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Spanish in Playa Samara

Experience
Study
Destination
Costa Rica
Duration
1 to 12 weeks
Ages
18 to 85

Limited spots. Earliest available arrival is currently Jul 2023, and closing very soon.

Trip overview

Learn Spanish the authentic way and have an experience you’ll never forget by Studying Spanish in Costa Rica. Learning a language is much easier when you’re surrounded by people that speak it and it feels more real when you’re immersed in the culture that it’s a part of. On this trip, you’ll be heading to a little slice of paradise. Playa Samara in Costa Rica is a stunning part of the world, right on the world-famous Costa Rican coastline. Loaded with included cultural activities, this trip will help you immerse yourself into the Tico (Costa Rican) lifestyle. Plus, Playa Samara only has a population of just over 1,000 people, so in no time you’ll feel like a part of the community too!

We offer the complete package for those wanting to accompany their learning of Spanish with a real-world, international experience to go with it. Our team will get you sorted with all the essentials, from finding the perfect class for you, getting you into accommodation that works for you, plus all the support you could ask for before, during and even after your trip.

Completely immerse yourself in a new culture, make lifelong friends and, best of all, break away from your usual routine back home as you embark on an adventure to study Spanish in Costa Rica. This trip is perfect for those that don’t want to just visit the country and learn the language, they want to become a part of it.

Inclusions

Spanish language lessons

You’ll be learning Spanish the “Pura Vida” Costa Rican way. Classes are well structured and led by incredibly qualified teachers, but some days you might take classes in the gardens, in the rancho or even under a palm tree on the beach. 

Dedicated Trip Coordinator

Handpicked from an experienced team who’ve been there, done that and ready to guide you through your entire journey and leave no question unanswered.

Pre-Departure Guide

Our in-depth pre-departure guide will have all the information you need about your trip & destination, at your fingertips.

 

Trip visa guidance

If you need a visa, it’ll get approved as cheap and easy as possible with our step-by-step instructions and personal guidance from your Trip Coordinator.

Personal Travel Concierge

You'll get a personal Travel Concierge to plan your flights, insurance or any add-ons to synchronise perfectly with your trip. Deal with a real human and get a personalised booking experience that ticks all your boxes.

Comfortable accommodation

A private room in a nearby homestay is included, for an authentic cultural experience. Or choose to stay in a student residence for a small additional fee.

Private airport transfer

A private chauffeur to take you from the Liberia Airport to Playa Samara.

Local cultural experiences

You won’t just learn the language, you’ll learn the culture with heaps of included cultural activities. Including a city tour, latin dance & cooking classes, movie nights, Zumba, yoga and arts & crafts.

Certificate of completion

In recognition of your hard work and dedication throughout the experience. Employers will love this addition to your resume!

Ongoing local team support

From our team and in-country project partners, think of them as your family away from home. Whether you need advice or a shoulder to lean on, you’ll be provided with unlimited support.

24/7 Global Emergency Line

Feel confident knowing we have a worldwide emergency team on standby, 24/7/365, so you can feel safe and secure throughout your whole trip no matter where you are in the world.

gWorld access

Stay organised with your personalised portal where you can keep all of your important documents and trip details in one spot and gain insider access to everything Global.

NEW

Social

Travel alone but never lonely with Social! An exclusive social network inside our gWorld app to talk, share & meet-up with other Global Travellers in your region, with a dedicated Community Manager.

NEW

Global Academy

Gain access to an ever-growing range of skills & languages to learn before & whilst you travel.

NEW

Marketplace deals

Get exclusive access to deals and discounts through our online Marketplace. Save big on a huge range of products and services from our brand partners worldwide.

$250 off your next trip

The “Travel Bug” is a very real thing! Once you catch it, it really doesn’t go away! Book any other trip with us later and save $250. Why would you ever stop travelling?

Just in case it’s not clear already, we’re not an employment or recruitment agency. Read more

Qualification

To qualify for this trip you must meet the following requirements:

  • Be between 18-85 years of age
  • Be a citizen of an eligible country
  • Have no criminal convictions in the past 5 years

Ask a question

Chat with us online now, or we can call you back for free, 24 hours Mon-Fri.

Trip details

Our Study in Costa Rica trip is designed to get you travelling, living and learning Spanish overseas as smoothly as possible. Our partners know that Costa Rica is paradise on Earth and that learning a language can be arduous. So why not make that process easier by doing it in paradise? Your Spanish classes will be intense, and taught by Costa Rican  university-accredited professors but you’ll take them in an incredibly laid back environment. 

