Program Reviews

When I first arrived at my homestay at 6 in the morning, I was greeted by a lovely sweet old couple. Throughout my two weeks staying with them, Carlos and Genia proved that they were the perfect host family. They made an effort to connect with us and challenged us to improve our Spanish speaking skills. They would make jokes and make the most delicious home-cooked meals. They washed our clothes when we asked and it was overall a great experience. As for the schooling, I loved the outdoor learning environment and the teachers were outstanding and very fun. Though it was challenging at some times, having a teacher that only spoke Spanish really helped me. Throughout the program, I made so many close friends that I have continued to stay in touch with and they all helped make the program more fun. On weekends, we went on excursions to different parts of the area. We would take a bus to go zip lining, visit a waterfall, or go surfing at one of the beaches. I loved learning new skills while also having fun and goofing around with my friends. One night we even stayed at a hotel where we each had separate rooms with our roommates. One thing I noticed throughout the Arcos experience was that everyone was so kind and fun to be around. I felt safe in the Atenas community and I loved the freedom/independence we were given. We had to navigate the taxis and speak almost all in Spanish, but I could tell that everyone was having such a fun time. By the last day, I never wanted to leave.

Our 16 year old loved this experience! He gained a lot of independence and maturity during his time, and had a blast on all the adventures. They hiked, biked, and did water activities. The Arcos instructors were excellent and good communicators. He is already making plans to do another Arcos program next summer. As a parent, I really liked that he connected with other high school students from across the country, who became good friends. And I appreciated that the instructors were all locals who knew the environment very well.

Arcos summer Spanish Language Program in Granada was an excellent experience for my High School daughter. Granada was a fun, beautiful city. She was really able to walk, experience, and participate in Granada life. When we picked her up she knew the city really well and she loved the chance to become a resident for 3 weeks. Arcos coordinated to for the students language classes at the university, which they had every morning. She had other teens and college students in her classes from all around the world. It was a great part of her experience that she built diverse friends. The program provided enough structure with activities in the evenings and on weekends. This gave them a chance to see cultural sites, go to the beach, do art, see Flamenco, hike in the mountains and small villages. The homestay worked well. She enjoyed having 2 other American roommates, which made the newness easier. The locations of the homestays were well selected and she enjoyed her neighborhood. She found her host family friendly. She enjoyed the independence of coming and going. It was an excellent 3 week experience. Arcos was organized. They gave us the information we needed at the right times, including information about flights the best debit cards to use overseas. They provided support and also freedom to make it a success. We're super happy with the experience as parents and I know she loved going!

Our high school has had two very successful trips so far with Arcos, the first to Granada and most recently to Oaxaca. While there is lots to like about the organization - prices, flexibility, efficiency, communication etc. - what really stands out is the personnel they have working on the ground when you arrive. In the case of Oaxaca the site director was a long time local whose knowledge and connections to the area and the people led to some really unique excursions that felt intimate and "off the grid" compared to what the average touring school group might see. We requested a food focus, for example, and did we ever get it: we found ourselves in family kitchens making tamales, grinding cacao beans in a Zapotec village, tossing homemade tortillas onto a hot comal, learning about the Milpa agriculture from food activists, and more.

Similar to our previous experiences, the directors and assistants interact with and care for the students in a way that feels authentic and genuine, and this makes a big difference if you're a small school that can't afford to send lots of extra chaperones on a trip. In a similar vein, the willingness and efficiency with which the directors handle the logistics makes you feel "taken care of" so that you can focus on your students' experience and enjoy the trip *with* them rather than vicariously *through* them.

Another really big perk of this trip that our students report having enjoyed is the structured freedom they are granted to test their language skills and grow their independence in a new environment. In Oaxaca, as in the Granada program, students are expected to learn to transport themselves between language classes and home stays. Granted, in Oaxaca, this experience proved to be a little more challenging given the size of the city and distances between home stays, meeting points, and activities (host families were always willing to help out with rides when logistics, traffic or other factors got in the way). Still, the instances where students were able to self-transport provided them with built-in microopportunities to shop, grab coffee, interact with vendors, and experience the richness of their environments without the looming gaze of adult helicoptering.

Mexico was really fun and exciting, I really enjoyed the hot springs and going downtown. The hotel was good, the food was the same every breakfast but that’s ok. The pool was good and it was perfect weather, not too hot and not too cold. I really liked that we could room with our friends, it was really fun. Maybe something I would change is letting us chose out food and what we should eat, because some of the food was new and I would prefer to eat food that I feel comfortable with. The food there would be good if we got to choose.

I loved my trip to Costa Rica with Arcos, I found the activities such as zip lining, cooking, dancing, etc. super fun and helpful to appreciate the culture. The family I stayed with for the majority of the trip was super sweet and accommodating to me even though communication was a challenge(I don’t speak Spanish). The trip was very well organized, with the group leaders Catalina and Laura always being on top of everything and perfectly timing activities. The volunteer work was rewarding in itself and felt productive.

Our 17 yo son participated in Arcos' program on the Camino de Santiago last summer, and he had a great experience! The Arcos staff are top notch-- from our early Zoom informational meeting, to the post-program follow-up, the staff was knowledgeable and attentive every step of the way. Our son was well-prepared for the program, and was encouraged to challenge himself along the way. The small-group experience was especially meaningful, with lots of time to get to know the other participants and the leaders.
Thank you, Arcos!!!

Our daughter attended the Arcos trip in Costa Rica for 4 weeks, doing two homestay programs focused on language and culture. We did not know anything about the company, but were provided with endless contacts to call and all our questions were followed up with by the company so we decided to give them a try after overwhelmingly positive feedback. Our daughter had a wonderful time. I do think much of it was because of her first host family; they were a wonderful match. She stayed with a family and several kids from the program as it was a small session. They embraced our daughter and made her feel truly at home so much so that months later they still talk on a regular basis. The second home stay in a different area was not a good fit, but Brent and his team swiftly took action and the rest was wonderful as well. I really valued how accessible the team was especially on this and one other item that came up. Things happen, but how a company deals with it matters. My daughter had real opportunities to work on her Spanish with the teachers, but we stressed to Brent that that was a priority. I think the excursion trips and travel timing could be spaced a bit better, but I love that in each session the kids went somewhere else. My daughter had plenty of food and chances to shop and eat out with other students. It was a great program and good value for the cost, but it is really what the right child makes of it.

This trip was the best decision I’ve made, and one I will always remember! It was the perfect mix of fun adventure and rewarding community service. There was never a moment I was bored, yet I was also never tired of being on the go. The coordinators were there to answer questions and provide support throughout the whole trip, and they instilled a lot of trust in the whole group of kids. The experiences I had, the people I met, and the independence I gained will be carried with me for the rest of my life.

This was my daughter's second time going on an Arcos program. As always, it was top notch. Good support, good communication, enjoyable and edifying experience. Brent and the rest of the team at Arcos work hard to makes sure it is a good experience. There are a lot of Americans on the program so my daughter spoke a little more English that would have been idea but overall it was a good experience and her Spanish has improved over two summers with Arcos. I also felt that she was in capable hands and safe which alleviated a lot of the worry about sending one's child to another country.