Program Reviews

I had a great time! My homestay mom was so sweet and kind. During the entire two weeks I have never felt un-welcomed by her. Also, my teacher was the best! She always helped me when I didn’t know how to conjugate a word correctly or when I didn’t know how to say a word in Spanish. She always made learning Spanish fun, which encouraged me to keep practicing, speaking and writing. I really enjoyed the activities we did after school. My favorite was ziplining and the ropes course. But I loved how this program allows us to learn and practice our Spanish while also exploring Costa Rica. I have made many friends during this program that I can’t wait to see again in the future! Clay, Morgan and Mary really made this experience very special!!

During my time at Tico Lingo's Spanish Camp, I met a lot very nice people and consider many of them my friends now. The homestay experience was amazing including the food and my homestay family. In these two weeks I really feel more confident speaking Spanish thanks to the amazing professors and counselors that run the program. Tico Lingo's Camp is not only a learning program but a vacation experience with many different activities after school is done for the day. I really recommend it to people who want to boost their confidence speaking Spanish and see a lot of Costa Rica over 15 days.

On the plane from Newark International Airport to San Jose I was having scary thoughts. Two weeks in a foreign country with campers and strangers and school in the summer? Why on earth had I agreed to this in the first place? I knew I made the right decision on the first night. I sat and talked with two new friends as we bonded over our fear of what was to come the next morning and the abundance of meals containing rice and beans. For someone with a whole lot of fears and doubts, I felt completely at home in this strange new house. The next week flew by, filled to the brim with laughter and learning. In class there was never a dull moment, and I always stepped out feeling mostly more comfortable with my language skills. The weekend trip proved to be just as fun as we rode the bus and took in every sight we visited with wide eyes and newly opened minds. The moment I stepped into Tico Lingo on the first day my fears dissolved. This has been my favorite travel experience. I’ve made lifelong friends and created enough memories to last a lifetime. Tico Lingo brought new meaning to travel and immersion. It is something I will always remember with a smile.

I legitimately loved this camp. It was sooooo fun. I will do this again next year. The ziplining was my favorite part and being at the hotel by the volcano. I'm just 13 years old, and I am so happy my parents let me come. I think 100% you should too if you like learning Spanish and seeing a different part of the world. Costa Rica is so different, but there are so many pretty things to see and do. And this camp let us do them! Lots of rain sometimes, but it made it even more fun sometimes. I hope to be back and see everyone again

When I first arrived in Costa Rica, in my homestay family, they were talking really quickly and all I said was “Si, Gracias”. Now, at the end of camp, when I get home I understand them and I can actually reply! The people I met on the camp are really nice and funny. When I got to school the first day I noticed that everything was nice and relaxed and not as strict as in school back home. We had 4 hours of Spanish every day and then visited places in the afternoon. On the first day we visited the city of Heredia where we were located, and played soccer at a park. We also did fun things like going to a mall, ziplining, ropes courses, going to coffee farms and other things. I learned about a lot of new things and definitely improved my Spanish. The worst thing I experienced was me getting a very bad sunburn on an excursion to a volcano where we stayed overnight. I forgot to put on sunscreen that day and we got a very bad sunburn while we were kayaking. The second day we went white water river rafting and I had a lot of enriching experiences which helped me expand my picture of Central America. Two weeks without parents, that thought scared me, but in the end I think it helped me grow mentally. The staff was very nice and chill and I would recommend this camp to everybody.

Tico Lingo is an amazing camp that gives kids opportunities to try new cool things, enjoy adventures, make new friends, explore another culture, and enhance their Spanish skills. This camp has been such a great experience for me over the past 2 summers.

To start, we go on awesome excursions every day after our classes. On the weekend we went on an overnight trip that was so much fun. My favorite activities have been rafting and ziplining. Also, staying with a homestay family is also interesting and helps improve your Spanish even more. Meeting new people here also makes the camp even more fun. I have made a good bond with the people I met and I’m sad to see us part ways. The staff here are very cool but also make sure we are safe while having a great time. Chris is very funny and the head of the camp, he always makes sure we have fun. Craig, Clay and Morgan also made this camp so fun while making sure we are not causing trouble. The teachers are also nice and funny, not too strict.

I definitely recommend this camp to others and hope to come back again.

I loved this camp! Every day was so much fun and a great mix between learning and activities. All of the people here are so fun and chill and make this experience so memorable. All the other campers were so nice and we all quickly bonded. The counselors were the best and made me feel so welcome from the beginning. They made everything so fun and truly made this experience better than I could have imagined. Morgan and Clay (our counselors) were so much fun and so sweet I can’t imagine camp without them. I also loved all the teachers and the leader, Chris, was so nice and made the vibes of the camp so positive and fun. Overall, I learned so much in this camp and really enjoyed my homestay. My homestay mom was the sweetest and I really felt a part of the family. This was such a cool experience and I met the best people through it, so I would 100% recommend this camp to everyone!

This was an amazing experience! Almost as soon as I walked through the front gates I was greeted by very welcoming staff and other hesitant campers. But soon, because of the wonderful environment that the teachers/counselors fostered, we quickly became excited to ask questions and talk about our lives. Whether it was the different rest stops we passed in our states (i.e., wawa) what our dream vacation was (other than Costa Rica of course), or the state of the American economy. I not only learned Spanish in my classes but also the perspectives of kids my age across the United States. In the afternoons we truly got to appreciate the beauty of Costa Rica and land and culture through various excursions. Although we may have fallen on our faces while at a roller skating rink or or gotten borderline sun poisoning while kayaking (PACK SUNSCREEN) there were still plenty of opportunities to practice Spanish and try new things. Speaking of trying new things, there are so many chances to try amazing Costa Rican food. Both at homestays and during the lunch blocks in the afternoon, I’m vegetarian and I was very happy and surprised to try all the delicious non-meat options Costa Rica has to offer. All in all this was a fantastic 9/10 experience (10/10 if I had remembered to reapply sunscreen while kayaking) and I would definitely recommend it to teens who love exploring places and cultures as well as improving their Spanish. Feel free to email me any questions!.

I love this camp. It was sooooo fun. I will do this again. The ziplining was my favorite part and being at the hotel on the weekend trip to the volcano. I was only 13 years old and I am so happy my parents let me come. There we kids from all over and we all got to know each other and ended up being so close. I think 100% you should too if you like Spanish and doing lots of new cool things in Costa Rica. It's a fun way to speak Spanish, meet lots of new people, and do like a million fun things like rafting and kayaking

I really liked Tico Lingo because of how much Spanish I learned. The activities were very fun and creative. I learned a lot about culture and about the people of Costa Rica. The leaders here were very funny and fun. My favorite part about camp was the zipline tour. Even though we went to school for 4 hours it was still very fun. On the 1st day I wasn’t sure about how I felt but by the end I can’t wait to come back. I am really glad I got to meet the counselors, especially Morgan and Clay. I loved this camp!