Costa Rica - Pitstops for Kids

Uncruise review of Costa Rica and Panama: Why small ship cruising is great for families

July 27, 2021 By Amy Hagstrom

Every so often, we are lucky enough to experience a trip that sets our bar higher for family travel excellence. Before we embarked on our Uncruise adventure through Costa Rica and Panama, the bar was already pretty darn high…we had experienced small ship sailing previously with Alaskan Dream Cruises and frankly, didn’t think it could be topped. While there were a few differences, Uncruise met our very high expectations, earning it a place in the top five of our list of best travel experiences. Here’s why:

Uncruise review: Why you need to book a small ship cruise

First, let’s talk about what ‘Uncruise’ actually means. It’s a travel company, of course, and after experiencing their product, I understand the reason for their somewhat unique name. Uncruise is unlike large ship cruises in every way. Like other small ship cruise companies, they are all about getting you off the ship, exploring the destinations en route. They are not a floating resort (though the ships are very cool…more on that later). On a large ship cruise, such as a Disney cruise, the ship is the destination. On Uncruise, the ship is the vessel that delivers you to the action. On our Uncruise ship, I felt satisfied that I had actually seen and experienced the countries we were cruising to. On a large ship, I never feel that way…I am simply floating past with brief stops.

Riding the skiff from our ship to an isolated island.

On a small ship cruise such as Uncruise, you will be active every day. My Apple Watch informed me that I walked and hiked an average of six miles a day on our Uncruise; it was a rare day when I didn’t garner at least 15,000 steps. Why am I sharing my fitness tracker stats? Because they prove how much exploration and activity we engaged in during our week in Costa Rica and Panama. Every single day, with one exception when surf conditions didn’t allow for a beach landing, we kayaked, hiked, paddle boarded, or snorkeled. Because we were in a small ship, we quite literally had islands to ourselves, and were almost always the only ship anchored at the eco lodges, reserves, and national parks we visited.

The Safari Voyager, our home for seven nights.

Note: the itinerary we sailed on with Uncruise will now be called Unveiled Wonders. There are additional itineraries that sail only Panama and only Costa Rica, if that’s preferred, but I recommend seeing both countries.

What you can expect from your Uncruise itinerary:

During our Central America itinerary, our days took on a predictable cadence, which was nice, because the destination and activities were always changing. On our Panama and Costa Rica itinerary, we experienced the following stops (which I’m told are similar to upcoming itineraries):

A transfer through the Panama Canal
Gulf of Panama islands
Granito de Oro and Coiba National Park, Panama
Golfo Dulce, Costa Rica
Osa Conservation Area, CR
Manuel Antonio National Park, CR
Curu National Wildlife Refuge, CR

As you can see from the names of our destinations, our trip was primarily focused on outdoor exploration and wildlife viewing. We did experience some cultural moments of discovery, namely in the canal when we learned about its construction and in Coiba, where we saw one of General Noriega’s homes (now a historical site) and one of his penal colonies (now a deserted island), but overall, ours was not a cultural itinerary.

Kayaks brought from our ship to the beach by crew members for one of our ‘beach parties’.

At each day’s stop, we had multiple options in which to experience it: hikes and skiff rides were offered, as well as water activities where possible. Our family’s favorite offerings included hiking in the morning, followed by snorkeling or swimming in the afternoon. Uncruise ‘beach parties’ were offered whenever we anchored next to a sandy beach, which was often. At every stop, our on-board expedition guides led small groups within these activities, and guided us on our excursions.

A sample day with Uncruise in Central America:

As noted above, the routine of our days took on a predictable cadence, which was nice. While the timing changed insignificantly here and there to accommodate our route, every day on our Uncruise looked something like this:

Yoga on the sun deck at 6:15 am (ha, only made it to that once)
Breakfast around 7:30 am (with a continental breakfast set out earlier for those who were up)
Morning excursions rolling out from about 8:30-9:30 (depending on what group you’re in and which leader you’re going with)
Morning excursions over and back on the ship by 12 pm for lunch
Lunch for everyone around 12:30 or 1 pm
Afternoon excursions rolling out around 2 pm (sometimes, there’s a transfer to a new location first)
Afternoon excursions back to the ship around 4:30, giving everyone time to shower and freshen up
Evening cocktail hour and appetizers at 5:30 (this is when the expedition leaders give a spiel on the following day’s itinerary and guests sign up for the next day’s excursion options)
Dinner around 6:30 pm
Evening presentation by expedition leaders around 8 pm (for those with kids going to bed, the evening talk is piped into the onboard sound system in your cabins)
Pass out asleep around 10 pm…you’ll be tired!

