Building projects
Build something
that lasts forever
The days Christopher spent helping build a home in South Africa changed his life. It can change yours too. These destinations pair hands-on building projects with extraordinary luxury travel — and leave your family with a story you'll tell for decades.
Where it all began
The experience that
started Hands Up Holidays
In 2002, Christopher was on a luxury trip to South Africa — safari, wine country, five-star hotels. On one afternoon, he helped a local family lay the foundations of their home. It took a few hours. It left a mark that has never faded.
Those few days led him to leave his career in finance, travel the world for two years building relationships with communities, and launch Hands Up Holidays in 2006. Building projects remain the closest thing to his heart — and the experience that most consistently transforms the families who take part in them.
"When your 12-year-old carries a brick to a wall that a family will live in for the next 30 years, something shifts. In them. And in you."
Three kinds of building project,
all genuinely transformative
Home building
Help alongside a local family to build or complete their home. Available in Zambia, Tanzania, Cambodia, Ecuador, and Guatemala. Typically 2–3 days of work, physically involved, deeply emotional, and unforgettable for every member of your family.
Eco-stoves
Construct clean-burning stoves that reduce indoor pollution and deforestation for families in Peru, Belize, and India. A 2-3 day project that has immediate, measurable impact — and is one of the most popular with teenagers.
Classrooms & community spaces
Help build or renovate classrooms, libraries, and community buildings in Costa Rica, Mexico, Kenya, and India. Create solar heating from recycled cans in Argentina and Peru. All perfect for families who want their children to engage with local kids and gain insights into their lives .
Destinations with building projects
Where your family can
build something real
The Masai Mara followed by a 2-4 day classroom renovation project alongside a Maasai community. One of our most requested combinations — safari and genuine community connection.
Help build a home for a teacher near their school, and blend this with epic safari in the Serengeti. Finish up with exploring and chilling on Zanzibar or Mnemba Island.
Volcanoes, Lake Atitlán, and ancient Mayan ruins — alongside a home-building project in a Guatemalan community that will move your whole family to tears.
Machu Picchu, the Sacred Valley, and building eco-stoves for Andean families who cook over open fires — a project that reduces pollution and saves trees.
What to expect
What actually happens
on a building day
You meet the family
Before any work begins, you sit with the family whose home or stove you're building. Through your local guide, you hear their story. This is often the moment families describe as the most powerful of the entire trip.
Everyone gets involved
Adults and children work side by side — mixing concrete, passing bricks, laying floors. The local community works with you. There's laughter, music, and the children often become fast friends with the local kids.
Lunch together
At midday, you have the option to share a meal prepared by the community — simple, delicious, and deeply meaningful. This is often where the real conversations happen.
You see what you've built
At the end of your time in the community, you stand back and look at what your family has contributed to. A home. A disabled-accessible bathroom. A stove that will feed a family for years. Most families describe this as incredibly fulfilling.
Ready to build something
your family will never forget?
Christopher will help you choose the right destination and project for your family's ages and interests.
