Location
  • Costa Rica
Length
1 - 4 weeks

Program Details

Timeframe
Summer
Housing
Host Family Hotel Lodge
Language
Spanish

Pricing

Starting Price
2995
What's Included
Accommodation Activities Meals Transportation
What's Not Included
Airfare
Oct 07, 2022
Oct 17, 2022
26 travelers are looking at this program

About Program

Are you looking for volunteer opportunities in Costa Rica? Global Works has a variety of options for you. Take a look at our programs and visit our site for full details. Program Options:
- 2 Week program with service work, cloud forest, homestay, and surf lessons
- 4 Week program with overnight rafting, homestay, community service, and beach time
- 3 Week Wildlife focused program with sea turtle projects, biological research station, and zip-lining
- Middle School focused program that is great intro to service travel
- Pre-Med & Public Health Focused program

Program Reviews

4.96 Rating
based on 28 reviews
  • 5 rating 96.43%
  • 4 rating 3.57%
  • 3 rating 0%
  • 2 rating 0%
  • 1 rating 0%
  • Growth 4.8
  • Support 5
  • Fun 4.7
  • Housing 4.75
  • Safety 4.9
Showing 1 - 8 of 28 reviews
Default avatar
Tiffany
5/5
Yes, I recommend this program

Global Works - Amazing Community Experience -- A parent perspective

I think Global Works does an amazing job connecting the kids with the community. My 2 kids (14 and 16) had fantastic homestay experiences and both of them still connect with their Costa Rica families every week, which has been a super cool experience.

I think global works is safe while at the same time creating some really great opportunities for kids to explore and challenge themselves. For example, the kids had the opportunity to attend a local city soccer team game and then ended up getting to play the city champions in an impromptu game which was a really neat experience. I also think it is good to really know that the kids really work hard for the community service - they are digging ditches, pouring concrete and clearing paths.

I think the big differentiator for Global Works is their connections with the community and providing an experience for kids to engage with groups of people that they would not have the opportunity to engage with on a more traditional tour - that connection is pretty special and results in some amazing opportunities. So, combine that with hard work and opportunities to explore the rainforest, zipline, and surf and it definitely is a unique experience.

Pros
  • Unique community connections and homestay
  • Supportive guides
  • Helping where it is needed the most
18 people found this review helpful.
Default avatar
Gaspard
5/5
Yes, I recommend this program

Great 2 weeks in Costa Rica

I spent 2 weeks in Costa Rica in the summer 2022. We were a pretty small group of teenagers around the same age, which was a great way to get to know everyone and make friends. We experienced very diverse activities: community service (working with rangers on trails maintenance, participating in local activities) but also surf and meeting with the local community. We even could spend a few night at a families’ house (by groups of 2), to help us do some progress in Spanish but also understand better the culture and day to day life.
I would recommend 100%!

Pros
  • Small group
  • Friendly staff
  • Time spent with local community
Cons
  • Price
19 people found this review helpful.
Default avatar
Finn
5/5
Yes, I recommend this program

A thousand times over

My Global Works trip was truly inspiring, the leaders were great, and I had an amazing time. When I think of my Global Works trip, it’s my home stay that comes to mind. It was really fun to go through your day with another family from another culture, eat food with them, play with their kids, even go to work with them...it was awesome to be part of a Costa Rican household. I never thought I would learn to catch 20-pound tilapia or harvest star fruit, avocados and mangos on my host family's farm (and, I didn't know that limes could be green on the outside and orange on the inside!).

I thought the kids in my group were all really authentic, creative, and open-minded about trying new things and activities. I felt like we really built a community together. I would do this trip again...a thousand times over!

What was your funniest moment?
It was pouring rain, we were so close to finishing our service project in the community. For some reason one of our group members decided to tell us a story about her science teacher, named Mr. Coward. He told his class that he has thought about changing his name...and, well, I can't really say what he wished to change his name to on this review, but let's just say that we had the best group laugh ever.
55 people found this review helpful.
Default avatar
Anna
5/5
Yes, I recommend this program