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Visiting Manuel Antonio National Park Costa Rica

July 29, 2019 By Amy Hagstrom

Manuel Antonio National Park (or Parque Nacional Manuel Antonio), is about a three hour drive from San Jose, Costa Rica, an hour from Playa Jaco, and only a short distance from a number of the coastal towns that serve it. We arrived via the Pacific Ocean, on our Uncruise ship, the Safari Voyager, but once in the park, the same tips apply to cruise passengers and other visitors.

Manuel Antonio has a well-earned reputation for animal spotting, and during our day there, we were rewarded with sightings of capuchin monkeys, howler monkeys, squirrel monkeys, sloths, white-tailed deer, raccoons, quatis, and more types of birds (including macaws) than we could keep track of. It’s small in size at only about 1,700 acres, but it packs a big punch, with expanses of white-sand beaches, jungle hikes, and wildlife viewing platforms. Because this national park is so popular, it has a daily cap of visitors, which helps with the flow of pedestrian traffic.

You can definitely spend a whole day here, alternating between the hiking trails and the beach; we recommend setting up a beach base camp after your morning hike so people can come and go to explore. Just remember to keep someone ‘manning the fort’ as it were, or monkeys will steal all your possessions!

Visiting Manuel Antonio National Park: Top trails for animal viewing:

We absolutely loved the Punta Cathedral Point Trail, which winds from one beach to the next, elevating through the jungle via many series of rustic stairs to prime viewing areas. We saw monkeys here, but the prime sloth viewing is on the aptly named Sloth Trail, which is shorter in length and flatter. Ironically, we ended up seeing a sloth in a tree near the beach. Playa Espadilla Sur Beach and Playa Manuel Antonio appear on the map to be on opposite ends of the park, but are in fact only separated by a matter of yards, making it easy to explore both sides.

Tips for visiting Manuel Antonio National Park:

First off, start early! The park opens at 7 am, and since it fills up fast (and many animals are most active in the morning and evening), we recommend getting there when it opens. Start with a morning hike while it’s still relatively cool (ha!) then head to one of the beaches for a post-hike dip. In our experience, most visitors tend to settle in at the beaches of Manuel Antonio, and it’s hard to blame them; this park has been voted one of the most beautiful in the world many times for a reason. However, getting off of the sand and into the jungle will reward you with animal sightings.
Take precautions around the capuchin monkeys (white-faced monkeys) and the raccoons, as they have become so accustomed to humans, they have no fear and will blatantly try to steal your food, backpacks, hats, and just about anything else. Staying on the trail helps somewhat.
Consider hiring a guide. We had naturalist guides included in our Uncruise visit, but anyone can hire a guide for the day, who will walk you through the park. At the time of our visit, they were about $40 US for three hours, and from what I could see from observing them with many families, well worth it. (Note: you can bargain.)
Bring a picnic or sack lunch and lots of water. While some vendors are outside the park, no food vendors are inside the park boundaries. We also recommend bringing a few beach towels in a backpack.
Wear swimsuits over sun and insect-protectant clothing, such as trekking pants and long-sleeve sun shirts. You WILL want to swim, and you WILL sweat a lot!
The entrance fee is $16/pp US for foreign visitors, so plan accordingly.
Beware the Beach Apple trees. These highly poisonous trees are (mostly) marked, but even sitting under them and touching their leaves can be dangerous. Eating beach apples is highly dangerous, and usually results in a hospital stay. Take the warnings seriously.

If you need lodging and food recommendations outside the park, check out this post.

