Amazing Spanish Immersion trips for the beginner to advanced speakers
Watch your students’ Spanish come to life! Students will gain Spanish fluency, cultural understanding, independence and be pushed outside their comfort zone on this adventure of a lifetime.
Costa Rica
Spanish Immersion Adventure Program in Costa Rica
Highlights
- Host family stay – Live like a local
- Spanish classes 15 – 40 hrs.
- Community service projects – work with local children
- Beach & surfing lesson
- National park excursions with local guides
- Volcanoes & waterfalls
- Toucans, sloths, monkeys and more
- Zip-line & hanging bridges
- Volcanic hot springs
- Organic chocolate farm experience (4wk program)
- Salsa & cumbia dancing classes
- Cooking classes
Location
2024 Dates
– June 27 – July 11, 2024
– July 18 – Aug. 1st, 2024
3 Week Program:
– June 27- July 18, 2024
4 Week Program:
– June 27 – July 24, 2024
24/7 Support
2- weeks: $3,875
3- weeks: $5,175
4- weeks: $6,150
Possible to combine with Ecuador programs
Ecuador
Spanish Immersion + Amazon Backpacking Adventure
Highlights
- Host family stay – live like a local
- 15 hrs. of Spanish classes
- Straddle the equator at Mitad del Mundo
- Travel through the Ruta de Cascadas – Gateway to the Amazon
- 5 days Amazon backpacking adventure
- Work with local biologists and geologists in Amazon
- Experience the Inca Empire while standing at the temple of sun & moon
- Soak in volcanic hot springs
- Explore Cajas National Park
Location
2024 Dates
– June 13-26, 2024 (+/- 1 day)
24/7 Support
$3,995
Possible to combine with Costa Rica programs
COSTA RICA & ECUADOR SPANISH IMMERSION FOR HIGH SCHOOLERS
If I participate – What are the expected outcomes?
Become more fluent in Spanish
A life-changing experience
A deeper understanding of the culture
Participate in relevant, sustainable and language-rich community engagement projects
Explore the beauty of Costa Rica and Ecuador
Learn outside your comfort zone
COSTA RICA IMMERSION PROGRAM DETAILS
Highlights
- 1 – 6 weeks in length
- Consider 10 days to have a full weekend to explore
- Live like a local with a host family (hotel / hostel options too)
- 20hrs/week of Spanish classes
- Optional 1:1 private lessons
- Tuesday – Thursday outreach projects
- Explore amazing beaches, volcanoes , cloud forests, coffee tours, national parks & más!
- A great place to include your family or significant other for a post-trip vacation
- Interprofessional mix of fellow travelers
- Fly in and out of San Jose (SJO)
Location
Based in Santo Domingo de Heredia
First Saturday & Sunday
Saturday: arrive in country, get settled with your host family
Sunday: town tour, orientation, meet trip leaders and participants
Mon – Fri Afternoons
Small group Spanish classes from 1-5pm
Tue – Fri Mornings
Community outreach work.
Weekends
Explore the country! We put together a weekend trip every weekend. You are free to join us, stay with your host family, or DIY a weekend excursion!
Testimonials
My son did the 3 week Spanish Immersion trip. There are no words to describe the amazing experience. Leslie and her team are super professional. Every detail and activities are very well planned! They kept us updated with daily pictures and summaries of their activities. The host family was out of this world. His Spanish improved significantly. We highly recommend this immersion program!!
Nhora Mosquera
Two of my kids (9th and 12th grade) attended the two week Costa Rica Immersion trip this summer. They both ended up having the time of their lives. They met friends from all over the country, traveled to some pretty amazing places and became much more proficient in their conversational Spanish! A big highlight was their host mom. Neither of them were ready to leave after two weeks! I can’t imagine there is a better Spanish immersion option out there!
Natasha Cloutier
It was one of the most amazing experiences I’ve ever had. I met so many amazing people and got to step outside my comfort zone by speaking more Spanish than I ever had before. I loved learning about another culture and of course all the great activities. Everyone involved was so nice and accommodating, I felt right at home.
Geneva
Earn College Credit while you travel!
Get up to 5 undergraduate university credits for all of the fun and challenging immersion work you’ll do abroad.
