Travel For Teens: Costa Rica Adventure and Service

This trip was the greatest experience of my life. Obviously getting on a plane and going to a far away place with a bunch of strangers is a bit intimidating, but I am so thankful and happy I took a leap out of my comfort zone to experience this. The connections I made with the people on the trip, and not to mention the amazing activities and service projects I got to participate in. I would recommend this to everyone thinking of taking a trip!

i do not exaggerate saying this trip changed my life. truly. it transformed me as a person. the service was so fulfilling and the adventures were the best experiences of my life. i would recommend this to any teen, whether daring and courageous or shy like i was

I had an amazing time in Costa Rica! This was my first trip with TFT, and I went by myself. We were busy constantly, and had multiple interesting adventures every day. My favorite day was probably kayaking in the ocean to an island, where we went snorkeling with tons of tropical fish the food was amazing, and it was cool meeting new people would totally recommend! A

This past summer I had the opportunity to go on Costa Rica Adventure and Service through TFT! I had the best time, it’s truly hard to put into words. I had the pleasure to participate in a number of unique activities such as white water rafting, snorkeling, surfing and more. I was able to try new foods and learn about new cultures, while helping the community I was visiting. Throughout all of this, I was able to make 11 new best friends. I highly recommend this program and I cannot wait for my next trip with TFT this summer!

Truly, this trip was absolutely unforgettable! Everyday, felt like a dream, it was perfect. I became so close with each and every teen on this trip, and I still talk to them to this day. It’s wonderful how close you get by the end of the trip, to the people you met only days or weeks ago. We were fortunate enough to volunteer at schools, and help improve their lives and environment at school. I will never forget all of the memories I made on this trip, all of the late night talks, white water rafting, surf lessons, bus rides, and so much more. The food was absolutely delicious as well. We were able to communicate with everyone through spanish, as well as teach them some english. This trip really taught me to be present in the moment, and to stop and realize how much that the world offers. I will always remember this trip, and the countless memories I made!

My trip to Costa Rica was easily the highlight of my summer, and an experience I will never forget! During my ten days there, I was able to experience so many amazing opportunities to learn about culture and explore the unreal nature. We went on a two day river rafting excursion, zip lined through the jungle, learned to surf, and visited natural hot springs. Despite all of the thrilling adventures we went on, my favorite part of the trip was volunteering with a local children's school. During our time there, we were able to meet an amazing group of kids and help organize their school. My highlight of volunteering here was definitely playing soccer with the whole group. It started off as a small game, but more and more people joined in to create a huge game with everyone. It was so much fun and a memory I look back on frequently. Overall, this trip was filled with unforgettable experiences that I'm truly grateful I got to have.

I would recommend TFT over any other Teen Tour Company. I took the Hola Costa Rica Middle School Trip. The counselors made me feel welcomed from the very beginning when I stepped onto the bus for the first time. Everything felt incredibly safe. The counselors and staff at the activities and service made sure to check up on us and make sure that we were doing okay! Everyone on the trip was so nice. It was only another boy and I on this trip with 12 people total. But, the other kids made sure that we were both included In games and other activities! I can’t wait for my trip next year!

I am so happy I chose TFT for my first summer trip abroad as a teen. My trip was the Costa Rica Service and Adventure. I was able to go kayaking, surfing, paddle boarding, zip lining, and swimming, while also doing community service and giving back to students at a local school.  It was an incredible adventure; all the staff was nice, friendly, welcoming, and made the whole trip a positive experience. I met a very nice group of friends, and created bonds and friendships I can hold onto forever, as well as tried awesome new activities that I would never have the good fortune to do! I felt such pride in being able to help the children.  I am extremely thankful that I had this opportunity, and excited to take another trip this summer! 

This past summer I made the most amazing memories in Costa Rica with TFT, on their Surf and Service trip. The prospect of navigating through airports alone can be a bit daunting, but the TFT staff made the process easy. TFT helped me book all my flights, and when I arrived at the Miami airport, I met with one of their counselors who led me to meet the other campers at our gate for our flight into Costa Rica. Each day was a new adventure, from snorkeling, sailing, ziplining, and of course lots of surfing, there was always something new to look forward to! Whether we were doing service work, exploring the town, catching waves at the beach, or setting off for another adventure, the staff was always checking in to ensure that all campers were physically and emotionally feeling their best. The trip was extremely organized, from where we had dinner, to the time we needed to board the buses, everything had been thoughtfully planned out. Along with prioritizing safety and organization, TFT prioritizes a welcoming and high-spirited group comradery, to ensure that each camper has fun. From checking in with campers one on one periodically, to filling our itinerary with group collaborative activities, TFT’s devotion to a positive group atmosphere was evident in the friendships we made, and all the laughs we shared. The TFT community brings together a group of adventurous people, curious about the world, who all share a passion for travel, enabling some of the most amazing friendships. From the second I met everyone at the airport, until the moment we said goodbye, I never stopped growing my friendships with my fellow campers, many of which I keep in touch with, and have reunited with! My summer with TFT was truly unforgettable, and my only regret is that I did not find out about TFT sooner!