Costa Rica: Language and Leadership

I found out about Global Works Travel through research about summer travel programs and I'm so glad I did! Global Works provided me with a trip that was challenging and fun, and where I learned through first-hand experience. Although the seven hour layover in Houston followed by the flight to Costa Rica then being delayed for two more hours wasn't much fun, it did provide me more time to learn about my group mates, and pales in comparison to all the fun I had and the experience I gained on the rest of the trip. The adventures like white water rafting, zip lining and surfing on Playa Uvita may have been the most thrill inducing, but they are not what I remember most about the trip. I remember sitting outside on the porch of Poco Sol Biological station looking over the canopies of the cloud forest. I remember how excited and anxious the group was to meet their host families in the mountainous, breathtaking town of Cedral. I remember struggling to communicate with my host mom and dad and my two little sisters, but laughing about it later with my roommate. I remember getting mud and paint and cement powder on my shirt, but admiring the immense progress we had made later. Most of all, I remember each and every one of my group members and how much I miss them. The people I was with and our dynamic was truly special. While I can't speak for other groups, I can imagine that many other Global Works groups have experienced similar connections. My perceptions of people and places changed drastically throughout the trip and the knowledge and connections I have gained are priceless. The Spanish immersion aspect of the program drastically improved everyone's Spanish and provided and authentic view of Costa Rica many of us would not have experienced otherwise. The only advice I give is to live your trip to the fullest, and take time to appreciate where you are; don't rush through an experience this unique and special.

If you did this all over again, what's one thing you would change?
If I could go back and spend 3 weeks all over again in Costa Rica with my amazing leaders and group members, I would try to slow down my experience and focus more on the moments instead of working through them. I would want to pause and actively appreciate where I am and who I am with because I know I will never be in the same place with the same people ever again. Finally, I would want to speak more Spanish and get more involved with the locals. There is no need to be shy about how good your Spanish is because the more you immerse yourself the better you'll become. In the end, it is up to your how much you learn and takeaway from this trip, and I wish I had focused even more on the parts of the trip that were the most special to me. I have already taken away so much from this trip; imagine what more I could have taken away had I just slowed down and paused a bit more to reflect and appreciate the trip.
55 people found this review helpful.
Default avatar
Lily
5/5
Yes, I recommend this program

Lily's Amazing Trip to Costa Rica

I had such an amazing time in Costa Rica, and I'm so glad that I chose Global Works as my travel buddy! For starters, I was pretty nervous leading up to the trip. I was worried about my how my language skills would fare in a community full of native speakers, I was anxious about all the new people I would be meeting, and I was hesitant about being away from home. However, the moment that I started talking with everyone at the airport, my fears and anxieties melted away. The next 15 days were the most fun I've had in possibly my whole life. It was amazing to get to know people from all different parts of the world and make connections with them while helping out a community in need. The relationships I made on the trip are ones that I will never forget. Also, the food was incredible!!! I would most definitely recommend a Global Works trip to anyone who wants to travel, experience a new culture, and have a ton of fun doing it!

What was your funniest moment?
The funniest moment was when we named our host family's cat. In Costa Rica they keep most of their pets outside, but we had a cat that lived with us in the house. The family didn't have a name for the cat, so we tried to come up with one for him. After some serious consideration, we decided to name the cat Felipe after a boy in the neighborhood who we all joked about coming back to Costa Rica to marry. Our host mom thought it was hilarious, and it was an inside joke with our family for the rest of the homestay. It was a super funny and perfect way to connect with the family.
54 people found this review helpful.
Default avatar
Sofia
5/5
Yes, I recommend this program

Costa Rica Sea Turtle Expedition

Describing this trip is nearly impossible. It changed me mentally and emotionally, and it is an experience I will never forget. Even now I look back on memories, photos, souvenirs, notes and drawings that I have kept from the trip, and can't fully take in how much the trip meant to me. Everyday, I had the opportunity to try new foods, see new flora and fauna, experience new things, and get closer with friends. A year ago, I would've never guessed that I'd get to raft through a jungle, sleep in bungalows, hold a baby turtle, and lay on the soft black sand beach of Parismina. Plus, working with Parismina Association for Sea Turtle Conservation (ASTOP) was a very gratifying and eye opening experience. Being able to look at a problem in the world, learn about it, and be able to even slightly contribute to the help of ending it is something every person should partake in. It changes your mindset on life. I can easily say I am lucky I got to experience that with Global Works. Their program succeeded in immersing us in Costa Rica culture and teaching us about it in very many different ways. Then we were able to take our knowledge and do something with, like in the service part of the trip, and when talking with Costa Rica natives, and then finally at home where we all grew as people.

What was your funniest moment?
It was during our first day of rafting, and our raft leader was asking how old we all were. After each persons response, he would repeat the number but in Spanish. At the very end, a boy who was already pretty fluent in Spanish decided to respond in Spanish rather than English unlike everyone else. He was thirteen. He said "treinta." The leader paused for a minute and blinked at him. Quietly he asked, "You're thirty?" The whole raft broke out in laughter. For the whole rest of the trip, that became a joke amongst our group.
56 people found this review helpful.
Default avatar
Kennedi
5/5
Yes, I recommend this program

Take the Leap!

