High School Study Abroad in Puntarenas, Costa Rica

I had the chance to travel to Costa Rica this last summer, and I absolutely loved it! I was nervous to go and had never traveled out of the country before, but the leaders were so friendly and welcoming. During this trip I got to make so many wonderful new friends, went surfing and zip-lining for the first time, tried new foods, and even got to see baby turtles hatch! I learned a lot about the people and culture of Costa Rica. This was truly a life changing experience!

Signing up for a Travel For Teens trip was the best decision I’ve ever made. I was a bit nervous at first about traveling by myself, and I was worried I wouldn’t make any friends. Little did I know that in just a two week time period I’d have a whole new point of view on travel, and friends that will last a lifetime. There was never once a second where I felt homesick because every day was filled with life changing experiences like working hands-on with sea turtles, ziplining, surfing, and exploring the beautiful country of Costa Rica. Our counselors were some of the sweetest, and funniest people I’ve ever met, and were super helpful in guiding us on how to be proper travelers, rather than tourists. I swear time moves quicker in Costa Rica, because those amazing two weeks were over too soon. Our group may have looked incredibly weird to the patrons in Miami Airport terminal 24 who probably do not see very many groups of 12 teenagers huddled in a crying group hug. We eventually all managed to stop crying and go our separate ways, meanwhile planning our TFT trips for the next summer. Overall I returned more confident and open than I was before going on the trip, and am counting down the days till my next trip.