Ecotourism activities in Costa Rica: Nature parks and lodging

December 17, 2015 By Amy Hagstrom

The Republic of Costa Rica is a rough and tropical rain forested Central American country, with a population of around 4.5 million. The country is popular for nature travel destination among the tourist because of its rich flora and fauna, beaches and volcanoes. Costa Rica has the highest population of plants and animals species on earth.

There are around 26 nature parks, 8 biological reserves, 32 protected zones, 11 forest reserves, 58 wildlife refuges, 15 wetlands in Costa Rica (source: Costa Rica National Parks) which is home to 850 type of bird species, 237 mammal species, 1,260 tree species, 1,200 orchid species, and 361 reptile and amphibian species. Because of the rich wildlife, ecotourism activities in Costa Rica are one of the popular and key activities of the tourism industry which attracts large crowd of tourist to this country. As ecotourism is a major source of income; the country has very strict environmental policies, to safe guard the environment. Government also implemented special programs like Bandera Azul Program (Ecological Blue Flag) and Voluntary Certification Program to evaluate and maintain sustainable tourism with the conservation of the environment.

Ecotourism activities in Costa Rica provides a combination of luxury and adventure activities, which includes visits to rich wildlife to experience flora and fauna, visiting volcanoes, hiking, river rafting, bird watching, whale watching, canopy tours, horse riding, bungee jumping, surfing and snorkeling are some of the few mentions. You can also visit to the local coffee plantations and visits to the local communities to know more about their culture. In Costa Rica you will experience rainforest, volcanoes, beaches, wetlands and caves all at one place. These activities are not only for fun and leisure but also take you closer to the nature and help you understand the natural life more properly.

Top 5 nature parks in Costa Rica

Manuel Antonio National Park (Parque Nacional Manuel Antonio)

A small national park established in 1972 near Pacific Coast of Costa Rica. Although smallest of all Costa Rican natural parks, the park is among the most beautiful natural parks in the world. It covers an area of around 680 hectares. About 150,000 tourists visit this park annually. Manuel Antonio National Park encompasses tropical rain forest, white sand beaches and coral reefs. Although the park is smallest of all in Costa Rica, the diversity of wildlife is immense. This park is home of is 109 mammal species and 184 bird species. Brown-throated three-toed sloth, Hoffmann’s two-toed sloth and white-headed capuchin monkey are the major feature of this park.

Rincón de la Vieja National Park ( Parque Nacional Volcán Rincón de la Vieja)

A national park situated in the Guanacaste province of the northwestern part of Costa Rica. This 34,800 acre national park is a combination of active volcanoes and tropical forests with naturally heated pools, mud fumaroles and beautiful waterfalls. Rincón de la Vieja, Santa María and dormant volcano Cerro Von Seebach are the volcanoes in this national park. The park is rich of flora and fauna which include species like pumas, jaguar, monkeys-howler, spider, and white-faced-kinkajous, sloths, and tapirs.

Isla del Coco (Cocos Island)

An uninhabited island declared as a protected national park, situated in Pacific Ocean around 550 kms from Costa Rica. Cocos Island is the only oceanic island in Pacific region with such a dense rainforests and diverse flora and fauna. Because the island is never linked to the continent, the island is home of endemic species. There are around 230 species of plants, 400 species of insects, 90 bird species and rich marine fauna with a large population of yellow fin tuna, giant mantas, sailfish and sharks such as white tip reef shark, scalloped hammerhead shark and the whale shark. About 3200 of tourists visits this park annually. One of the major attractions of this park is the rich underwater world, ideal for scuba diving.

Corcovado National Park (Parque Nacional Corcovado)

A national park established in 1975 situated on Osa Peninsula in south eastern part of Costa Rica covering a 42,400 hectare of area. It’s the largest park in Costa Rica, with intense and richest bio diversity in the world. The park is open for day and overnight visits (with professional guides) for tourists. This park is home to abundance of wildlife like, scarlet macaws, spider monkeys, Central American squirrel monkey, mantled howler monkeys, sloths, anteaters, pumas, white faced capuchin monkeys, woodpeckers, hermit crabs and pelicans just to name some few.

