Arcos Journeys Abroad

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.