I cannot thank TFT enough for the incredible experience they provided with in Costa Rica. Each day offered something new and exciting like paddle boarding on the Gulf of Mexico or playing soccer with Costa Rican school children. Both my counselors, Jenna and Hadley were enthusiastic and filled the room with positive energy. Every place we stayed was clean and safe and each activity was very well coordinated. I am so grateful I had this opportunity and I urge everyone to go TFT!

My Costa Rica experience with TFT was an unforgettable one. I appreciated how it was not just a “vacation” but I was very invested in the culture and communities there. From zip-lining across the green rainforest, to building playgrounds for Costa Rican children, TFT did a fantastic job at allowing me to see all the amazing things Costa Rica has to offer.

My Costa Rica experience with TFT was an unforgettable one. I appreciated how it was not just a “vacation” but I was very invested in the culture and communities there. From zip-lining across the green rainforest, to building playgrounds for Costa Rican children, TFT did a fantastic job allowing me to see all the amazing things Costa Rica has to offer.

My experience with TFT has been nothing short of great. I loved my trip, the people, and sharing so many great adventures with everyone. I hope to do it again sometime soon! We went on so many different adventures like ziplining, white water rafting, an alligator tour, and even the community service was an adventure in itself. We visited schools to help clean the walls, we picked up trash in the streets and at the beaches. It was an amazing time. Definitely would recommend.

Last summer (July 2016) I went on my first trip with Travel for Teens on the Costa Rica Adrenaline trip. In short, this was the best trip of my life. Everyone was so kind, positively-minded, and energetic! My counselors (Marco, Danielle, Sarah, and Katherine-CIT) were outstanding! They were always encouraging us to try out new things and were all so hilarious! I really can not say enough good things about them. If I went on another trip, I would try to request them for my trip because they made the trip extra fun. I think that by the end of the trip, all the teens and counselors became such close friends because we were constantly spending time with one another, that by the end, it felt like we kinda became one big family haha. I am a shy person and was pretty nervous about meeting new people before this trip especially since I was coming all the way from Los Angeles on my own. However, after only a few hours of spending time with everyone, I felt almost at home! On my last day, I kid you not, I remember we were all at the airport saying our goodbyes and most of us were crying because we just became so close with one another! In fact, some of us started discussing our plans for future trips together. I enjoyed every single part of our trip whether it was hiking to waterfalls, ziplining, or even simply just riding in the busses. We followed the itinerary which had detailed activities for each of the 10 days we spent there. We got to go water rafting, hiking to waterfalls, ziplining, canyoning, horseback riding, visit hot springs, surfing, and so much more. The guides for some of our activities were so patient and had great stories to tell us. I surfed for the first time on this trip and I learned so quickly with the help of the instructors. I also spent my 16th birthday on this trip, and they were nice enough to buy me a small cake and made sure it was well spent. Definitely my favorite birthday yet! Although the hotels we stayed in were, I believe, considered 3 star hotels, they were great. They were very clean and spacious. The first one we stayed in had lots of extra space, a pool, the beds were comfortable, and the food was delicious. They also had really tasty Costa Rican coffee which I would definitely want to have again! The second hotel we stayed in was also good. It was more centered in a local beach town (about a 1 minute walk to the beach) which gave us the opportunity to watch several beautiful sunsets from our hotel rooms. We even got to hang out with some dogs and cats who would wander around both hotels haha. Throughout our entire trip, it was raining every now and then with the occasional thunder storms, but during those times when we had to stay in our rooms, we would all play games, talk, laugh, and oh boy did our counselors have some funny jokes and stories! Throughout our adventure, we were also given a good amount of freedom. The counselors/directors made sure that we were always safe, but still gave us enough room to do what we wanted in our free time. Essentially, they did not treat us like little children who were irresponsible, which I thought was really great. I had been to other camps in the past and most of them didn't respect us and treat us as well as Travel for Teens did. My trip with Travel for Teens made me feel limitless. It's everything you would expect and more. Every single time I get to travel to a new destination, I simply feel invincible and I greatly thank Travel for Teens for introducing me to that feeling. In the future I hope to go on as many more trips with Travel for Teens as I can. I am hoping to do more programs with them such as "Europe for Older Teens: Greece, Italy, and the Islands," "Thailand for Older Teens," as well as "South Africa Service, Adventure, and Safari." I hope to become more well-rounded from these trips and learn more about the rest of the world, while also opening myself up to new experiences and meeting new people. I hope to gain more appreciation for other cultures, make friends with strangers, and to better learn to enjoy the simplest things in life. I believe teenagers are always trying to figure out what they like, what they don't like, or basically trying to find a sense of self identity; it's part of growing up. These trips really helped me personally to learn more about myself and I think they can benefit others in the same way. I think every now and then, it's good for people to take themselves a bit out of their comfort zones and I travelling really pushes you to do that. Travelling just really opens up a lot of new perspectives on many things and takes you to a whole new place (literally).