Travel to Guatemala?

[Luv Bunnies]

My DH was just told that he needs to spend a week in Guatemala for his new job. He will be visiting a company that does contract work for his company.

I'm wondering if anyone has ever traveled there and can offer some advice? He speaks absolutely no Spanish. He knows the people at the company he's visiting speak English because he talks to them on the phone everyday. Is he likely to encounter a language barrier at a hotel, restaurants or the airport? Or, do most service industry people seem to speak English there?

Did anyone encounter any safety concerns when traveling there? He will be flying into and staying in Guatemala City. Most of his time will be spent with the contract company, but he may find himself on his own for breakfast, dinner or traveling back and forth to the office. He's done business trips within the U.S. before, but his only international business trip was to Canada! Any advice or experiences would be appreciated!

 

[crazyme5kids]

My husband travels to latin countries all the time. Asa far as language barriers go, it depends on the hotel or restaurant. I'd venture to say his employer will put him in a hotel that they use on a regular basis though, so more than likely he won't have problems. As far as traveling around, he should also have his employer arrange for a car service that they normally use, or do so through the hotel. He should not wander around on his own.

My husband never takes cabs. Guatemala City was rough, in fact he said that the military had to escort them into the venue, and the crowd had to be tear gassed.

 

[Luv Bunnies]

My husband travels to latin countries all the time. Asa far as language barriers go, it depends on the hotel or restaurant. I'd venture to say his employer will put him in a hotel that they use on a regular basis though, so more than likely he won't have problems. As far as traveling around, he should also have his employer arrange for a car service that they normally use, or do so through the hotel. He should not wander around on his own.

My husband never takes cabs. Guatemala City was rough, in fact he said that the military had to escort them into the venue, and the crowd had to be tear gassed.

Good to know! Thanks for the info. Since his company is small, I don't know if any U.S. employees have traveled to Guatemala yet so I don't know if they have a regular hotel. I'm sure they can get some info. from the contract company as well.

 

[dislaney]

It has been a few years, but when I stayed in Guatemala City, there was usually someone at the front desk that spoke English. A lot of the other staff did not speak English at all or spoke very limited English. We had some friends that lived there and I was with someone who spoke Spanish so getting around wasn't as big of an issue for us. I would stick to the main tourist areas and if your company provides a car service- use it.

 

[jlewisinsyr]

My cousin moved from Syracuse to Chicago to Guatemala. She loves it there, she comes home about once a year to visit family, but that's about it.