Our trips are accredited for 200-level (2nd year) college credits as follows:
- 3 College Spanish credits for 2-week programs
- 4 College Spanish credits for 3-week programs
- 5 College Spanish credits for 4 week programs
Additional fees apply. Email Leslie for more information
General Program Itinerary:
Travel to Costa Rica. Meet the group & orientation
*Chaperoned group flight available
– Guided National Park / Wildlife Hike: learn about the rainforest flora & fauna with local guide in Spanish
– Surf lessons / volleyball, beach time
– Team Building Activities en español: Get to know other students and set program & individual goals
Typical day during this portion is:
- 8am – 11:30am Volunteer work 3 mornings a week Cultural activity 1 morning a week Friday morning guided reflection, debrief and goal status
- 12:00 -1pm Group lunch
- 1:00 – 4:00 pm Spanish classes
- 4:00 – 5:00 pm Cultural class (Salsa & Merengue, cooking class, soccer game)
- Dinner and evening with Host family
Hanging bridges tour, ziplining guided, wildlife hike, waterfall visit and swim in pools. Volcanic hot springs and night time volcano viewing.
How do I get started?
Step 1
Get this approved through your school admin.
Step 2
Identify your budget
Step 3
Select your dates
Step 4
Present to your students and their families & generate interest list (we will help you)
Step 5
Open registration
Step 6: Pre-trip preparation
We guide you through this process with your students and give students all the materials and resources they need though your own pre-departure online course and teacher led meetings
Embark on your adventure!
Why travel with Common Ground International (CGI)?
We’re different from most student travel programs. We specialize in taking a deep dive into Spanish and cultural immersion. It’s like a study abroad program for teens but with the safety parameters and leadership for high school students. Teens walk away with…
If your goal is to become provide a Spanish immersion experience for your students where they improve their Spanish, learn about the culture and have fun then you’ve landed in the right place. Our objective is Spanish and cultural immersion.
These 4 program elements guarantee you walk way more fluent, with greater cultural understanding, more mature and independent:
HOST FAMILY LODGING
Spanish only
Host families keep you speaking Spanish 24/7 AND you learn cultural insights that you would never pick up if you stayed in a hotel.
Host families go through a rigorous vetting process as they are an integral piece of this program.
COMMUNITY SERVICE PROJECTS
Completed in Spanish
Spanish and humanitarian work mix to create the ultimate learning opportunity, not just about Spanish but about life!
This is a fantastic way for you to lend a hand to those in need while speaking Spanish to meet real objectives.
SPANISH CLASSES
Taught by native Spanish speakers
Your fluency will increase on immersion and Spanish classes help you sort out all the fast paced language you hear daily.
Spanish classes help you maximize all the day-to-day learning you’re doing outside of class.
ADVENTURE TRAVEL TO HOTSPOTS
in Spanish
Every Spanish immersion trip should include some adventure to the hot spots and hidden gems.
Experience beaches, volcanoes, trekking through the rain forest, ziplining, volcanic hot springs y mucho más!
Hola como estas, soy de Sudan, I’m student, gracias por sharing this good news. My name is jeddawi. Gracias, Adios.
Hi Leslie and Rory,
My name is Shelley Belk and I am a friend of Lisa Lowrance from St. Timothy school in Raleigh, NC. She highly recommends your program, so I am contacting you to find out if you are offering any programs for high school students this summer. My daughter Ellison (10th grade – rising 11th grade) is extremely interested, and she also has a friend who may go with her, if offered. We do not have a group, and my daughter may be coming alone, if allowed. Is it possible to send my daughter as an individual, even if she doesn’t have a group to travel with?
We also know that during the during these unusual times the pandemic is creating a lot of uncertainty. I visited your website and I didn’t see any summer options open for 2021 and wanted to find out if you are still considering opening up some summer options.
Overall, I just wanted to reach out to you as an initial communication to explore our options. If you are not offering any progress this summer it would be helpful to know so we don’t get our hopes up.
Thanks,
Shelley Belk
Hi Shelley, thank you for the note and give Lisa a hug from us next time you see her! We do have summer ’21 programming in the works and we’d love to work with your daughter and her friends. No group needed, our regular High School Spanish Immersion programs are filled with individuals in your exact situation.
Expect a follow up from Leslie this weekend. Shoot her a quick email as well if you prefer: [email protected]
Looking forward to getting to know you and your daughter!
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