For students currently in grades 9–12
Special programs & collaborations
Custom Programs

Looking to create a custom program or collaboration?

Travel programs with the Smithsonian Institution for grades 8–12

Challenge yourself academically at the world's most prestigious universities

Non-profit organization offering student travel scholarships

High school youth summit focused on public health, climate change, and equity

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Campus-based climate change program for grades 9–12

Costa Rica

Service, Outdoor Adventure, & Biodiversity

June 28 — July 20
$7,390 + airfare

Costa Rica

Service, Outdoor Adventure, & Biodiversity

June 28 — July 20
$7,390 + airfare

Travel abroad to a welcoming host community in Costa Rica and complete volunteer projects on this summer service program for middle school students. Work on projects such as painting a classroom, building a rainwater harvesting system, preparing a soccer field, or pouring a cement foundation for a communal water tank. Surf and snorkel along Pacific beaches, and stay at an ecolodge near the base of Arenal Volcano. *Middle School Costa Rica is a phone-free program.

• Complete collaborative service projects in a host community
• Join a game of pick-up soccer with Costa Rican friends
• Surf, snorkel, and kayak along gorgeous tropical beaches
• Visit Rincón de la Vieja National Park
“A very thoughtfully planned, unique program with just the right amount of adventure, service, and learning that fosters a great sense of community and nurtures new friendships.”
—Jenny & Robert L., Santa Monica, CA

Itinerary

This itinerary represents our best projection of the group’s schedule. However, we may implement changes designed to improve the quality of the program.

Departure — Travel Day

Meet your fellow middle school student travelers and a Putney flight escort in either Miami or Los Angeles and fly together to Liberia, Costa Rica. To learn more about how we organize travel, click here.

Settling In — 2 days

Begin your adventure at our home base on the Pacific Coast, a villa located a short walk from the beautiful beach of Playa Hermosa. Together as a large group, get to know your leaders and fellow group members and have an in-depth orientation to become acquainted with Costa Rican culture. Then, split into two smaller groups for a more intimate, small group experience. Over the course of the program, each group will travel to our service project host community, and experience the villa, our base on the coast.

Playa Hermosa — 7 days

Visit the incredible sites of the Guanacaste region on adventurous day trips and participate in staff-led enrichment activities at our villa in Playa Hermosa. Surf with professional guides at beautiful Playa Grande, play games with your peers on sandy Playa Hermosa at low tide, and hike past boiling mud pots and sulfur springs at Rincón de la Vieja National Park. Practice your Spanish, snorkel in a nearby bay, visit the local farmer’s market, take a chocolate-making class, draw and paint, or take salsa lessons.

Arenal Volcano — 3 days

Join together as a large group for three days at a sustainable ecolodge tucked into the forested valley at the base of Arenal Volcano. Participate in a hands-on workshop at the lodge and acquire a basic understanding of composting, cheesemaking, beekeeping, or gardening. Kayak on Lake Arenal, learn about chocolate and coffee production, or soak in thermal hot springs. The group then divides back into their smaller group and heads to the next location.

Host Community — 7 days

Spend seven days in a small community tucked into the hills overlooking Lake Arenal. Get to know local residents as you work alongside them on small-scale construction projects. Spend time teaching English to the local children or try your hand at milking cows at the town dairy farm. Play soccer with new friends in the afternoons or relax together as a group. To learn more about our Service programs click here.

Return — Travel Day

Fly from Liberia, Costa Rica, to Miami or Los Angeles with a Putney flight escort, then continue on to your final destination. To learn more about how we organize travel, click here.