one entry in the Raffle, which will be featured at the Wander to Baja RV Meetup February 19-23 and held on the evening of Thursday, February 22nd!

You can collect as many Raffle Tickets as you want (the more good you do, the more you are “rewarded”!!) and you can distribute your Raffle Tickets to enter drawings for ANY ONE or ALL of the available prizes!

Imagine winning a $2,000+ RV mattress for volunteering for 3 hours at an orphanage! Or pick up a keyless RV Lock for dropping off some veterinary supplies to an animal clinic!

As with the organizations, we’re constantly reaching out to brands and trying to add as many great prizes as we can!

HELP US: If you happen to represent a brand, know someone who does, or are generally a generous benefactor who wants to contribute to the prizes, please let us know!

Will We See You There?

As I wrap up this update, I want to leave you with the idea of visiting the Wander to Baja website to learn more about the ways you can get involved in the lives of people in Baja, such as the Baja Give And Take, the activities we have planned and we invite you to help us have the biggest positive impact we can during our time in Baja!

Go for the beaches. Catch your waves (or fish). Enjoy the off-road exploration. Have a great time in Baja!

But think about how you can give back just a little of what the peninsula is giving you in the time that you are there!

Will we see you there? If you think you will attend the meetup, or if you’d like to offer something to help us make this a memorable and impactful event, please be sure to RSVP.

We’re working with locals in La Paz to organize additional trash pickup and recycling, portable toilets and other support services to ensure we leave the beach better than we found it. So having an idea what to expect will help us try to ensure we have the right services available!

One Last Note

While we (Lindsay and myself plus our 2 amazing Australian Cattle Dogs, Everest & Huckleberry!) plan to have a great time at this meetup. We’re excited to be able to meet with you, to crack open a beer (yep! We’ll have a custom-brewed and labeled beer available too!) and enjoy each other’s company on a beautiful beach in Baja.

However, this meetup is intentionally like no other because we truly want to show our gratitude to the people of Baja for sharing their home with us. Whether you plan to attend the meetup or not, we want to encourage you to look at travel through the lens of gratitude.

Be grateful for the people, culture, landscapes and wildlife that make Baja a truly unique travel destination in the world.

We’re grateful that you’ve taken time our of your busy lives to continue to be a part of ours!

Much love,

Chris & Lindsay + Everest + Huckleberry!

PS - Please forward this email to anyone you think may be interested in either attending our helping us to host the event. And respond to it if you would like to personally get involved!

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Baja Bound Mexican Insurance - Our Partner in the Baja Give And Take!
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Mexican auto insurance is required for travel throughout Baja. And since participating in our Baja Give And Take will take you all over the peninsula, we’re honored to partner with Baja Bound Mexican Insurance to provide you an easy, affordable and worry-free way to insure your vehicle(s) while traveling in Baja that also gives back to our fundraising efforts with the Wander to Baja meetup!

Baja Bound Mexican Insurance is the premier Mexican Auto Insurance company that has been in business for over 20 years and helps thousands of campers each year!

Whenever we had questions, we picked up the phone and spoke with someone on the Baja Bound team who helped us make a more informed decision about what policy is best for us.
For example, did you know that your US-based insurance may cover your RV/vehicle for collision damage? Thus you do not need to overpay to have a comprehensive Mexican auto insurance policy. Instead, you can just take out the mandatory liability insurance and have your US-based insurance cover the comprehensive.

(Note: Check with your insurer. We use Progressive and they work fantastically in this way!)

You don’t need to shop for Mexican Auto Insurance as all brokers offer insurance through the same Mexican insurance companies. Instead, purchase your policy through Baja Bound for the premium customer service experience you will have and the peace of mind in knowing that they know what they’re doing and will take care of you in the event of an unforeseen accident.

As a bonus to the wonderful people in Baja, if you purchase your Baja Bound insurance THROUGH THIS LINK, then we can donate our referral fee to the Wander to Baja General Donation Fund which will be divided up among our 4 featured non-profits!

And as a bonus to YOU, if you show us your Baja Bound policy at the Wander to Baja meetup then we’ll give you an extra Raffle entry so you are one step closer to that new battery/mattress/keyless entry/etc that you’ve been wanting since you hit the road!

Travel safe. Worry less. Help support the people, culture, landscapes and wildlife of Baja!

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