Costa Rica Teen Travel Programs

When I signed up for this trip, I wanted a chance to get up close to nature, hike and see amazing views, and get to kayak by animals. I was fortunate to get to do all of this and more on the trip! The itinerary was the right amount of urban and outdoors. We stayed in the city to do all the touristy stuff and service work, but still got to see the pacific ocean and pretty rainforests. The leaders, Adam and Sarah, were absolutely fantastic. They gave everyone a sense of support on the trip and made me feel safe and comfortable. Both were just very likable people. During the trip I noticed a lot of the kids here went because they had enough money to blow 6 grand to get community service hours. They were all from upper class and private school backgrounds, and said some very questionable things (Including many slurs, derogatory terms, and LOTS of homophobic, misogynistic, and antisemitic jokes). The group made me feel downright unsafe at some points. The leaders did everything in their power to help, and I appreciate that a lot. Being that almost everyone was like that, I sense it might be a pattern throughout various trips by Global Works. Just proceed with caution, and be prepared to stick to yourself for two weeks!

My Global Works trip was truly inspiring, the leaders were great, and I had an amazing time. When I think of my Global Works trip, it’s my home stay that comes to mind. It was really fun to go through your day with another family from another culture, eat food with them, play with their kids, even go to work with them...it was awesome to be part of a Costa Rican household. I never thought I would learn to catch 20-pound tilapia or harvest star fruit, avocados and mangos on my host family's farm (and, I didn't know that limes could be green on the outside and orange on the inside!). I thought the kids in my group were all really authentic, creative, and open-minded about trying new things and activities. I felt like we really built a community together. I would do this trip again...a thousand times over!

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My experience in Costa Rica can't really be accurately described in words. The trip was amazing, breathtaking, challenging, fun, emotional, unique, etc. The words I can use to describe my trip can go on forever, but how much they can really capture of the trip is limited. The leaders were absolutely wonderful, as were my group members and my experience overall. Each leader brought something different to the table that was critical to our trip. Flora was organized and always super positive, Chalo was understanding, caring, and knowledgeable, and Nohelia was hilarious, loving and all-knowing. Our group had a special and unique dynamic that was something I had never experienced before. We were all very close with each other fairly early on; a TSA officer even asked if a few of us were siblings when we were returning from the trip at the Houston airport! The parts of the trip that weren't super fun (like sitting on a plane for two hours that was grounded due to weather or a seven hour layover at the Houston airport) all pale in comparison to the countless moments that I will always remember. Seeing a sloth white water rafting, hiking through the cloud forests, swimming in hot springs, playing cards with my host family and little sisters, and surfing on Playa Uvita. These moments are just a few in an ocean of memories that I hold onto. I miss the community of Cedral and how kind everyone was. I miss trying to communicate with locals through my limited Spanish and lots of hand gestures. I miss the "Pura Vida" lifestyle of Costa Rica's citizens. Global Works provided me with an authentic experience of Costa Rica where I could immerse myself in both culture and language. The service work was challenging, but rewarding; I learned how to make concrete and pour foundation for a cabin we built with the locals of Cedral. I am truly lucky to have been able to go on such a unique trip, and I cannot recommend an experience like this enough. Thank you Global Works Travel!

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I had such an amazing time travelling with Global Works to Costa Rica! In just the short 15 days that I spent there, my language skills grew like crazy, I developed a bunch of relationships that I will never forget, and I ate some of the best food I've ever had. Leading up to the trip, I was pretty nervous. I didn't know if I was bringing the right stuff, I didn't know how my language skills would fare in a community full of native speakers, I didn't know what the people would be like, and most of all I didn't know what it would be like to be away from home for two weeks. However, all my worries melted away once I met my group at the airport! My trip leaders, Camille and Randall, were super cool! They were the perfect mix of instructive yet laid back, and they made the experience flow so smoothly. From all of Randall's jokes and funny noises to Camille's fascinating tidbits about culture and just life in general, there was never a boring moment on the trip. The group that I traveled with became my little family while I was there. It's fun looking back on the trip and realizing how powerful trying new things can be. You make new friends and get to know yourself a lot better. Also, not having our phones really facilitated these friendships because it forced us to get comfortable with the uneasiness that comes with a new environment. I thought I wouldn't be able to last without my phone, but now I'm honestly so glad that we couldn't have them. We had so many cool experiences on the trip. We went ziplining, visited a cheese farm and made cheese, went surfing, taught an English class, helped build a day school, and so much more. My favorite part by far was the homestay. Two other girls and I stayed with a wonderful family at Futuro. We called our host mom Mama Carmen and she had four daughters, one of which who lived with her. Mama Carmen made the most delicious food ever. As a true foodie, I loved cooking with her and gathering recipes. By the end of the trip, we had so many inside jokes and shared memories together. The language barrier that I was so worried about leading up to the trip was not even a problem. We were completely able to communicate, even if I didn't always understand Mama Carmen and she didn't always understand me. I noticed that coming back from the trip, my Spanish-speaking skills had improved immensely. Before the trip, I was afraid to speak Spanish outside of class. Now, I speak it every chance I get - which is very helpful living in Arizona. Overall, I had a blast in Costa Rica. I gained new friendships, language skills, cultural knowledge, and respect for hard work. The connections that I made with the people from my trip still remain, even though we're separated by thousands of miles. This Global Works trip has opened me up to so many new things and given me lots of perspective on the lives of others. I would 100 percent recommend a Global Works trip to anyone who's looking to travel and experience new cultures, all while having loads of fun. It will definitely be a decision that you won't regret!

