Travel For Teens: Community Service Travel Programs

The time I spent in Costa Rica with travel for teens truly altered the way I view the world. It was an incredible experience with some amazing people. I went to Costa Rica alone but I came back with a group of amazing friends and a lifetime of experiences. To say that the trip was incredible is an understatement. I've been to many countries and none of them had the type of beauty Costa Rica had. I vividly remember on the 6th day of our trip when we went to a new hotel and I saw the view of our hotel balcony. It was unforgettable. My jaw very well dropped. Being able to help at the rescue centers was something I am so thankful for. Those poor animals go through a great deal and Travel for Teens making this a helping opportunity is so kind. This is a trip my family would never think about going on with their own prerogative, but Travel for Teens made it possible for me to do it on my own, and gain a new perspective of living in the process. "experiental docet" experience teaches, as they say in latin. This trip holds extremely deep meaning to me and I will remember it for every day of the rest of my life. I cant thank Travel for Teens enough for making this possible.

Over the summer, I was fortunate enough to travel with TFT on the "Costa Rica Spanish Language Immersion" trip. In 22 days, I was able to make amazing friends that I am still in touch with, go on incredible adventures (repelling down a waterfall, watching the sunrise from the beach, riding a catamaran, going snorkeling, surfing, and more), make amazing memories, take spanish lessons that taught me so much more about the language than anything I've covered in school, participate in fun community service that I enjoyed doing, and so much more. I was not only able to learn more about myself, but also about other cultures. Adding on to that, the staff were so kind and fun. I genuinely had the most amazing time and can't wait to go on another TFT trip. I will never stop rewatching videos, looking at pictures, and missing the whole experience. Thank you for everything!

This trip is one for the books! I am so grateful that I was able to experience this trip first hand. I was looking for something to do in the summer, and I came upon Travel for Teens and I am so happy that I did. Being able to work with the ASVO Sea Turtle Center was heart-warming and mind-opening I learned a lot about different types of turtles and what they experience in the world. I am thankful that I was able to experience a different perspective from the locals while being in Costa Rica. The weather was beautiful and it made the trip even more enjoyable. The staff were wonderful, supportive and cared for all the travellers. Thank you to Travel For Teens for making this trip possible!

This summer I went on the Belize Ultimate Scuba and Service, and it was a dream come true. Learning to scuba dive has been on my bucket list forever, and it was even better than I could’ve imagined. I got the chance to swim alongside sea turtles, nurse sharks, and schools of tropical fish. The volunteer work and research we participated in was incredibly interesting as well. REEFCI is such an amazing organization that offered us the opportunity to learn about invasive species hands-on and take part in saving the reefs. The island where we stayed was gorgeous. The other campers and I bonded over games of volleyballs, stargazing, and not to mention the absolutely amazing food. It somehow was incredibly serene and exciting all at the same time. My best memories range from getting to spear lionfish 60 feet underwater to laying around in hammocks and telling jokes to the rest of the group. The off island excursions were also incredible. From hiking through the jungle and spotting monkeys and tarantulas, to drifting down a lazy river, to sliding down natural water slides, there was not one boring moment. Even the car rides were full of song singing and authentic Mayan Chocolate eating. It was an amazing adventure from the moment we all got on the group flight together, to our tearful airport goodbyes. I couldn’t imagine a better way to spend my summer.

This was my second TFT trip and I am so glad to have went on it! It was a great combination of the service, traveling the country, and relaxing. The organization that the service was through was a honest group of people and I felt that the work we did was genuinely beneficial. I found that the trip leaders and campers created a welcoming and inclusive environment even though the campers were from varying backgrounds and with a variety of ages. I always felt safe and appreciated having time to explore certain areas with my friends on the trip. When things out of our control went astray (like weather and transportation), the energy of the group was good and the trip leaders sought to make the best of our situations! My parents and I also greatly appreciated getting sent the photos taken by the trip leaders!

My trip was a blissful experience, from the beautiful scenery to friendships that I built, I could never anticipated bonding so closely with the other travellers and leaders. We became like a little family together, we ate, laughed, learned, explored, and adventured together. From the water activities, to helping out the less fortunate, there were always opportunities to experience the finer things in life. Those memories I will hold close to my heart.

The benefits of the trip is not only. that you can service people in need, but it is also a create play to get volunteering experience that could benefit you in the future. Leaving the trip all I wanted to do was to think of opportunities to go back, or become a staff member to give teens that same amazing experience I got.

Traveling to Bali with Travel for Teens on the Bali Ultimate Service and Adventure trip has been one of the most memorable experiences of my life. I was excited to embrace long-haul international travel and finally explore somewhere that far from my home. Like a lot of people, I was nervous about how I was going to fit in within the group. That was fear was quickly squashed and I formed some very close friendships with everyone on the trip, from other travelers to the counselors to our amazing local guides. This trip was very diverse in many ways: both in the cultures of the regions we visited, the activities that we did, and the composition of our surrounding environment.This trip had a bit of everything, which I loved! We went from cityscapes to mountains to beaches. We had valuable service opportunities, working to restore coral reefs and practicing English with local children and more. We also had adventures like white water rafting, mountainside hikes, and scuba diving. It is really difficult to answer the question “what was your favorite part of the trip” because there really wasn’t one singular event; however, a part of the trip that I found really valuable was eating dinner with the prince. Talking with him provided insight into their culture and their views. He answered our questions about Bali and we answered his about America and Canada. 21 days flew by so fast and while our group is no longer in Bali, the friendships and memories remain.

This was my first year traveling through TFT, and I can definitely say I will travel with them again. Greece and Italy: Island Service gave me a truly well-rounded experience. I was able to help the local community in Corfu, visit historical sights in Italy, and still have time to immerse myself in the culture around me. TFT was extremely organized, and I felt as though the counselors were people who i could really open up to and ask for life advice from. I made some of my closest friends on this trip, and we still get together even now. The accommodations were perfect- small, family-run inns and hotels, allowing me to see the countries through a traveler's eyes, not just a tourist in a resort. The trip was exactly what I had hoped, and I got to do things I'd only dreamed about. For instance, one of the optional excursions was a scuba diving trip, which has been on my bucket list since I was 10 years old. I had a truly amazing experience traveling through TFT this summer, and I hope that more people will choose to go through this company.