2-week Language Course

Due to Covid travel restrictions, all of my gap year plans were falling through one-by-one and I had started to lose all hope of being able to get away. I cannot remember how I initially found Tico Lingo but I can honestly say it was one of the best accidental finds. The onboarding calls with Robert and Yeni were exactly what I needed to feel comfortable and happy to travel out to Costa Rica on my own during such uncertain and daunting times, and the support continued once I arrived in Heredia. I had studied Spanish for 6 years at secondary school but the teaching at Tico Lingo was of a much higher standard and I was amazed that Yeni had managed to accurately assess the level I was at over the phone! The classes with Kevin were both engaging and entertaining, and the 2-week course was a perfect way to refresh my Spanish before travelling around Central America. Heredia itself is a slightly odd place (suburbs of San Jose) but the lack of tourists and nearby attractions pushed us to use Spanish far more and we found some beautiful walks in the surrounding areas for the free weekends. A course with Tico Lingo is not just about the classes, it also foregrounds the importance of language immersion with their use of local home-stays. I think this is the part that people would be most apprehensive about, but Yeni puts a lot of thought into the pairings and it was clear that all the families had a very good relationship with the school. My Mama Tica Jeanette went above and beyond to welcome me into her home - I loved our chats over breakfast and dinner (the food was always delicious and homemade), and she kept in contact with me when I set off on my solo travels in case I ever needed her help. I am not normally one to gush but I really do owe a lot to the school, because the experience enabled me to spend 3 incredible months in Central America travelling around with friends I met through Tico Lingo and using my improved language skills. It is for all these reasons that I could not recommend Tico Lingo enough - especially to solo travellers and people on gap years who are looking to meet like-minded people and planning to travel around Costa Rica (and further).