Summer is about here, and that means kids will be on summer vacation. It also means another Niece Project is in motion! With so many places to explore, so many foods to try, so many people to meet, and so many things to do, I’m starting to wonder if each niece is trying to ‘outdo’ the other. If we keep this up, Niece #6 will have me taking her on a spaceship to the moon, which I honestly would love!

This June, Niece #3 is dusting off her passport and getting ready for her Niece Project adventure. Meet Megan – she has it all for a 17 year old – brains and looks – but most of all she knows how to use both, something that most adults haven’t figured out yet. But most of all she has a mature way of understanding adults – better than most adults do. I’ve seen her in action many times, reading a situation and person and then using her gleamed knowledge and observation to get what she wants. For that reason I call her the ‘dangerous one’.

When we sat down this December over the holidays with her parents and started talking about where she wanted to go for her summer trip with me, it was quite the family affair. Unlike my other previous niece trips where Bethany and Evie were not asking anyone else for advice, Megan involved a number of people in her decision.

She had some criteria which I loved. “I always knew that I would rather do something adventurous than just touristy (walking around temples and museums).”

She was ready for a little adventure travel – as I sat and listened to the discussion (and tried my best to stay out of it and not influence it), I silently wondered if I would be able to keep up with a 17 year old doing adventure travel!  

After much contemplation, my niece made her decision. We were going to Peru!

She chose the Inca Trail and Amazon Trip:
Travel from the heady heights of the Andes to the exotic lowlands of the Amazon on this journey through the best of Peru. Get acquainted with the charm and grace of historic towns before hiking along ancient pathways to Machu Picchu and discovering the heart and soul of the Inca Empire. Then eyeball exotic plant and wildlife in the world’s most remarkable jungle. From vibrant cities to glorious natural wonders, this trip shows you all corners of Peru.

But the travel doesn’t stop there. Megan wanted to go a step further and add a new element to the Niece Project – volunteering. We worked with Intrepid to help us find a volunteer opportunity in Lima that would be perfect for us to get more involved in the community and see a different side of Peru. Project Peru has been kind enough to welcome us into their refuge for a week to help with a variety of things with the kids. Megan took woodshop in high school so she is eager to help build and construct things. I will help out with language, building, gardening, and whatever else I can do. I’m actually hoping to take an extra camera to donate to the refuge and do a little photography with the kids too. Megan is working on doing some fundraising for Project Peru too, so she is getting the complete volunteering experience at a young age.

Volunteering was not my idea at all – it was all Megan. Of course I was supportive of it since I think if you are going to travel in the world you should also give back in whatever way you can. Here was Megan’s thoughts on the volunteering aspect of this trip:

“I decided to add volunteering to my Niece Project trip because I’ve always found joy in helping the less fortunate. I have had a very easy life, and I think it is necessary for teenagers like me to get out and learn how good they have it. My aunt Sherry found Project Peru, and I went along with it even though I didn’t know what the organization was all about. After researching the charity and talking to the founder, I have a greater understanding of Project Peru’s goals. I look forward to taking a week of my summer and dedicating it to the children of this charity.”

I know you can’t tell it through text, but I’m bursting with pride for my nieces – I’m so happy that they are embracing this project. I joke about them trying to outdo each other, but in truth it’s pushing them to get deeper and deeper into the world and view it from different angles. They are stepping outside of their teenage comfort zones – something I doubt I ever could have done myself when I was 17.

Disclosure: Intrepid Travel is partnering with the Niece Project and funding portions of our Peru trip. Check out their great family travel opportunities. Family doesn’t always have to mean the conventional family, it is also for aunts and uncles! As always, all opinions expressed on the site are my own.

To read the full article, click here.

Photo courtesy of Sherry Ott
Published: June 9, 2014