A. Vamoss is For Whom
At Vamoss, we have served—and continue to serve—many different people across social and economic backgrounds, with a wide range of interests. We’ve had the chance to support South America experiences for a very colorful mix: well-known artists, travelers, diplomats, pilots, businesspeople, doctors, lawyers, volunteers, healers, and more.
Serving is beautiful, of course—but we want to be clear:
People who are not a good fit for working with us include those who:
- Only feel safe when receiving service from large corporate companies,
- Seek a service model designed solely to provide “pleasure,”
- Might perceive the people guiding them as their employees,
- Expect to be served in every way, at every hour, simply because they are having a personal experience,
- Expect their guide to entertain them throughout the trip,
- Cannot accept that parts of the route may not happen or may need to change,
- Cannot travel without constantly judging the place they stay, the food they eat, or the service they receive,
- Might see themselves as superior because they are financially comfortable,
- Live with certain chemical substance dependencies (please ask us).
We felt it was necessary to say this because different needs are completely natural.
With wishes for the best possible outcomes for you,
The following qualities may reflect some of the principles and values that people who contact us—or travel with us—may need:
- The Universe is, by its nature, benevolent and creative.
- Everyone should be accountable to the whole, and take responsibility.
- Learning is one of life’s keys.
- We support and celebrate the passions of others.
- We cultivate patience and trust.
- We know that inner and outer mirror one another.
- We value, love, and care for ourselves, our families, our communities, the world, and the planet.
- We reframe problems as meaningful opportunities for learning and transformation.
- We name unspoken assumptions. We create forms that encourage full participation, and we practice consensus.
- We remember what matters: deep listening, deep time, slow food, slow money, slow community.
- We practice compassion.
- We don’t forget the importance of humility and resistance to dogmatism.
- We develop practices that transform habits of internalized oppression and internalized privilege.
- We develop practices that support the natural cycles of individuals and communities: life transitions, community shifts, and changes in governance.
- We embrace conflict and change.
- We explore attachment and letting go.
- We make space not only for growth, but also for rest.
- We build redundancy and make room for succession.
- We stay open to the future—and to positive visions for future generations.
- We work with practices that open imagination.
- We cultivate disciplines of observation and awareness of what is happening.
- We resist the acceleration of time (for example: phones, global capitalism).
- We invest energy in fair sharing and distribution of power and resources.
- We work to transform power hierarchies into participatory structures where people bring out their best and can influence decisions that affect them.
- We are honest and communicate directly. We reconcile and forgive; we heal past abuses.
- We notice history, timing, intentions, and possible outcomes, and we observe the flows of resources.
- We identify who controls/decides, who benefits, and who pays—including non-human resources.
- We learn people’s self-told histories and cultures. We resist forces of assimilation. We look for ways to share cultural expression, and by learning perspectives from others, we begin to see which assumptions we need to release.
- We embrace diversity and build structures that protect the integrity of the community/organization.
- What we cannot imagine is where the work needs to be done (the problem is the solution).
- Experience is the foundation of expertise.
- We try to discern without judgment.
- We trust our own experience, senses, knowledge, and intentions.
- We follow our passions.