Travel For Teens: Costa Rica

My Costa Rica experience with TFT was an unforgettable one. I appreciated how it was not just a “vacation” but I was very invested in the culture and communities there. From zip-lining across the green rainforest, to building playgrounds for Costa Rican children, TFT did a fantastic job allowing me to see all the amazing things Costa Rica has to offer. The staff members were amazing, and easy to bond with, yet still placed reasonable and strict rules in place.

My experience with TFT has been nothing short of great. I loved my trip, the people, and sharing so many great adventures with everyone. I hope to do it again sometime soon! We went ziplining, white water rafting, and had so many crazy adventures. For service, we helped out at a school by cleaning their walls, and picked up trash on the beaches and in the streets. We also got to go on an alligator tour as well and see all the beautiful sites Costa Rica has to offer.

Traveling to Costa Rica to learn to surf with a bunch of other teenagers from all over the countries was one of the best decisions of my life. Not only did I make new friends, but I was introduced to a new culture and was forced to go beyond my comfort zone. This experience has impacted my life in so many ways. Primarily, traveling with Travel for Teens has encouraged me to travel abroad in college, and visit towns beyond tourist attractions. In addition, the volunteer aspect of the trip has introduced me to a newfound love of working with children. I never thought that I could create so many wonderful memories on a 14 day trip, but I am glad I did.

From creating new friends, zip lining, surfing, hiking, and tubing down one of the most famous rivers in the world, what is there not to enjoy. In 2016 I went to Costa Rica by myself scared to meet anyone. I came home with 15 new friends and a great tan. This trip not only gives you a thrill, but also gives you a new perspective on Costa Rica. Wether it’s the jungle, the beach, or the people, there are so many things to fall in love with. This trip will change your life in such an amazing way!

It was amazing to meet new people, new animals, and have new opportunities. On our days off from working in the center, we went zip lining, snorkeling, and even had the opportunity to go to Panama. I won't forget following an anteater or playing with monkeys as tours went by. Between working with baby sloths or monkeys at the center, to surfing, to white after rafting, to snorkeling, it was a trip I'll never forget. I was very excited to go and plan on taking another trip this summer!

This was the best TFT trip I’ve taken so far! On this trip I saw so many things I couldn't even comprehend before seeing. I've watched the sunrise over volcanos, Ive rafted through the rainforest, zip linings over the canopy, and met some of the most beautiful people
I loved my counselors and they were amazing, friendly, and helpful. Both of them spoke the language which helped our group get a more local experience. They also were incredibly understanding of each and every one of us.
I felt fully embraced as a local on this trip and every place we went we were treated amazingly. We went to Turrialba, La Fortuna, and Samara Beach. In each place we went on several different adventures that were specific to the area we were in. We got to go rafting, zip lining, surfing, hiking, and much more! The food was amazing too!
The community service was my favorite part of the trip. I spent two days volunteering with local children, even though we couldn't speak the same language by the time my group left they were hugging goodbye and calling me their big sister. It was such and amazing experience and we learnt a lot from each other.
I can’t wait to go on my next adventure with TFT!

Last summer (July 2016) I went on my first trip with Travel for Teens on the Costa Rica Adrenaline trip. In short, this was the best trip of my life. Everyone was so kind, positively-minded, and energetic! My counselors (Marco, Danielle, Sarah, and Katherine-CIT) were outstanding! They were always encouraging us to try out new things and were all so hilarious! I really can not say enough good things about them. If I went on another trip, I would try to request them for my trip because they made the trip extra fun. I think that by the end of the trip, all the teens and counselors became such close friends because we were constantly spending time with one another, that by the end, it felt like we kinda became one big family haha. I am a shy person and was pretty nervous about meeting new people before this trip especially since I was coming all the way from Los Angeles on my own. However, after only a few hours of spending time with everyone, I felt almost at home! On my last day, I kid you not, I remember we were all at the airport saying our goodbyes and most of us were crying because we just became so close with one another! In fact, some of us started discussing our plans for future trips together.
I enjoyed every single part of our trip whether it was hiking to waterfalls, ziplining, or even simply just riding in the buses. We followed the itinerary which had detailed activities for each of the 10 days we spent there. We got to go water rafting, hiking to waterfalls, ziplining, canyoning, horseback riding, visit hot springs, surfing, and so much more. The guides for some of our activities were so patient and had great stories to tell us. I surfed for the first time on this trip and I learned so quickly with the help of the instructors. I also spent my 16th birthday on this trip, and they were nice enough to buy me a small cake and made sure it was well spent. Definitely my favorite birthday yet!
Although the hotels we stayed in were, I believe, considered 3 star hotels, they were great. They were very clean and spacious. The first one we stayed in had lots of extra space, a pool, the beds were comfortable, and the food was delicious. They also had really tasty Costa Rican coffee which I would definitely want to have again! The second hotel we stayed in was also good. It was more centered in a local beach town (about a 1 minute walk to the beach) which gave us the opportunity to watch several beautiful sunsets from our hotel rooms. We even got to hang out with some dogs and cats who would wander around both hotels haha. Throughout our entire trip, it was raining every now and then with the occasional thunder storms, but during those times when we had to stay in our rooms, we would all play games, talk, laugh, and oh boy did our counselors have some funny jokes and stories!
Throughout our adventure, we were also given a good amount of freedom. The counselors/directors made sure that we were always safe, but still gave us enough room to do what we wanted in our free time. Essentially, they did not treat us like little children who were irresponsible, which I thought was really great. I had been to other camps in the past and most of them didn't respect us and treat us as well as Travel for Teens did.
My trip with Travel for Teens made me feel limitless. It's everything you would expect and more. Every single time I get to travel to a new destination, I simply feel invincible and I greatly thank Travel for Teens for introducing me to that feeling.
In the future I hope to go on as many more trips with Travel for Teens as I can. I am hoping to do more programs with them such as "Europe for Older Teens: Greece, Italy, and the Islands," "Thailand for Older Teens," as well as "South Africa Service, Adventure, and Safari." I hope to become more well-rounded from these trips and learn more about the rest of the world, while also opening myself up to new experiences and meeting new people. I hope to gain more appreciation for other cultures, make friends with strangers, and to better learn to enjoy the simplest things in life. I believe teenagers are always trying to figure out what they like, what they don't like, or basically trying to find a sense of self identity; it's part of growing up. These trips really helped me personally to learn more about myself and I think they can benefit others in the same way. I think every now and then, it's good for people to take themselves a bit out of their comfort zones and I travelling really pushes you to do that. Travelling just really opens up a lot of new perspectives on many things and takes you to a whole new place (literally).

The trip was a breath taking experience where I learned so much about Costa Rican culture and animals. I volunteered at an animal rescue center during the day and explored the culture at night and during weekends.
We surfed, snorkeled, zip lined, shopped, danced, and so much more.
We created amazing, close friendships with students from all across the country. We grew close as we played with baby monkeys, cleaned poop, splashed in the ocean, and sang together. Sing alongs and splashing wars were natural occurrences that made a bond that is still strong half a year later.
The trip was amazing and I can't wait to experience another TFT adventure later this year.