Costa Rica 2014

Dev Carey and Marian Pierce are your trip leaders. Dev has led many more than twenty trips of 30+ days all over the United States and Mexico. He spent three months in Costa Rica studying tropical ecology and founded the Vision program in Western Colorado. Marian currently teaches for Vision and has visited Rancho Mastatal four times. Both leaders are WFR certified.

Previous Spanish language experience is helpful but not necessary. Both trip leaders speak conversational Spanish, and you will learn enough in the first couple weeks to get your basic needs met during homestays. Help will be close at hand if you ever need a translator.

he program fee does not include airfare, personal spending money, or the $29 Costa Rica departure fee.

Please plan to buy a plane ticket to Miami International Airport. From there, we will take a group flight to San Jose, Costa Rica. The group flight’s estimated cost is anywhere from $500 to $900 (depending on availability). We recommend bringing $100-$150 for spending money (for snacks, Internet, souvenirs, etc.). Finally, there is a $29 departure fee to leave Costa Rica. In total, the estimated extra costs are $630-$1080 plus domestic airfare to Miami.
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The key to enjoyable international travel is to pack light and smart. Because we will be traveling on buses, students should be able to easily carry all their own stuff (try and keep it to no more than 20% of your body weight). We recommend a compact internal frame backpack for the majority of your stuff plus a day pack. Special items to bring include a lightweight sleeping bag, raincoat, long sleeve and light weight clothing (think: synthetic) for bugs and sun, sunglasses, broken-in walking shoes/boots, layers of clothing for all temperatures, a hat, a Spanish language notebook and dictionary, and journal makings. A full packing list will be provided after enrollment.

There is an Internet cafe in Mastatal where students may access e-mail. The rates are reasonable, but the connection is slow. We will make an effort to access an Internet cafe every three days once we are at the beach. There is no cell phone access (unless you bring a special international-enabled phone). Trip leaders will carry an international cell phone in case of emergency.

For the majority of the trip, you can expect to eat a gourmet, whole-foods diet comprised of grains, legumes, and fresh fruits and veggies that accommodates all dietary preferences. If you do have dietary restrictions, you might expect to pay a bit more during your home stay for your family to accommodate this, as they are likely unfamiliar with gluten-free or vegan diets.

It is not uncommon to get mildly sick when traveling in Latin America, although by taking the right precautions before, during and after your trip, it’s unlikely that you will become seriously ill. Costa Rica has one of the higher standards of health care and hygiene in Latin America.

If you know that you are allergic to any stinging insects and have been instructed to carry an Epipen by a doctor, it is critical that you carry it, along with Benadryl or a similar antihistamine, with you at ALL times during your stay in Mastatal. There are many wasps, bees and other stinging insects in this region and it is not uncommon for people to get stung. Mastatal is somewhat remote and therefore travel to the closest open medical clinic can take up to two hours. If you know that you have an allergy to any stinging insects, please think hard about joining this trip. If after weighing the risks you decide to join us, please come fully prepared in the case that you get stung.

No special vaccinations are necessary for travel in Costa Rica at this time, and there is no malaria risk. Consult your health care provider for normal recommended travel vaccination.