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Gap year Costa Rica
No wonder the “Ticos” take pride in their country – an impressive 12% of Costa Rica is reserved as national park space. These parks offer volunteers various opportunities to help protect the environment through conservation work. Volunteers can also help the local people through social volunteer projects. Whatever you do to help out, your stay in Costa Rica is sure to be an experience you will never forget!
Can I participate if I’m not from the UK?
Do I need to take a test to prove my Spanish skill level?
Do I need special references or experience to participate?
Is there an age limit? How old are typical participants?
Can I participate with a friend?
Can I combine my volunteer work in Costa Rica with a volunteer programme in another country?
Can I choose the city/region where I would like to volunteer?
What projects can I volunteer for?
Can I choose which project I would like to work on?
When will I find out which project I’ll be working on?
What is the health/safety situation in Costa Rica? Do I need vaccinations?
Do I need to apply for a visa?
Should I buy travel insurance?
Are food and accommodation included in the programme price?
How much money should I expect to spend on extra costs such as travel and food?
What will my accommodation be like?
Will I live and work with other volunteers?
Is there a way for me to contact the other volunteers before I Ieave?
Is it possible for me to contact my host family before I start my trip?
How much time will I actually spend learning Spanish and volunteering? Will I have free time?
Do I need to bring any materials for my volunteering project?
May I extend the language course or the volunteer work?
How are the language courses and schools organised?
When can I start the programme?
Can I participate if I’m not from the UK?
Yes. Participants from the United Kingdom and the United States are welcome to take a gap year in Costa Rica, as well as citizens from other countries. If you are from another country, we will have to check your country’s visa requirements to see if you can participate.
Do I need to take a test to prove my Spanish skill level?
When you arrive in Costa Rica you will take a test, which will place you in the Spanish class corresponding to your Spanish skill level. You do not need to have any knowledge of Spanish in order to participate. Complete beginners can simply enrol in the beginners’ course.
If you are a complete beginner, it is required that you take the full four weeks of Spanish classes. However, if you already have good knowledge of Spanish, you may shorten the length of time that you take the Spanish course. You may also extend your Spanish course beyond the first four weeks.
Do I need special references or experience to participate?
No. You do not need to have any specific teaching, educational, or work experience in order to participate in a gap year in Costa Rica. However, any special skills which you could use as you volunteer would be both helpful and welcomed. Motivation, flexibility, and personal initiative are the most important qualities you can bring to your gap year in Costa Rica.
Is there an age limit? How old are typical participants?
No, there is no upper age limit, although you must be at least 18 years old in order to participate. Most participants are between 18 and 30 years of age. If you are older than this, you are still welcome to participate in the programme, but you should know that it is rather unlikely that you will meet people your own age on location.
Can I participate with a friend?
Yes. When you apply, you can list a travel partner, and we are generally able to place travel partners together at the same project. However, we cannot guarantee 100% that you will be placed in the same project.
Can I combine my volunteer work in Costa Rica with a volunteer programme in another country?
Yes. It is often possible to combine programmes. Feel free to contact TravelWorks for more information.
Can I choose the city/region where I would like to volunteer?
Before you leave for Costa Rica, you will receive a list of the possible regions in Costa Rica where you can volunteer. You will be able to pick out your top three choices, and we will try to place you in one of your top choices.
What projects can I volunteer for?
There are quite a few conservation project possibilities in national parks for a gap year in Costa Rica. In these projects, you will be clearing paths, keeping the landscape clean, putting up sign posts, selling entry tickets, offering information to visitors, or helping out with sea turtle conservation projects. Since there are only a few sea turtle conservation projects, it is often the case that these projects are completely booked up.
Social development projects include working at day-care centres, establishments for people with disabilities, or nursing homes. Before your departure for your gap year in Costa Rica, you will be able to state if you would rather work on a conservation or social development project.
Please be aware that your volunteer project will not be meticulously planned out for you. You will have a general volunteering assignment, and will have to use your own creativity and initiative in order to successfully complete your assignment. You will need to be very flexible, independent, and adaptable during your gap year in Costa Rica.
Can I choose which project I would like to work on?
During your first week in Costa Rica, our partner organisation will help you search out a volunteer project. Before you leave for your gap year in Costa Rica, you will be able to state if you are interested in social or conservation work, and our partner organisation will take your preference into account as they help you find a volunteer project.
When will I find out which project I’ll be working on?
After your first week in Costa Rica you will know which volunteer project you will be working on. Our partner organisation will help you find a volunteer project, keeping in mind your personal preferences and interests.
What is the health/safety situation in Costa Rica? Do I need vaccinations?
Costa Rica is a safe and politically stable country, where women are able to safely travel alone. You should, of course, take certain precautions as you travel in order to stay as safe as possible. For example, only travel during the day, hold your luggage in your lap as you travel by bus, and do not wear expensive jewellery. At your language school, you can find helpful information about how to plan your travel routes and which areas of the country you should avoid. You can find extensive information about the safety situation in Costa Rica and other countries on the website of the British Foreign and Commonwealth Office: (www.fco.gov.uk) or on the website of the U.S. Department of State: (travel.state.gov).
Before you leave for your gap year in Costa Rica, you will need to get vaccinations. Which vaccinations you need will depend on your specific travel destinations in the country. Therefore, you should definitely go to a doctor for advice about necessary vaccinations and health precautions. You should do this as early as you can, to make sure you get the proper vaccinations in time. You can find useful information regarding vaccinations at: www.fitfortravel.nhs.uk
Do I need to apply for a visa?