I participated in session 2 of the Costa Rica: La Pura Vida trip with Global Works this year. As I signed up for the trip, I was excited, but as it drew closer I became more and more wary. I had never traveled without my family before, and other fears crept up as well (what if I didn't get along with the group, what if my Spanish failed me, what if we were in danger, what if...). Motivated by my uncertainty, I emailed my co-leader, Annie. She immediately put my anxiety to rest by describing her own experience on a Global Works trip in high school, and her experiences as a leader as well. My shaking nerves placated, I took a deep breath and resolved to go on the trip, no matter what other worries my brain might come up with. And I am so glad I did. The moment I stepped off the plane in Houston and met my other co-leader, Brent, I knew it would be a fun-filled two weeks. He and Global Works' lively dance instructor/ leader Randall greeted me with smiles and riveting conversation in jumbled Spanglish. The rest of my inhibitions disappeared one by one as the other members of my group arrived. After the flight to San Jose, we bustled through customs and met Annie and the last member of the group. Although we were all exhausted after a long day of traveling, we discussed our concerns and apprehensions-- most of which circled around the homestay. However, after completing that week of immersion I can tell you that without a doubt, the homestay was the most rewarding experience of my life. Since our group was so small, the two other girls and I lived with the same family, who are the most incredible people I have ever met. Our homestay mom was so kind and patient, and curious about our lives back home. We spent many nights up until almost midnight just talking with her and our dad. I look back on those nights as some of the best of my life, because I was able to learn so much about them and the culture of Costa Rica. Our town is called Pueblo Nuevo, and it is small enough that everyone knows everyone. Our three homestay siblings would introduce us to people as we were walking down the street, just as excited on the last day as they were on the first. If you are feeling anxious about the homestay portion of the trip, I hope I can help calm your nerves. I felt safer in every part of Costa Rica than I have in some places in the U.S. The families are patient and understanding, and will open your mind to brand new perspectives. On top of that, in the homestay you get to eat the most amazing food you will ever have. Through the experience, my Spanish improved tremendously. I no longer have any fears about speaking Spanish outside the classroom; in fact, I seek out opportunities to do so. If you are considering a Global Works trip, but you're uncertain, please take my advice and go for it. My live has been improved so much because of what I learned those two weeks, and yours will too. Get out there!

What would you improve about this program?
If it was a week longer! I never wanted to come home.
53 people found this review helpful.
Default avatar
Daniel
5/5
Yes, I recommend this program

Costa Rica Service Trip

Hi, my name is Daniel Dessert and recently last summer I went to Costa Rica with my friend Ethan. This was a one of a kind experience because I made so many new friends that I am still keeping in touch with. This experience was amazing and something I never would have had without Global Works. The environment and the energy from the group leaders made everything so much more exciting. I flew to Houston first, and met my amazing group leader Annie. She has so much energy and was alway super happy. Then I flew to San Jose and met all my other kids and soon to be friends that I would stay with for the next 2 weeks. The first few days we did some cool things in the capital but nothing too exciting. But the amazing part was after. We then went to a small, pretty poor city in Costa Rica and stayed with a host family with 1 other friend. These families spoke no english and at times it was very weird, but we ended up getting along great. This part in our journey was the most amazing because I got to see what it really was like living in Costa Rica. All the little kids that I played soccer with were all so cute and everybody just had a great time. Even though everybody spoke minimal words to all of their host families, the families were so grateful to have all of us there because I guess us young children are pretty exciting. But then the sad part came. Then we had to go almost all of the families kids and parents started crying because we all were so happy together. 100% if you are reading this, thinking about if you should go to Costa Rica or not, these 2 weeks were the most happy moments of my years. I had NO worries, didn't even think about anything, related to social media, school, stress, guilt. NOTHING. I was so pure and so happy to be in another country helping out not as fortunate people then myself. It was truly an amazing experience. Then after the housing, we moved to the west coast to surf. And after that, we had to leave. And again, another sad part. You would think in only 2 weeks you wouldn't become very good friends with the other kids you are staying with but you do. The worst part was leaving and going back to San Diego where I live and thinking, and I ever going to see these people again? We literally all started crying. Yes, even me. And we were so happy, but so sad and I really wish it could all be done over again. But sadly not. I may not be able to have that exact same experience, but I for sure will keep it in my memory for the rest of my life.

What would you improve about this program?
I really can't be improved.
54 people found this review helpful.

Questions & Answers