Program Reviews

On the first day I was pretty tired. The homestay is very nice and their dogs are adorable. The food was great, but sometimes the vegetarian option was uninspiring. The mall was fun as well as the ziplining and white water rafting. To be honest I regret the high ropes course because it was so terrifying. If you are scared of heights it’s really not for you. The white water rafting was really fun. I fell out of the boat once but was immediately saved so that was just a scare. I really enjoyed the rapids because it felt a little like a roller coaster. I don’t know how to describe it - it’s the most thrilling experience. The zip lining was really fun and felt completely safe. The teachers are nice and in general it was quite a pleasant experience.

Coming to this camp/school I was really nervous traveling to a new country alone, not knowing anything about the people or the program. I became less nervous as soon as I got to my homestay and met the parents I’d be staying with, and both of my roomates. Although I was scared to talk to people I’d never met before, and would be staying with for the next 2 weeks, we got along really well as soon as we started talking, and that has lasted for the entire 2 weeks. We arrived at school together everyday and took classes with really fun teachers who didn’t make us do boring work to learn Spanish. The counselors were super chill (Clay and Morgan) and the bus rides were always so much fun and every activity was interesting. I’m so glad I did this program. I’ve improved my Spanish and made lifelong friends.

Coming to this camp/school I was really nervous traveling to a new country alone, not knowing anything about the people or the program. I became less nervous as soon as I got to my homestay and met the parents I’d be staying with, and both of my roomates. Although I was scared to talk to people I’d never met before, and would be staying with for the next 2 weeks, we got along really well as soon as we started talking, and that has lasted for the entire 2 weeks. We arrived at school together everyday and took classes with really fun teachers who didn’t make us do boring work to learn Spanish. The counselors were super chill (Clay and Morgan) and the bus rides were always so much fun and every activity was interesting. I’m so glad I did this program. I’ve improved my Spanish and made lifelong friends.

I’ve had overall a great time here at Tico Lingo Spanish Camp! There were moments of course…..but what trip doesn’t.

My homestay was excellent. I had Damaris and Carlos, who own an adorable poodle and a hilarious parrot. Their food was routinely delicious. While it was a bit difficult to survive living with three teenage boys who are all younger than me, their roomy living quarters gave me enough space to distance myself from them.

The classes were really helpful! I’d like to think I learned a lot of practical Spanish (todavia, entonces, el futuro) and a lot of non-practical but fun Spanish (saltamontes, vampiras, pijamada). We played lots of interesting and entertaining games.

The activities were great! The scavenger hunt was a brutal three hours in the heat and the zipline course was pretty short, but everything else was perfect! My favorite part was the Oxigeno Mall and its rooftop garden.

Come here if you want a language-learning experience you’ll never forget!

Tico Lingo was an amazing experience. I made some new friends that I will forever be thankful for. This program has introduced me to so many things I never thought I would do, like white water rafting, which was so much more fun than I thought. We experienced so many places and things here in Costa Rica that we all enjoyed. We went to an animal sanctuary, roller skating, La Fortuna volcano and much more. I also really appreciate my teacher, Profesora Marlin, and my homestay mom, Rita, for the most amazing two weeks. This experience was amazing, but tiring, and I will miss it so much!

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.