It was great trip, great support from counselors and all the activities were fun and engaging. We saw many beautiful animals, and the scenery was always great. It was nice weather, great support, good friendships and an amazing time overall. The white water rafting was supper fun, everything always feels new and engaging but it’s easy to tell just how much work was put into making it such a great experience. There so much to do, so much to see, and I would definitely recommend this experience to anyone thinking about it.

Being part of the volunteer program during this year was a very unique and unforgettable experiences . We visited very beautiful places in Costa Rica, doing activities such as rafting, surfing and many more. Every day was an adventure full of new things, moments full of laughter and jokes, very delicious meals.
During the volunteering I met very kind people, who became my friends. I got to know many very beautiful places, full of flora and fauna such as turtles in their habitat.
I would like to invite you to be part of the program and get to know my beautiful country, Costa Rica.

Maren had a great time. She made a lot of new friends and visited incredible places throughout the country. She enjoyed all of the adventures including surfing, ziplining and rafting. She also enjoyed the community service, including visiting kids at their schools! There was a very good variety of food that she liked. She also enjoyed exploring all of the cities where the group visited. She also enjoyed seeing all of the wildlife including the monkeys. Maren would highly recommend this program to anyone!

I was initially nervous to go on this trip, as I hadn't done a lot of traveling with out my parents before, but when I met my group and group leaders, that all went away. The group leaders were amazing, they had everything under control and running smoothly every step of the way, no matter what was thrown at them. They were simply amazing and I felt confident even when way out of my comfort zone the whole time because they were there. The other kids were very open, and it was easy to make friends, especially with the no cell phones policy, which really helped us bond to another level. During the homestay, I really felt like I made a connection with the community, and became a part of their family for the days we were there. Actually being in the rainforest and among all that wildlife rekindled a passion for conservation, as I was able to see what needs to be saved up close. The community service was difficult but rewarding, and we were able to gain a new perspective, as though my home stay family had less material wealth than my family, the connections of their community were so much richer, and there was a much happier air to them than I find in my neighborhood. The last day was very bittersweet when we had to leave the friends we had made, and by the end, while I was glad to go home, I knew I would return as I feel like I have made a lasting connection with this beautiful country.

I think Global Works does an amazing job connecting the kids with the community. My 2 kids (14 and 16) had fantastic homestay experiences and both of them still connect with their Costa Rica families every week, which has been a super cool experience.

I think global works is safe while at the same time creating some really great opportunities for kids to explore and challenge themselves. For example, the kids had the opportunity to attend a local city soccer team game and then ended up getting to play the city champions in an impromptu game which was a really neat experience. I also think it is good to really know that the kids really work hard for the community service - they are digging ditches, pouring concrete and clearing paths.

I think the big differentiator for Global Works is their connections with the community and providing an experience for kids to engage with groups of people that they would not have the opportunity to engage with on a more traditional tour - that connection is pretty special and results in some amazing opportunities. So, combine that with hard work and opportunities to explore the rainforest, zipline, and surf and it definitely is a unique experience.

I spent 2 weeks in Costa Rica in the summer 2022. We were a pretty small group of teenagers around the same age, which was a great way to get to know everyone and make friends. We experienced very diverse activities: community service (working with rangers on trails maintenance, participating in local activities) but also surf and meeting with the local community. We even could spend a few night at a families’ house (by groups of 2), to help us do some progress in Spanish but also understand better the culture and day to day life.
I would recommend 100%!

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!

I found out about Global Works Travel through research about summer travel programs and I'm so glad I did! Global Works provided me with a trip that was challenging and fun, and where I learned through first-hand experience. Although the seven hour layover in Houston followed by the flight to Costa Rica then being delayed for two more hours wasn't much fun, it did provide me more time to learn about my group mates, and pales in comparison to all the fun I had and the experience I gained on the rest of the trip. The adventures like white water rafting, zip lining and surfing on Playa Uvita may have been the most thrill inducing, but they are not what I remember most about the trip. I remember sitting outside on the porch of Poco Sol Biological station looking over the canopies of the cloud forest. I remember how excited and anxious the group was to meet their host families in the mountainous, breathtaking town of Cedral. I remember struggling to communicate with my host mom and dad and my two little sisters, but laughing about it later with my roommate. I remember getting mud and paint and cement powder on my shirt, but admiring the immense progress we had made later. Most of all, I remember each and every one of my group members and how much I miss them. The people I was with and our dynamic was truly special. While I can't speak for other groups, I can imagine that many other Global Works groups have experienced similar connections. My perceptions of people and places changed drastically throughout the trip and the knowledge and connections I have gained are priceless. The Spanish immersion aspect of the program drastically improved everyone's Spanish and provided and authentic view of Costa Rica many of us would not have experienced otherwise. The only advice I give is to live your trip to the fullest, and take time to appreciate where you are; don't rush through an experience this unique and special.