Program Reviews

We sent two of our 16-years old boys, Adri and Alex, to Mexico through the Arcos program. Both boys had an amazing time. They enjoyed all of the sport excursions and cultural activities. Surfing and beach were particularly fun. They had a chance to practice their Spanish and learn about the local culture. They met new friends and had a great time with them. They are also very thankful to Pamela who took care of them and helped them through some challenging situations. Although Adrian's phone and some money were stolen, he looks back at this as a learning experience and knows to pay more attention to his surroundings. Both boys loved every minute in Mexico. I am extremely happy with Arcos and how well everything was organized at the local level. The on-site director and admins are extremely supportive, honest, dependable, with superior conflict resolution skills. They took very good care of our children. We look forward to booking another trip with Arcos. Cheers! Basia

My 16-year-old daughter had an amazing time during her Arcos program in Oaxaca, Mexico. Arcos created a custom 9-day program for her, based on the dates she was available. She enjoyed her Spanish classes in the morning and group excursions in the afternoon. Her favorite excursion was to Hierve el Agua. She met many nice, friendly teens from around the United States. The staff was welcoming and accommodating, making sure the teens had a great experience. We highly recommend Arcos Journeys Abroad to any family looking for a summer abroad program for teens.

I got to do many different kinds of community service as well as some very fun excursions. Throughout the trip being in a Spanish speaking country can help with language skills even if you know very little. For community service we helped paint the local high school in Atenas, Costa Rica as well as marking trails and leveling out out the ground so the hike could be more accessible for wheelchairs and people with disabilities. We also helped out at the preschool in Atenas and played with the kids. We got to go to waterfalls, whitewater raging and zip-lining which were all very fun. The program also left room for us to explore the town we were in and have an immersive experience.

I am a parent to a 16 year old that went to Costa Rica through Arcos Journeys Abroad program. It was a 3 week study abroad focusing on Spanish. I was extremely nervous and felt many times I was making a bad decision; however, my fears never came to fruition and my son had a blast. He was well taken care of, Arcos stayed in constant contact communication with me and three weeks went by in a blink of an eye. The best part of this trip according to my son was the friendships he made. No regrets and my son is looking forward to next summer’s study abroad experience.

Very thankful to have this experience for our students. Thank you for all that you have done!

Combining our students with other individual students in our program was difficult. I've done it both ways, and it is always difficult to add students in from other places that have different priorities and oversight. I would want to not repeat that in the future.

I would also want to firm up our expectations / rules for our students prior to Arcos communicating something different. It did cause conflict for us with our students, so communication needs to be improved before the the trip begins.

My 15 year old daughter had the experience of a lifetime! The staff at Arcos is friendly, welcoming, and trustworthy. The home stay was comfortable and safe. The community service opportunities were rewarding without being overwhelming. The eco adventures were thrilling and the absolute highlight of the trip. The students appreciated the sense of independence and loved living among the locals in a small Costa Rican town. Avery made life long friends and is already planning her next Arcos adventure.

Our 15 year old daughter thoroughly enjoyed her three week Spanish immersion program in Granada, Spain. Arcos Journeys was communicative about her arrival, planned fun excursions for the kids, and provided safe home stays. It was the right amount of structure and independence for our daughter. She was able to walk or ride the bus around town and discover new things. She enjoyed going out for dinners and beach days with the group. Overall, we were very happy with the program and highly recommend Arcos!

Excellent program, many sightseeing and great host mom! This is my second year doing this program and I want to go to Spain for my third year.
My parents will also send my other 3 brothers as well. The activities were awesome and the food was good too. I had a great host mom in Buenos Aires, last year I was not happy with the host mom in Costa Rica.
I started at 14 years old with the overseas program and I definitely recommend it. I wish they have a muticities program and combine 2 countries in one trip.

This was a great program. My son is already somewhat fluent in Spanish so the language piece was easy. He had a great family for the homestay, he loved the cooking classes they made tamales, cheese, mole, and many other things. The excursions were excellent- especially the one camping in the mountains. This is a well run program with good communication. They take care in choosing the homestay families. My other child did the language immersion in Oaxaca and loved it. I highly recommend ARCOS! I would not hesitate to send your child.

I loved my task week trip to Costa Rica. I became very familiar with the town of Atenas and I got to experience an array of new things that helped me grow individually in a lot of ways. I made friends during the experience and I grew to have a greater understanding of differing cultures and people. The community service aspect enforced a work ethic in me. I liked the ability we had to explore Atenas and La Fortuna on our own. The activities included such as surfing and ziplining were worth the price!