One of the hardest travel decisions we made during our time in Guatemala was deciding not to hike Acatenango.
If you’re not familiar with it, Acatenango is a volcano near Antigua that offers one of the most spectacular hiking experiences in the world. From the mountain, hikers can often watch nearby Volcán de Fuego erupt, sending lava and ash into the night sky.
The photos are incredible.
The stories are incredible.
And the idea of watching an active volcano erupt at night was incredibly appealing to us.
We wanted to go.
The kids wanted to go.
We talked about it extensively.
And then we decided not to.
The Adventure We Couldn’t Stop Thinking About
The more we learned about Acatenango, the more tempting it became.
Who wouldn’t want to watch lava shooting into the air from a nearby volcano?
As a family that loves geology, volcanoes, and natural wonders, it felt like exactly the sort of experience we normally seek out.
The kids were excited about it too.
There wasn’t a single person in our family arguing against the idea.
Which somehow made the decision harder.
Sometimes a Great Experience Comes at the Wrong Time
The challenge wasn’t Acatenango itself.
The challenge was everything around it.
We had arrived in Antigua during Semana Santa. The city was busy and full of activity. We were still settling into Guatemala. We had a worldschooling hub at Lake Atitlán coming up next. We were moving through a long trip rather than a short vacation.
Acatenango wasn’t something we could casually fit into an afternoon.
It would require preparation.
It would require gear we didn’t really have.
It would require a long climb, a cold night at high elevation, and a significant amount of physical and mental energy.
Could we have done it?
Probably.
But that wasn’t really the question.
The question was whether it fit into the larger trip we were trying to create.
We Could See Both Outcomes
Part of what made the decision difficult was that we could easily imagine two very different versions of the experience.
In one version, we stood under the stars watching lava erupt from Volcán de Fuego. The kids were mesmerized. We came away talking about it for years.
In the other version, we spent a cold night struggling to sleep, dealing with tired kids, and starting the next phase of our trip exhausted.
The truth is that either outcome was possible.
Maybe it would have been one of the greatest experiences of the entire trip.
Maybe it would have been miserable.
Most likely, it would have been a little bit of both.
Choosing the Trip Over the Moment
One thing we’ve learned is that every travel decision affects the days that come after it.
It’s easy to evaluate an experience in isolation.
It’s harder to ask how it affects the larger journey.
We knew that whatever happened on Acatenango, we would carry it into the next stop.
If we were exhausted, we’d bring that exhaustion with us.
If the kids were burned out, we’d bring that burnout with us.
And if we pushed too hard, we’d risk turning something we were excited about into something we simply had to endure.
As much as we wanted to see erupting lava, we couldn’t shake the feeling that it wasn’t the right choice for this particular trip.
So we passed.
A Different Kind of Volcano Adventure
Passing on Acatenango didn’t mean we skipped volcanoes altogether.
We did end up hiking Pacaya Volcano during our time in Guatemala. It wasn’t the same experience as Acatenango, and we knew that going in. We weren’t watching lava erupt into the night sky. But it gave us a chance to experience Guatemala’s incredible volcanic landscape, walk across old lava fields, and spend a day exploring together as a family.
Looking back, it was a reminder that travel isn’t usually a choice between doing something amazing and doing nothing at all. More often, it’s a choice between several good options.
The Comfort of Not Doing Everything
For a long time, I viewed travel as a series of opportunities that needed to be maximized.
If something looked amazing, we should do it.
If a famous experience was nearby, we should find a way to fit it in.
Over time, I’ve become more comfortable leaving things undone.
Not because they aren’t worthwhile.
But because there will always be more amazing things than we can possibly do.
Skipping something today doesn’t mean skipping it forever.
We’ll Just Have to Come Back
Do I still wish we had seen lava erupting into the night sky?
Absolutely.
That sounds incredible.
But instead of feeling regret, I mostly feel anticipation.
We’ll see erupting lava someday.
Maybe it will be on Acatenango.
Maybe it will be somewhere else entirely.
The world has no shortage of volcanoes.
And the nice thing about traveling the way we do is that we’re not trying to see everything in a single trip.
When we left Guatemala, we didn’t feel finished.
If anything, we felt like we had found another reason to return.
Acatenango became one of those experiences that we’ll carry forward as a future possibility rather than a missed opportunity.
And strangely enough, that feels pretty good too.