Travel For Teens: Costa Rica

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 ziplining, white water rafting, and had so many crazy adventures. For service, we helped out at a school by cleaning their walls, and picked up trash on the beaches and in the streets. We also got to go on an alligator tour as well and see all the beautiful sites Costa Rica has to offer.

Traveling to Costa Rica to learn to surf with a bunch of other teenagers from all over the countries was one of the best decisions of my life. Not only did I make new friends, but I was introduced to a new culture and was forced to go beyond my comfort zone. This experience has impacted my life in so many ways. Primarily, traveling with Travel for Teens has encouraged me to travel abroad in college, and visit towns beyond tourist attractions. In addition, the volunteer aspect of the trip has introduced me to a newfound love of working with children. I never thought that I could create so many wonderful memories on a 14 day trip, but I am glad I did.

From creating new friends, zip lining, surfing, hiking, and tubing down one of the most famous rivers in the world, what is there not to enjoy. In 2016 I went to Costa Rica by myself scared to meet anyone. I came home with 15 new friends and a great tan. This trip not only gives you a thrill, but also gives you a new perspective on Costa Rica. Wether it’s the jungle, the beach, or the people, there are so many things to fall in love with. This trip will change your life in such an amazing way!

It was amazing to meet new people, new animals, and have new opportunities. On our days off from working in the center, we went zip lining, snorkeling, and even had the opportunity to go to Panama. I won't forget following an anteater or playing with monkeys as tours went by. Between working with baby sloths or monkeys at the center, to surfing, to white after rafting, to snorkeling, it was a trip I'll never forget. I was very excited to go and plan on taking another trip this summer!

This was the best TFT trip I’ve taken so far! On this trip I saw so many things I couldn't even comprehend before seeing. I've watched the sunrise over volcanos, Ive rafted through the rainforest, zip linings over the canopy, and met some of the most beautiful people
I loved my counselors and they were amazing, friendly, and helpful. Both of them spoke the language which helped our group get a more local experience. They also were incredibly understanding of each and every one of us.
I felt fully embraced as a local on this trip and every place we went we were treated amazingly. We went to Turrialba, La Fortuna, and Samara Beach. In each place we went on several different adventures that were specific to the area we were in. We got to go rafting, zip lining, surfing, hiking, and much more! The food was amazing too!
The community service was my favorite part of the trip. I spent two days volunteering with local children, even though we couldn't speak the same language by the time my group left they were hugging goodbye and calling me their big sister. It was such and amazing experience and we learnt a lot from each other.
I can’t wait to go on my next adventure with TFT!

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 buses. 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).

The trip was a breath taking experience where I learned so much about Costa Rican culture and animals. I volunteered at an animal rescue center during the day and explored the culture at night and during weekends.
We surfed, snorkeled, zip lined, shopped, danced, and so much more.
We created amazing, close friendships with students from all across the country. We grew close as we played with baby monkeys, cleaned poop, splashed in the ocean, and sang together. Sing alongs and splashing wars were natural occurrences that made a bond that is still strong half a year later.
The trip was amazing and I can't wait to experience another TFT adventure later this year.

Among all the amazing memories I made on this trip, one I will never forgot is white water rafting down the Pacuare River. I had the most amazing and unforgettable experience. Even though this excursion was only on the second day, I already felt like I knew the other teens on my trip so well. It was so easy to connect with the other kids and the trip leaders, which made this trip all the more fun. As we paddled down the river, all the kids laughed and screamed as we hit the big rocks and intense rapids. Despite knowing each other for less than 24 hours, we laughed at each other and helped each other when one of us fell out. Eventually, we stopped for lunch on the side of the river, and after, we walked over to a waterfall. It was the most beautiful sight I have ever seen; I will never forget the view. We had the chance to slide down the waterfall and jump off the side into the natural pool. The experience itself is indescrible. Overall, I had so much fun and will never forget this day.

Wow, I don't even know where to begin when it comes to sharing all of the amazing things that occurred during my time with Travel for Teens in Costa Rica. In 2014, I went on the Costa Rica Adventure and Service trip and absolutely loved it! Going into the trip I didn't really know what to expect, but I had high expectations because the standard had been set so high on my previous trip with Travel for Teens, Discover Europe. This trip was exactly what it said it was, an adrenaline rush with a huge service component. We had the opportunity to zip-line on multiple occasions, repel down waterfalls, swim in the ocean, go white water rafting and much more. The service components were fantastic as well. During my trip, we helped a local scout troop clean up their local community and my favorite which was clean the outside of a local school building. We had the opportunity to interact with the children, play games like duck duck goose and practice a little bit of our Spanish. I could expand on so many aspects that made this trip fantastic, but there is one specific thing that I would like to highlight. This trip really immersed myself and the other travelers with the locals. Whether it was at the hostel we stayed at or the vendors that would take us on our activities I didn't feel like a tourist, but a traveler. One day we had a cooking lesson with a husband and wife that taught us how to make coffee and empanadas. This was hands down one of the best parts of the trip. The couple was very warm, welcoming, and loving towards us and not to mention helped us make some of the most amazing empanadas I've ever tasted. That opportunity also really gave me the chance to really bond with other teenagers on the trip. Yes, this trip was fantastic in every way and I can say so much about it, but the one thing I would like people to know is that ,with Travel for Teens whether on this trip or another one, you will feel and be embraced as a local. This is the best way to truly get the most out of your experience and Travel for Teens does it magnificently.

This trip to Costa Rica was one that I could never have imagined, it was better than my expectations. The counselors were friendly, fun, always prepared, and always ready for any challenge that came our way.
Despite the time of year that I visited Costa Rica was during the "Green Season" or "Rainy Season"we made the most of the weather. A snorkeling trip in the Caribbean was switched out for a trip to the Sloth Sanctuary in Lima. There we had a tour of the Sloths that they had rescued, a tour via boat along the river next to the sanctuary where we saw a few wild sloths and other critters, and to my favorite part, the Sloth Nursery! We also had plenty of fun in the water, including surfing lessons in the Caribbean and my favorite, rappeling through waterfalls in Turrialba. We would rappel down a water fall and zip-line to the next one. This was a first time experience for me and I loved every minute of it. The instructors were there to help us every step of the way and had spotters below us to ensure safety. I never once felt scared. Another first for me was white water rafting where we had plenty of instruction and despite it being thrilling and exciting, I still was never scared.
Trying all of the foods there was a big plus and one of the parts I do miss is the meals we had. Fresh juices at every restaurant and fried plantains with every meal.
A rain jacket and water shoes were a must, as well as sunscreen and bug spray!
Through this trip I learned the motto of Costa Rica, "Pura Vida" which means Pure Life but truly shows that we should embrace the beauty the world has to offer and to live life to the fullest, and Costa Rica has plenty to offer.

Costa Rica has been my favorite trip with TFT. Our counselors were amazing and extremely helpful. They were willing to adapt the itinerary to the campers needs, especially when it was too stormy for us to go snorkeling and instead went to a sloth sanctuary. Waterfall repelling was my favorite activity on the trip, it was something different that I had never heard of before but was amazing. The trip was very well organized and I always felt very safe. Costa Rican food is wonderful and we had amble opportunities to sample different types of foods (even with dietary restrictions like vegetarianism and dairy allergies).