Teen Spanish Summer Camp
Experience the language
Teen Spanish Summer Camp
The camp emphasises studying and acquiring Spanish through cultural immersion. Students will not only walk away with an increased confidence in speaking Spanish, but also with a worldly and cultural perspective on life… and an adventure to share with everyone back home!
Ages 13-17
14 Days
$3,500
Multiple Start Dates
Teen Spanish Summer Camp
14 Days
Ages 13-17
$3,500
Multiple Camp Start Dates
— Each camp has a maximum of 25 participants.
— We never put more than 6 campers in a Spanish classroom
— Each camper will have at least one other like-gendered student living with them in their homestay.
— A 1-week program extension is available to students who want more independent intensive study. If interested, be sure to inquire with your program advisor.
| 2023 Spanish Camps | Start Date | End Date | Booking Status |
| Camp #1 | June 11 | June 25 | Now Booking |
| Camp #2 | July 2 | July 16 | Now Booking |
| Camp #3 | July 23 | August 6 | Now Booking |
| Camp #4 | August 13 | August 27 | Now Booking |
**Sign-up before February 1st and get $300 off your enrollment fee**
High School students who are looking for opportunity to expand their Spanish speaking skills, get a leg up in the language against their peers back home, and explore a new way of life in Central America will excel in this camp. Students should really want to be fluent in Spanish and should be ready to speak Spanish daily. We welcome the adventurous and the studious for a truly unique learning experience.
Requirements
– At least 13 years of age, and no older than 17 years old
– Submit a motivation letter and reference letter written by a Spanish educator
– Be open-minded to new ways of life, new types of food, and new ways of doing things
– Adventurous; ready for a hike in the rainforest and a raft tour through the jungle
How to Book Your Program
– Step #1: Fill out the simple form and a Program Advisor will contact you to confirm vacancy and send further program details
– Step #2: Submit your deposit payment of $500. See our teen camp cancellation policy here.
– Step #3: Submit your motivation letter, a signed camp waiver, and a reference letter of a Spanish educator
– Step #4: You’re fully booked! Expect a welcome email and program updates as your start date draws nearer.
All meals, classes, tours, transportation, class materials, and activities are included in the camp. We provide 24/7 communication with parents and upload photos of the camp daily to instagram and Whatsapp text groups.
Included in the Camp:
- Small Group Spanish classes, 20 hours/week
- Spanish Oral examination to ensure proper Spanish class placement
- Homestay Accommodation – 2 meals/day, laundry, wifi (click here for more details)
- Daily cultural tours and activities; city tours and scavenger hunts, coffee farm and animal rescue center visits, zip-line tours and dance classes, and much more
- Mix of traditional and modern Costa Rica lunch provided daily
- Weekend adventure tours like white water rafting and national park tours
- Airport pick-up and drop-off (from SJO)
- Chaperones 24/7; 8:1 student-chaperone ratio
- Community engagement projects teaching English to locals
- Program orientation and graduation ceremony
- Official certificates for Spanish class and volunteering
- Daily updates to parents with photos and videos of camp activities
Not Included in the Camp:
— Airfare & Travel Insurance
—Spending money for umbrellas, snacks, ice-cream, souvenirs, etc. (we recommend $50/week)
The sun is up early in Costa Rica! Your home cooked Costa Rican breakfast is typically served at the breakfast table around 7am. Once you’ve filled up on fresh fruit, eggs, rice, beans, and local coffee, you and the other campers that live in your homestay walk to Tico Lingo to start Spanish class at 8am.
From 8am to 10am only Spanish is spoken. Your Spanish professor implements games, activities, grammar lessons, listening activities, and speaking exercises to get you digesting the Spanish language like you never have before. You and your classmates will have a short break from 10am-10:15am, and re-enter class till 12:00pm.
Afternoons vary daily and have us on buses visiting animal rescue centers and waterfalls, exploring coffee farms and city architecture, and meeting locals in the community who are learning English. There is the occasional “free” afternoon where you and your classmates are encouraged to do some solo exploring of Heredia, but generally, we are busy learning new skills or exploring new places together as a group.
You’ll be back at your homestays by 6pm where dinner is typically served around 6:30pm. In the evenings, you’ll have time to look over your Spanish notes and complete homework… but even more fun is reviewing all the photos you took during the day’s afternoon adventure!
Housing
To truly immerse each camper in Costa Rican culture and language, the Teen Spanish Camp places students with local Costa Rican homestay families. Located within walking distance of Tico Lingo, each homestay family provides students opportunities to practice their conversational Spanish over meals and get a first-hand look at how traditional Costa Rican family lives.