Tortuguero National Park

This is third most visited national park, which is situated in the northeastern part of the Costa Rica, reached only by airplane or boat. It covers an area of 31173 hectare. This national park is a protected area because of its bio diversity and eco system, which supports endangered species of flora and fauna. The park is located in a tropical climate, which includes rain forests, mangrove forests, swamps, beaches, and lagoons. This national park has a long beach nearly 35 kilometers, which serve as protective nesting ground for the sea turtles which is the main attraction. This park consist of around 400 species for trees and 2200 species of plants and fauna species like, sea turtles (hawksbill, loggerheads, green, and leatherbacks), bull shark, eel and 30 species of freshwater fish.

Where to Stay in Costa Rica

Apart from the ecological activities, Costa Rica is also famous for the ecofriendly resorts. As the government in the country have very strict environmental rules. Every resort in the country has to go through CST (Certification for Sustainable Tourism) program. Under this program, the resort has to be made and run in such a way that they have minimum impact on the nature. Some of the key parameters which all the resorts have to maintain is recycling products, implementation of water and energy saving devices, proper disposal of the waste and conservation and expansion of Costa Rica’s forests.

These ecofriendly resorts are built very close to the nature, far from the towns, which gives the visitors a direct access to the natural outdoor. Tourists can very easily hike through the trails from the resort property to the surrounding forests, hill sides and beaches. As they are situated in isolated locations, they are dependent on solar and wind power for electricity and grow their own food with the help of the local people. These resorts are less fancy and no that much luxurious in comparison of the regular resorts, but definitely they provide accommodation in places like these, which is hard to find mostly. Also the Costa Rican food available in eco lodges is very organic, tasty and fresh. Still some of these are providing luxury rooms, villas and bungalows with AC and WIFI facilities.

Not only the stay, the activities offered in Costa Rica resorts is numerous and also very popular, which includes day and night tours to the wild life, hiking tours, horse-back riding tours, tours to the natural hot springs with local eco-guides, volcano views from observation towers, visits to herbal farms, bird watching, dolphin, whale-watching and adventure activities like mountain bike rides, canopy zip line tours, sport fishing, white-water river rafting, snorkeling, surfing, kayaking and scuba diving. Also the resort helps you to properly schedule your activities and tours for you. So if experiencing nature is your priority travel goal in Costa Rica, these eco lodges will be your priority spots for stay. Here are some popular eco-friendly Costa Rica resorts, Lapa Rios, Luna Nueva Lodge, La Cusinga Lodge, Bosque Del Cabo, Danta Corcovado Lodge, Costa Rica Tree House Lodge, Cerro Escondido and Rara Avis Rainforest Lodge and Reserve.

Adventures for Kids in Costa Rican National Parks

March 27, 2015 By Sharlene Earnshaw

Costa Rica has a landscape brimming with opportunities for active adventure. National parks provide safe and pristine environments for rambunctious children to explore. If your youngsters have exhibited interest in climbing, jumping, gliding, or bouncing, make sure to fit some of these activities into your Costa Rica itinerary.

You can usually find a tour that offers some combination of the following activities, and your tour guide can provide you with all the equipment you need.

Of course, family vacations in Costa Rica don’t only cater to visitors with boundless energy. If you get a moment to yourself, take a tour of a coffee plantation, or unwind on the beach, or go for a holistic soak in a volcanic hot spring.

But while you’ve got your kids along for the ride, take them on expeditions that will leave an indelible impression. For most kids, that means experiences that send them into totally new environments. Costa Rica’s National parks will invite them to explore their appetite for outdoor excitement.

Suspension Bridges

Look for hikes that will take you high up in the jungle canopy. Walking over a suspension bridge will add excitement to your hike, and offer spectacular views of the surrounding landscape. In Arenal National Park, the view will include the ancient, snow-capped Arenal Volcano.

Visit suspension bridges in Monteverde National Park to voyage into the heart of the park’s cloud forest – a rare environment that develops when high humidity combines with a high elevation. Cloud forests create a habitat for some of the world’s rarest plants and animals.

Tubing and Rafting

Tubing down a river in Costa Rica will let you see the lush landscape from your own tubular oasis. This is an especially good way to see the jungle – you’ll get to observe the wildlife on the banks of the jungle while you move at a leisurely pace.

