About Us
Welcome to Traveler’s Gift
The mission of The Travelers Gift is to provide a complete travel service that enables travelers to have the adventure of a lifetime! Our trips are exciting, comfortable, worry-free, and full of life changing experiences. A percentage of proceeds from each trip goes directly to non-profit and other charity organizations that help the communities visited. It is truly luxury and purpose travel for individual travelers, as well as, corporate and alumni groups!
Memories to last a lifetime
Have you ever said, “I would love to travel the world and also make a difference in someone’s life?” Perhaps you have wanted to visit non-profit work abroad but you worry about the conditions you would have to live in. Or perhaps you only have enough time or money for one vacation and you can’t decide between pleasure and purpose. The Traveler’s Gift Founders, Sarah Wauterlek and Tania Martin have made a commitment to instill the same joy and enthusiasm that comes from purposeful travel that they were able to discover themselves. One or both of them will be present for every trip and will bring their knowledge of the country and communities you visit but will also be happy to provide recommendations and further suggestions should you wish to extend your stay.
The Traveler’s Gift makes it possible for you to see the places in the world that you have only dreamed about while experiencing ways in which to purposefully make a difference in the lives of disadvantaged children and their communities around the globe.
We make it easy to have your travel dreams come true, while receiving the gift of gratitude and contentment that comes from giving to the less fortunate.
Your travel itinerary will show you the many options that you have for your enjoyment, coupled with wonderful charity work that you will take part in. In addition, ten percent of the proceeds from the trip will be donated to the charities that you are visiting. Thus, making this travel experience truly a “Vacation with a Purpose”.
The Founders
Sarah and Tania met in October of 2009 on a trip to India with a non-profit group that they were both involved in. With like minds, their paths converged at a time that was ripe for the cultivation of what had been planted in their hearts over time. They had lived different lives and possessed different talents, but their vision was the same. Their vision was to provide a travel service for those who are seeking to enjoy life both in appreciation for luxury and in the satisfaction found in giving back to those who are less fortunate. The Traveler’s Gift desires for their travelers to savor each moment of the vacation. Enjoy the beauty of luxury, connect with the culture, sit in the satisfaction found in giving, feel the joy found in the community of fellow travelers, experience the rush of adventure, the peace of rest, and the fun of it all!
“We named our Company, The Traveler’s Gift, because we truly believe that it is a privilege to be able to give to the needy and make a difference in our world, and when we do so, we are the ones to receive a gift. It can not be explained with words, so we extend an invitation to all who would accept it, to come join us and experience it for yourself. It will be a journey you will never forget.” – Sarah Wauterlek & Tania Martin
In Their Own Words:
“I am a travel enthusiast, photographer, runner, foodie, writer, teacher, adventure-seeker, lover of laughter, lover of people, and lover of life. Raised in Minnesota, having spent five years in Chicago, I now currently reside in Los Angeles when not traveling the globe with Travelers Gift or for Sarah Wauterlek Photography.At the impressionable age of fourteen I traveled with my father and a medical missions team to Ghana, Africa. Having lived a comfortable life in suburban Minnesota, I was overwhelmed with the poverty that I saw on my first trip to a third world country. I learned then to appreciate what we are given and I have found that there is great joy in giving back. And surprisingly, in giving, I’ve found that I actually benefited immensely. I will be forever grateful for that experience!As I’ve continued to travel around the world experiencing challenging but fulfilling non-profit work as well as luxury travel, I’ve found contentment in the balance of both. Now I desire for other travelers to experience it for themselves as they experiment with, and ultimately find, the balance of giving and receiving in their own life. I look forward to meeting all of those who join us on a future Traveler’s Gift Vacation!”-Sarah Wauterlek
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“Approaching mid-life has been a real gift for me. I have spent quite a bit of time thinking about the second half of my life. The first half has been wonderful. I was born in Cuba and raised in Miami, where I have spent the majority of my life. I will be forever grateful to this incredible country for opening its doors to me and my family and allowing me to get an education in order to make a great life for myself and loved ones. I have four wonderful children, three of which have left the nest. I am an accountant by profession and became the CFO of a large developer and home-builder. Although I started traveling late in life, mid-thirties, it quickly became one of my greatest pleasures. I have had the blessing of visiting many places in different corners of the world.My first mission trip was at the age of 39 to India. I remember being afraid of flying and especially since it was a couple of weeks after 9/11. The experience changed my life. I certainly conquered all my fears, but more importantly my eyes were opened to the way other people live. I received a great gift on that trip, the gift of gratitude and contentment. I realized that most of us here in the States are more than rich in comparison to the rest of the world. I’ve taken quite a few mission trips including three other trips to India, Thailand, Myanmar, and several trips to Guatemala. I’ve also visited many countries in Europe and Latin America. Traveling is my passion and designing exciting and unique journeys my gift. My life’s purpose is to motivate and encourage others to experience the joy of giving in participating in charities around the globe. Our goal is to provide life-changing trips to individuals who want to give back and realize that the world is one, and there is not a single act of kindness that is done which does not get rewarded. When planning trips, we incorporate adventure, physically challenging activities, outdoor experiences, relaxation, time to meditate, and all sorts of activities to motivate our travelers to step out of their comfort zone and experience true balanced living. Traveler’s Gift was birthed from passion, from answering the question, “if I only had 30 days to live, what would I do differently?” I answered, “I’d like to make a difference in people’s lives creating an opportunity for them not only to see the world but make a difference in it.”
-Tania Martin