Traveling to Costa Rica with Global Works was a truly amazing experience. It's honestly difficult to put into words. It changed me mentally and emotionally, and it is an experience I will never forget. Even now I look back on memories, photos, souvenirs, notes and drawings that I have kept from the trip, and can't fully take in how much the trip meant to me. I built strong bonds with the people on the trip, tried new foods, took risks, and emerged myself into a beautiful culture. Plus, the Costa Rica environment was gorgeous. I felt like I was able to experience so much in just the one week I was there. Living at home in a place almost the polar opposite of Costa Rica, seeing wildlife like toucans, monkeys, snakes, giant spiders, and the turtles especially was breathtaking. During the trip, we also helped at ASTOP, a sea turtle conservation program. The work we did there was both gratifying and eye opening. After coming back from the trip, I was more open minded. My mindset on life was changed. I feel so lucky that I got to experience Costa Rica with Global Works. Their program is extremely well planned and it helped me learn about so many different things.

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Going on this trip was easily one of the best decisions I have ever made. Global Works was super easy to work with and made me feel super prepared going into my trip. The leaders were great ( shoutout to Perri, Taylor, and Randall! ) and I felt very well taken care of, while also having fun, the entire time. My Spanish greatly improved this trip and I enjoyed all of the experiences we had! The zipline experience had such great views and it was so cool to able to do something so special with a great group of people. The homestay experience was something unlike anything I had ever done before and was one of my favorite parts of the trip! The homestay community was so welcoming and my family was so sweet and welcoming. I felt so proud at the end of the week when I looked at all of the work that we accomplished on the community center and all of the relationships we had formed, The friends that I made on this trip are some of the best friends I've ever had. I was with such an awesome group and I'm still talking to them nonstop! Our final days were spent surfing and hanging out on the beach, which was a perfect end to such an amazing trip! The beach was beautiful and made me want to stay in Costa Rica with this awesome group for my whole summer. Overall, this was such a wonderful experience and I can't wait for my next Global Works trip!

Starting out practicing digging our own holes and navigating to find our "turtle"(shoe) eggs we got to experience the life of a mama sea turtle. We then maped out diagramed and took measurements of our nest that we digged in the sand to practice locating nests. We then released baby sea turtles on the beach and watched them enter the ocean to begin there new life! Amazing journey not to mention the people team, and staff that made this trip possible(:

Absolutely amazing experience ! Global works is awesome and life changing . Having the opportunity to volunteer my time and meet new people and experience new cultures is always amazing . Costa Rica is a great place , people are warm and welcoming , so much to see and experience , zip Lining through the forest was incredible and teaching the community memebers a little English was a lot of fun , would definitely do it again!

One of my favorite parts of the trip was how much exposure we got with the Costa Rican culture. Living with host families and working with the locals gave each individual first hand experience and built an understanding of different ways of life. The locals welcomed us with open arms and really made the experience unforgettable. I would recommend this program to anyone interested in working on their Spanish abilities and channeling their inner adventurous spirit.

Earlier in the summer, I happily attended Global Work's Surf and Service program in the beautiful Costa Rica for a week. This was the best week of my life and one of the most life changing experiences I've ever had. I got to learn so much about the culture and the people there, and made so many friends from around the country who had such similar interests as I do. I also had the privilege of helping out the locals with community projects and everyone was so thankful for everything and anything we did, it felt so good to even help out a little. I also learned so much great life advice and more from my trip leaders, who felt more like friends to me which made everything that much more comfortable and fun. I am forever thankful and grateful I was able to experience something as amazing as this trip was at the young age I'm at and learn as much as I did. Global Works provides once-in-a-lifetime opportunities and I would 100% recommend any trip for anyone who loves or wants to travel, learn, or have fun.