The homestay families that host teen campers are required to have been hosting with Tico Lingo for a minimum of two years. Homes are equipped with hot water, stable wifi, and a quiet place to study and do homework. Each camper will have at least 1 other camper living with them (unless specifically requested otherwise), and will be given their own private bedroom as well as keys to their room and the front door of the home.
Meals
Obviously meals vary day to day, buy fresh fruits, veggies, rice, beans, and locally grown coffee should be expected on the regular. Costa Rican cuisine is nutritionally well rounded, always cooked from scratch, and loaded with the many exotic fruits and vegetables readily available locally.
Breakfast will almost always be served at your homestay and will include things like toast, coffee, orange juice, eggs, homemade tortillas, gallo pinto (a traditional Costa Rican dish), pancakes, bananas, mangos, kiwi, and pineapple.
Lunch is shared with the entire group either at Tico Lingo or out at a local restaurant. Depending on the day and activity, campers will either be given a lunch allowance, select items off the menu as they see fit, or share the lunch that we offer during the activity.
Dinner will be served at your homestay and will vary daily. Campers shouldn’t hesitate to let homestays know what they like to eat, but a typical dinner could include rice, beans, chicken, fish, lots of fresh vegetables (think broccoli, cauliflower, onions, and sweet peppers), pasta, salads, soups, and the occasional pizza night.
• 5% discount to any return campers and any friends of past campers
• $300 off your program when booked before February 2023
Spanish Summer Camp Videos
Check out some videos from the Teen Spanish Summer Camp and get an idea of what life is like while you’re here!
Frequently Asked Questions
For Parents
Whenever someone studies abroad, everyone (even adults) will experience some cultural adjustment. This cultural adjustment can be a little more difficult for younger participants as they are less experienced travelers and their expectations may be a bit more unrealistic (i.e. standard of living and lifestyle differences). Usually, cultural shock/homesickness occurs within the first few days and disappears as your child gets used to cultural differences. If homesickness occurs, we ask parents to encourage the child to stay for at least a week. If you decide to pull your child from the program, we will work with you to make the process as quick and simple as possible but no refunds are available.
We ask for a $500 deposit for the camp that will secure your position for 4 weeks. Once the deposit is received, we ask for a motivation letter, a reference letter, and a signed waiver. Once those are received, your child’s position is fully secured in the camp.
Students are encouraged to bring their cell phones as they will have wifi internet access at their homestay and at Tico Lingo. We highly rely on Whatsapp for student and parent communication and will be creating group chats before the start of camp to introduce campes and provide last-minute details. For parents who want to make phone calls over a cellular network, we recommend you contact your cellular provider to consider an international cell phone plan.
On average though, especially during June, July, and August, Spanish levels lean more basic and students tend to start with a basic foundation in the language and a lack of good conversational skills.
To get through Costa Rica immigration, you child should have a printed copy of their return flight, a valid passport, and the address of Tico Lingo (found on our contact us page and provided once fully registered). After going through immigration and picking up their luggage, your child will be met by a representative of the camp just outside the airport (SJO). This person will be holding a sign with your child’s name on it and will have been in contact with your child before their departure.
Your child will have to go and report it to the airline upon arrival, but be sure they know they must meet their airport pick-up person first. It’s best to pack two our three days changes of clothing in carry-on luggage…just in case!
Because of the jam-packed itinerary of the camp, students will not have time to sign-up for supplemental private Spanish classes.
We do offer students the option of signing up for a 3rd week that would include 4 hours/day of group classes and 2 hours/day of 1-on-1 private Spanish classes. If this is something you feel your child may be interested in, please inquire with your Program Advisor to discuss further details.
For Campers
As much as we’d love to see students in Spanish class all day, it just isn’t realistic. Instead, we take students out on city and museum tours, local coffee farm tours, and animal rescue tours.
Cultural activities are also included in the camp. With your classmates, you’ll be learning to dance Salsa and Merengue, cook empanadas and tortillas, and create traditional Costa Rican art.
Adventure tours are also included, so, among other tours, we’ll be hiking in the rainforest and rafting down a river!
If not otherwise stated by a camp counselor, all camp participants have a curfew of 6:30pm during the entirety of the Spanish camp.
There is always a counselor, mentor, host parent or program director to go and speak with if you are having any kind of problem. The sooner you speak up, the sooner your problem can be solved. If you call your parent to tell them about a problem and then they call us to discuss the program, it takes a lot longer to deal with something that could be fixed if you speak directly to an adult at the school.
Yes, sometimes you have to be a bit brave to address a problem directly with Tico Lingo staff, but that’s what will make you a successful international traveler in the future!
Teen Spanish Summer Camp
Still have some questions?
Don’t hesitate to contact us and talk directly to Program Advisor about the Teen Spanish Summer Camp in Costa Rica!