Our partners also know that practising your new skill by conversing with the locals is beneficial to learning Spanish, so they’ve brought the local community into the whole project. Playa Samara is less of a town, and more of a family. It’s inevitable that you’ll get to know almost everyone and this amazing part of the world will start to feel like home. This process is assisted with the huge range of complimentary cultural activities and homestay options too.  

Arrive in Costa Rica with the reassurance that you will be many steps ahead of every other traveller in search of international experience in Central America. You can hit the ground running in your studies, with everything else taken care of. While you’re there you’ll have a range of accommodation options that you can choose from depending on what you want to get out of the trip. Homestay; for those who want to have people to practise your Spanish on at all times, but also want to deep dive into what family life and culture is like in Costa Rica. Or the Student Residence located right next to the school, for those that want to bond more with their classmates. (Both options are no further than 500m away from the beach).

Spend your time studying in Costa Rica, immersing yourself in the laid back Tico culture and lifestyle, relaxing on the stunning beaches or deep-diving into the jungles seeing first hand the awe-inspiring biodiversity Costa Rica is famous for. You’ll be able to explore the whole region and jet off to neighbouring countries, leaving the logistical stuff to us. Embrace a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to travel, live and study in Costa Rica learning a lifelong skill that will stay with you forever.

Requirements

You must do a Spanish language test before classes on your first day, so you know which level to start on.

What extra costs will I have?

Flights, travel insurance, souvenirs & spending money.

Trip itinerary

Arrival

Once you’ve touched down at Liberia International Airport, your transfer will take you to your accommodation in Playa Samara. If you’ve given yourself a few days between your arrival and the course starting, use this time to get acquainted with the beach and your new classmates/homestay hosts! 

Day 1

Arrive at school by 7:15am (don’t worry, school doesn’t usually start this early) to take your placement interview. This will help determine which class you should be placed in. When you have your results you’ll be informed whether you’ll be in the morning or afternoon sessions of classes. This will depend on what level your Spanish is at now.  If you’re selected into the morning classes, you’ll jump in straight away as these start at 8am and run until 12pm. If you’ve been selected for the afternoon class, that’s completely fine. Use this time to hang out on the beach, explore the community with the school’s tour of the town, or undertake one of the many cultural activities available before your classes start at 1pm.  Whatever class you’re in, you’ll have a mandatory orientation meeting at 12:15. This will help you get to know the school, the area, and everything that it has to offer. 

Ongoing

Your classes will either be 8am-12pm or 1pm-5pm (alternating daily so you can take advantage of the tides for ocean activities) with two 15 minute breaks per session, Monday-Friday. When you’re not in class you certainly won’t be bored. The school offers huge amounts of cultural/social activities for free as well. Mon-Thurs there is a daily Latin dance class, once a week you can do a Latin American cooking class, there’s a movie night a week, plus Zumba and yoga twice a week respectively too!  You’ll get plenty of time to do all the planned complementary activities plus a bunch of other activities as well. There are lots of surf schools in the area, so you could use your time off mastering that. Or you could go explore the local community, rainforests and beaches.  Your weekends are yours to do as you wish. You could stay in the community, or go out and explore the rest of Central America! If you’d like to go on a more in-depth trip around the country, let your course leader know and they can help you do this after your course ends.   We’ll constantly keep in touch with you throughout your stay. If at any point during your trip you need advice or support, our team will be on hand to answer all your questions. Don’t forget you can jump on our social media pages too or buzz our 24/7 emergency support line for urgent matters.

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Frequently asked questions

Why go with Global Work & Travel?

As the world’s leading gap-year and “work & travel” company, we offer you the ability to not only choose from a number of awesome experiences all over the world but, we'll be your support system from the very first moment you become a Global Traveller! We provide a premium service that allows you to pick the destination of your dreams, get our visa & pre-departure assistance, book great flights and organise the perfect travel insurance or tours for when you arrive. Plus, we’ll back it all up with some cool and exclusive tech features that are with you the entire time.

As a Global Traveller, you’ll get exclusive access to gWorld, our personalised app where you can keep all of your important documents and trip details in one spot and gain insider access to everything Global. This is where you will find exclusive Marketplace deals for discounts with our brand partners, a unique social network to connect you with other Global Travellers when you’re overseas, access to our Academy with an ever-growing range of skills & languages to learn as you travel, invites to bucket-list side trips with other travellers, local meet-ups and so much more. Think all of your favourite apps merged into one, but like, better?

And it doesn't even stop there. We continue to be there from the moment you land with a dedicated 24/7 emergency team, over 100 staff and ongoing support ensuring that you have the tools you need to feel like a local. That’s why 65,000+ Global Travellers from all over the world have chosen to turn their travel dream into reality with us and we can proudly brag that we’ve got the most & best reviews in the biz!