Older kids can try something a little more advanced with a white water rafting trip. Your guide will make sure everyone has taken all the necessary safety precautions before you begin your rollercoaster ride down the white water rapids of the Naranjo, Pacuare, or Sarapiquí River.

Kayaking and Surfing

Kayaking allows you to get up-close to the twisted trees that make up Costa Rica’s exceedingly rare mangrove forests. You’ll see marine birds, like spoonbills and pelicans, as well as monkeys. There’s even a chance you could catch a glimpse of a crocodile. Guanacaste National Park and Marino Las Baulas National Park are both good destinations for kayaking around mangrove forests. Manuel Antonio National Park has mangrove forests as well as opportunities for ocean kayaking.

While you’re visiting Manuel Antonio National Park, sign up for surfing lessons. Beaches here offer easy-going waves and plenty of qualified surfing instructors. Even if your kids have never tried it before, they’ll be excited to get into the clear, blue waters of Costa Rica’s Pacific coat.

Rock-climbing

In the midst of the dense Costa Rican jungle, visitors can make an afternoon of rock climbing in a canyon. Surrounded by deep green vegetation, these rocky destinations serve as a habitat for colorful birds and plants. Gorgeous jungle canyons are the perfect place for your kids to push themselves to get to the top.

And as you scramble up the side of the rock face, you’ll have the noisy jungle to serve as the soundtrack to your expedition.

Rappelling in a Waterfall

Waterfalls are easily the most refreshing natural formations. And rappelling down a waterfall is, without a doubt, the best way to recover from a steamy hike through the jungle. Have your kids wear quick-drying clothing so they’ll be ready to spend part of their day conquering the cascade.

Zip-lining

No trip to the jungle canopy is complete without a zip-line ride through the treetops. After admiring the plumage of Costa Rica’s tropical birds, you can join your feathery friends on a flight of your own. This is a thrilling activity, and a good source of motivation for a youngster on a hike.

Molly Kendrick is a part-time traveler and freelance writer for Anywhere Travel. Anywhere can help you discover destinations in Costa Rica, Panama, Peru, and Guatemala, and will create your customized travel plan for free.

Educational Travel: Sending your child on a teen service trip

September 10, 2014 By Amy Hagstrom

Remember that post from a few months back, where I discussed our preparation for our teen Nate’s teen service trip with Adventures Cross Country? We’re back with a full trip report! If you’re considering sending your teen on a service trip next summer, read on! Spoiler alert: he loved it!

Last July, Nate embarked on Adventures Cross Country’s Costa Rica Classic trip, which comprised of 14 days of awe-inspiring jungle, cultural immersion, new friendships, and character-building insects throughout rural Costa Rica. Were we nervous when we sent him so far from home, without anyone he knows? I’ll admit it: yes. Even though we travel fairly extensively, it was harder than I anticipated to leave Nate solo at San Francisco International, en route to San Jose, Costa Rica (where he met his leaders and group). He had a rocky travel day, which turned into an overnight delay in Dallas/Fort Worth (which you can read about here), but thanks to stellar communication from the Adventures Cross Country (ARCC) team, he was quickly caught up with the group and off and running.

Service, adventure, and fun:

I really like the structure of ARCC trips, which combines service projects with cultural interactions and fun outings. Nate’s trip was basically broken down into four sections of approximately three days each:

river rafting along the Pacuare River, including zip lining and a river lodge stay
teaching English at a rural grade school, which including play time with the kids
helping better a mountain community as they harvested crops and repaired buildings
learning to surf at a Costa Rican surf camp

During each of these travel segments, Nate’s team leaders, Sally and Bolo, built group community and bonds without the kids even realizing it was happening. They had fun everywhere they went, engaging local kids in soccer games, playing silly games among themselves, and taking side trips to waterfalls. So much was packed into their two weeks, in fact, that even now, over a month later, Nate is still remembering details and regaling us with tales of adventure.

Read about Nate’s day-to-day itinerary in his own words.

