GIVE Costa Rica: Wildlife Conservation & Resonsible Travel

I had such an amazing experience with Give volunteers. I had my first Give trip this past spring break from March 14th through the 21st in Costa Rica. The trip was amazing and I had such a beautiful experience with everything my group and I got to do and everyone worked so well together. My guides were amazing! I loved working in the garden and helping kids with their English, going to a local restaurant and cabins called Kaniki to speak Spanish with this wonderful lady named Rita (I got to pet the cat and big, sweet dog too), and the food was delicious not to mention really fresh and healthy. By the end of the trip, our group had cried together a number of times, and we are like family now. We will totally be seeing one another in the near future, just a matter of when. I cried tears of joy on the plane home as the memories from the trip played through my mind. I felt like I made a difference, and that feeling has carried over into my motivations to make a difference back home :)

GIVE 🌳 I don’t think I could ever fully express how grateful I am. My recent volunteer trip to Costa Rica opened my eyes to an incredible amount of compassion, resilience, and gratitude for everything I am blessed with in my everyday life. This experience pushed me beyond my comfort zone and challenged me in ways I never expected. Throughout this journey, I learned that I am capable of stepping outside my comfort zone and enduring difficult moments—whether it was not being able to contact home every day or rewearing cold, wet socks. While these challenges seemed small at first, they taught me patience, adaptability, and appreciation for the present moment. One of the most impactful lessons I learned was about permaculture and sustainability, particularly how much of Costa Rica’s soil has been severely depleted. Years of harsh chemical use—especially fertilizers and pesticides used in large-scale banana and plantain farming—have stripped the soil of its natural nutrients. Seeing this firsthand helped me understand how deeply these practices affect not only the land, but also the people, wildlife, and communities that depend on it. Learning sustainable farming methods showed me how healing the land is possible through intentional care and respect for nature. Most importantly, this experience reshaped my understanding of what it means to be rich. Wealth is not measured by money or material possessions, but by happiness, connection, and community. I learned that children do not need social media, name-brand items, or material things to feel fulfilled. True happiness comes from being surrounded by a loving family, a supportive community, and a strong connection to the earth. Planting a fruit tree, allowing it to grow naturally, and nurturing it over time is its own form of wealth. This experience has left a lasting impact on my heart, and I will carry these lessons with me for the rest of my life.

Traveling with Give will allow you to volunteer, try new foods, see beautiful places, meet wonderful people, and learn a great deal in a short time. No matter who the person is, anyone who comes on a Give trip for the first time will leave the trip with memories to last a lifetime and a new, more profound insight into life. I highly recommend this program to new travelers who are apprehensive about planning their first trip to a foreign country. Every detail is handled for you with Give, allowing you to focus your mental energy on all the great new experiences instead of the frustrating parts of travel. I am so grateful for my time with Give, and I encourage anyone thinking about going on a Give trip themselves to do it!