Why should I book now?

Covid-19 threw us a curve ball and pretty much halted all travel. This means that we have a backlog of travellers, just like you, who are desperate to get out and explore the world! Global Work & Travel works on a first-in-best-dressed basis. Booking earlier ensures that you don’t miss out on the best intake, season, placements and more! We recommend our travellers take 6-12 months to plan their trip for a reason - to make sure you’ve got everything organised perfectly, stress-free.

As a Global Traveller you’ll get exclusive access to gWorld, our personalised app where you can keep all of your important documents and trip details in one spot and gain insider access to everything Global. This is where you will find exclusive Marketplace Deals, a unique social network to connect you with other like-minded Global Travellers, access to our Academy with an ever-growing range of skills & languages, and so much more. Think all of your favourite apps merged into one, but like, better?

Why not give yourself something to look forward to by booking that trip!

Can I travel with a friend?

Yes you can! Simply tell your Trip Coordinator after booking that your friend is also going and they can link your profiles. For most of our trips we should be able to have you and your friends placed together or nearby. Meaning that you can live, work, play & travel together!

But wait there's more! Not only can you travel the world with your besties at your side, you can also earn some extra cash towards your own trip just by referring your friends to Global Work & Travel. You can learn more about the great referral rewards program inside your gWorld account once you join.

And for those who decide to go-it-solo, we’ve made it easier to meet other Global Travellers in the same region as you. Just like any other social platform, you’ll be able to interact, share, chat and meet with some really cool people who are doing trips just like you!

What happens if COVID affects my trip?

If you have to make any changes to your departure date, you’re protected with our Lifetime Deposit Guarantee and our Ultimate Corona Booking Flexibility. With this, we will change your trip dates for free. If this doesn’t fit around you and you can’t go on your trip anymore, we will give you a 100% refund in the form of a Trip Credit with us (See terms). If you’re unable to use it, you can also transfer that credit to someone else for them to put towards any trip too.

If you’re affected by Covid-19 while you’re overseas, you will have all the support you need from our team or partners in-country as well as have access to our 24/7 Global Emergency Line. We recommend travellers purchase Global Travel Cover travel insurance that provides Covid-19 medical protection too.

Do I need to be vaccinated to book?

As border restrictions for countries begin to ease, being fully vaccinated will maximise the number of locations you can visit. So while you are not legally required to be vaccinated, and it’s also not a requirement to travel with us, it will limit some of the countries that you can visit and may make it harder to travel through over the next 12-18 months. We highly recommend our travellers look at the current travel restrictions of their destination, speak with a medical professional or get in touch with our team for travel advice.

What happens if I want to cancel my trip?

Our Ultimate Corona Booking Flexibility means you can change your trip’s start date up to 84* days before departure without incurring any charges when you rebook it for any time (or even any other trip) in the next 2 years from your original start date.

In the event that you want to cancel your booking altogether, if you give us over 84* days notice you can do so with only a 50% cancellation fee. Your refund of the balance will come in the form of a Store Credit which you can put towards booking absolutely anything travel related with your Travel Concierge within the next 2 years!

*Some select trips excluded, including Teach (Spain, Italy & Czech Republic) and USA (Summer Camp, Working Holiday and Hotel Professional), and others as listed in Booking Conditions.

How it works

Make your decision

Choose your trip style and destination, and confirm your spot with a deposit. Then, open your gWorld account and celebrate, the hardest part is over and the fun is about to begin.

We become friends

You’ll be matched with a personal Trip Coordinator who knows all the ins & outs. They’ll guide you through everything we need to do together, so you can leave your worries behind.

Time to go

We’ll get your tickets in-hand and your transfers ready. Then, our in-country team or partner will have everything prepared for your arrival. It’s now time for the real adventure to start.

24/7 support

Never stress, knowing we’re there with you when you need us with ongoing & unlimited local team support and check-ins. And just in case, we’ve got an emergency team on stand-by, 24/7.

Still have questions?

Why go Global

Flexible trips

The unexpected can happen sometimes. Can't travel right now? Swap your trip, gift it or save it for later with our Lifetime Deposit Guarantee.

Worldwide support

Know that someone is always ready to assist throughout the journey & they’re only a call, tweet, comment, text or double tap away, 24/7.

We're the experts

With over 10 years in the industry and a team of over 100 passionate pros, you can bet we know our stuff better than anyone else.

Partner network

We have over 1,200 partners around the globe, so we have access to plenty of exclusive opportunities to make your trip the best it can be.

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