I’ve detailed what to look for in a teen service trip, and why we picked ARCC. But what I could not have known before Nate’s trip is this: teen travel changes lives. True, service trips may or may not change the lives of the local residents of the countries visited on a long-term scale, but one thing is undoubtably clear: it changes the life of the teen. Nate was a responsible kid before ARCC, but after, we noticed a quiet confidence in him that wasn’t there before (or at least wasn’t well established). He told us that while in Costa Rica, he observed other teens who “knew who they were, and were strong enough to be themselves,” a trait he decided he wanted to own himself.

In order to get himself to San Jose unaccompanied, he had to be strong, make decisions, and be responsible for himself in confusing airports, stressful situations, and sometimes, in a foreign language. He had to navigate customs solo, and meet a brand new group of people on the other side. Was he nervous? You bet! Did he come out of it stronger and more self-assured? Definitely.

Nate talks about his time in Costa Rica with a smile or a laugh as he tells antedates about snakes and bunkmates and funny jokes, and sometimes, with downright wonder. “I learned how different cultures can be, and how that’s ok,” he told me, “and I was so grateful how the Costa Rican kids accepted me and brought me into their world.” Will the service projects Nate helped with stand the test of time? Maybe. He hopes the beans he picked in the mountains can be sold for insulin for the farmer, Pepe’s, wife. Will the kids remember the English nouns and phrases he taught them? Perhaps. He’s optimistic, as he reports “all his kids were super smart”. But either way, the change in Nate is permanent.

Still not sure about sending your teen on a service trip?

Consider this: before Nate left, he knew no one (some kids arrived with friends from home), and had never been out of the country without his parents before. Even so, he was not homesick (they’re too busy!), and at the end of the trip, he said he’d recommend it to anyone and everyone he talked to. Check out his video:

Nuts and bolts of an ARCC trip:

I can’t speak for every ARCC trip, but on Nate’s, here’s how things broke down:

Nate’s Costa Rica Classic trip comprised of 13 kids (4 girls and 9 boys ages 15-16)
The trip lasted two weeks (14 days)
The trip cost was $3895, plus airfare, and included all meals, accommodations, projects, activities, everything
Nate had two leaders (check out ARCC’s leader criteria)
The kids on Nate’s trip were from all over the US, and lasting friendships were formed
The ARCC home office is quick with communication and assistance, professional, and competent
We were given a very detailed packing list, and offered everything we needed to prepare
cell phones were permitted for planned phone calls home only, and held by leaders otherwise
recommended spending was about $75 per week: Nate didn’t spend all of his
communication between phone calls came in the form of a private blog to parents, with updates

I felt very comfortable with ARCC at all times, and never questioned Nate’s safety or well-being. Yes, I worried about him so far from home (I told him I was homesick on his behalf!), but my worries were unfounded. Nate grew up profoundly in two weeks, and we highly recommend ARCC to others. In fact, Nate’s younger brother is now eying the catalogue!

Disclosure: Nate attended his ARCC trip as a guest of the company, for the purpose of review. Our opinions are our own.

Sending your kid on a teen service trip

June 18, 2014 By Amy Hagstrom

This July, my 15-year-old son, Nate, will take his first trip out of the country without me. He’ll be flying solo to San Jose, Costa Rica, where he’ll meet up with a small group of like-minded teens and adult leaders to embark upon a two week teen service trip with Adventures Cross Country.

During the trip, Nate will be reporting for Pit Stops for Kids, taking video and recording his experiences. His first-hand impressions of his trip will be published here for other teens and parents to read. In the meantime, I’m experiencing the Adventures Cross Country process for parents: including questions to ask, paper work to fill out, and what to expect from the trip leadership.

adventures-cross-country

All parents feel some trepidation before sending their child on a trip without them, and I’m no exception. Nate won’t know anyone before he goes, will need to make an airline connection and navigate customs on his own, and will be relying on two years of high school Spanish. But I’m not worried about him–just jealous, really!–because I trust in the program and people we’ve selected for this adventure. On the Costa Rica Classic trip, Nate will help build structures in a mountain village, teach Costa Rican school kids English, and explore the country by way of a river rafting expedition and surf camp.