No, if you are from the United Kingdom or the U.S., and you are planning to stay in Costa Rica for 90 days or fewer, you do not need a visa. UK and U.S. citizens must have a passport which will remain valid until at least 30 days after your arrival in Costa Rica. If you are staying longer than 30 days, your passport will need to be valid for the duration of your stay in Costa Rica. You will also have to show Costa Rican authorities that you have already booked and paid for a return flight out of Costa Rica, in order to enter the country.
If you are a citizen of another country, we will have to check your country’s visa requirements to see if it is possible for you to participate.
Should I buy travel insurance?
Yes, we strongly recommend that you get travel insurance to protect yourself abroad. WorldNomads offers flexible travel insurance for short-term and gap-year travellers like yourself. Note that this is only a recommendation. Feel free to search for the travel insurance which is right for you.
Are food and accommodation included in the programme price?
Half-board (breakfast and supper) will be provided by your host family during the language course and social project work, and will be included in the price of your programme. If you are volunteering in a national park, meals are not provided. You will have access to a kitchen to prepare your own meals during your volunteering project.
How much money should I expect to spend on extra costs such as travel and food?
During your gap year in Costa Rica, you should expect to pay about £ 360 (US$ 600 / 400 €) per month in extra costs, for excursions, souvenirs, nights out, etc. Of course, this will depend on your personal lifestyle, so you may spend more or less than this. You should factor the following expenses into your trip’s budget:
- Flight ticket
- Travel insurance
- Vaccinations
- Miscellaneous personal expenses
What will my accommodation be like?
Participants will stay with a guest family during the language course and the social volunteer projects. During this time, participants will receive half-board (breakfast and supper) from the host family as part of the programme cost.
Participants who decide to volunteer at the national parks usually live in accommodation at the national park. This accommodation usually consists of very simple wood huts with very simple amenities.
Will I have a kitchen?
Yes. Your host family will have a kitchen, and you will have a very simple kitchen if you are volunteering at a national park.
Will I live and work with other volunteers?
You will probably share a room with other volunteers during your gap year in Costa Rica, but this is not guaranteed. You will also most likely be working with other volunteers. Whatever the case may be, you will definitely meet fellow volunteers during your Spanish language class.
Is there a volunteer “base”?
Your volunteer “base” during your gap year in Costa Rica will be your Spanish school. Here, you will have access to the internet, information about Costa Rica, and staff members from our partner organisation, who are there to help if you have any questions or problems.
Is there a way for me to contact the other volunteers before I Ieave?
Three weeks before your departure for your gap year in Costa Rica we will send you a list of the other volunteers who will be travelling with you, including their e-mail addresses.
Is it possible for me to contact my host family before I start my trip?
In principle, this is possible, but only after our partner organisation has found a host family for you – which could be just before your departure for Costa Rica.
Please be aware that letters can take a long time to reach your host family, and the family will not be expecting to be in contact with you before your arrival.
How much time will I actually spend learning Spanish and volunteering? Will I have free time?
You will have 20 lessons each week in your Spanish class, and will have free time at the weekend. Volunteers working on social development projects usually work 4-5 hours a day Monday through Friday, with free time at the weekend.
Conservation volunteers at the national parks could work more irregular hours, including night shifts. But these irregular hours are really only exceptions! Free days for conservation volunteers depend on the employer.
Do I need to bring any materials for my volunteering project?
You are not required to bring anything along for your gap year in Costa Rica, but you can if you would like. For example, if you are volunteering at a day-care centre, you could bring along art supplies for the children to use.
May I extend the language course or the volunteer work?
It is possible for citizens of the United Kingdom and the United States to extend their stay in Costa Rica for up to 90 days. You will be charged an additional cost for any extra weeks that you spend taking language courses or volunteering. It is also possible to extend your stay after you have arrived in Costa Rica, but you may have to switch to a different project or host family. We especially recommend that you extend your language course if you do not speak any Spanish.
How are the language courses and schools organised?
Language instruction takes place in small groups of 2-6 students. At the beginning of the language course, you will take a Spanish test to determine your skill level. Instruction begins in the morning or afternoon and lasts four hours. After the language course, you will be able to communicate in Spanish well enough to work on your volunteer project.
If you are placed in a social volunteer project during your gap year in Costa Rica, you should be aware that you could be working with children. In these projects, better knowledge of Spanish is very helpful. At the weekends, you will have the chance to take part in excursions, which you can book at the language school. Employees at the language school will be there for the duration of your time abroad to help you if you have any problems or questions.
When can I start the programme?
Spanish classes start year-round every Monday, not including holidays. The language school is closed one week for Christmas. It is smart to book your flight so you will arrive on a Sunday. Your overnight stay from Sunday night to Monday morning is included in the programme price.
Please note that your project choices in the social volunteer projects are somewhat limited from the middle of December through February, during Easter time, and in the summer months, because at these times many establishments are closed.
What are my next steps?
If you decide to participate in the gap year in Costa Rica programme, just fill out the PDF or online Booking Form. Please note that if you are booking online you will need a credit card (we accept Visa or MasterCard). If you choose the PDF booking form, please print, fill out, and sign the form before faxing it to TravelWorks. As soon as we have received your application, we will process your booking. At this point your application will be legally binding. We will contact you if we need any additional information.
You will receive various application materials by e-mail after you have applied for the gap year in Costa Rica programme. These documents need to be completed and returned to TravelWorks.
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