Nate’s trip departs in two months, and I’ve learned the following about selecting a teen service trip and the pre-trip process at Adventures Cross Country:

1. Shop around before you select a program.

Teen service trips are expensive and require a serious investment of time, too. There are many companies offering trips these days, and Adventures Cross Country encourages parents to shop around. What we looked for:

Proven safety track record
Long history working with kids
Well trained staff
Meaningful service
Good communication with the home office

We absolutely found all of the above with Adventures Cross Country. Before we’d selected which trip to send Nate on, we were able to join a live webinar with the president of Adventures Cross Country, Scott von Eschen, during which each type of trip offered was described in detail. After we’d selected the Costa Rica Classic trip, we were immediately assigned a regional director. Ours is Bridget Reynolds, and we’ve experienced frequent, consistent communication from her. Bridget makes sure we understand (and turn in) all our paperwork, is on-hand for any destination-specific questions, and basically holds our hand. She also orchestrates an additional webinar just for the families of our particular trip. Thank you, Bridget! Adventures Cross Country has one of the best safety records in the business and their leaders are carefully selected and highly trained. Of course, we’ll have first-hand knowledge of the latter after Nate returns.

2. Budget time and money.

We recommend making a plan at least one year in advance of a teen service trip in order to save money and allow your teen to earn money for the experience. Kids are encouraged to fund raise locally; the upside of a program that brings kids together from all parts of the US is that there’s no local competition for fund raising. Kids can also write letters to friends and family members explaining the trip and asking for donations.

The paperwork involved in applying for a service trip isn’t terrifying, but it is extensive. The good news: Adventures Cross Country makes it easy by giving parents (and teens) their own portal, where all paperwork lives. In the portal, you can upload documents, print them, and see which are still due. Here’s what ours looks like:

teen-service-trip

Kids will need to plan ahead to get letters of recommendation and a physical from their doctor. Depending on the destination of the trip, immunizations may be required. What I love about Adventures Cross Country: kids are required to write a short essay (within a form) explaining why they want to go on the trip. This process, sometimes combined with a phone call from an Adventures Cross Country leader, eliminates kids who are only applying because their parents want them to attend.

3. Study up before your child goes!

The preparation process is part of the fun and excitement: Nate and I have had a good time purchasing the clothes he’ll need, selecting what backpack to take, and making sure he has a good camera to use. But just as important are the books on Costa Rica that have been recommended to him by Bridget. During the first few weeks of summer, Nate’s Kindle will be loaded with guides on Costa Rica to add to his excitement and knowledge base.

4. Secure airfare based on your location and your child’s comfort levels.

With Adventures Cross Country, the trip officially starts when kids arrive at the destination airport. However, a chaperoned flight is offered from the US for those who want it. While we would have rather Nate take this accompanied flight, it departs from Miami, and doesn’t make sense for us from the West Coast. Instead, he’ll be flying to San Jose unaccompanied. Nate is well-traveled, and feels comfortable flying solo. However, we downloaded a map of the airports he’ll be in to help orient him before he goes, and we’ll be checking gate information more than usual to help him from afar. He’s never navigated customs in a foreign country on his own, so that gives me pause, but I know it will be part of this great adventure, and will boost his confidence in later travel.

A basic timeline for preparing for an Adventures Cross Country trip:

To use as a general guide, here’s the timeline we’ve experienced from first signing up with Adventures Cross Country to putting Nate (in a few short weeks!) onto the plane:

7-9 months out:

Select a program
apply
‘meet’ your regional director via email
fund raise if you haven’t already
first payment will be due

4-6 months out:

get all paperwork in
order your child’s passport if he or she doesn’t have one
remaining payments will be due
join a live webinar on your destination
secure your child’s airfare

No more than 1 month out:

final call for paperwork
shop for packing list items
read up on the destination

1-2 weeks out:

double-check airline connections, prepare teen for any layovers, gate changes, etc
pack
make sure the passport arrived!

Disclosure: Nate will be attending this trip as a guest of Adventures Cross Country, for the purpose of review. He’ll be writing about his experiences for other kids at Pit Stops for Kids and Trekaroo.com.