Our first full day in Quepos, Costa Rica, started with a simple breakfast: dulce de leche swirl bread (purchased from the local Maxi Pali grocery store the night before), enjoyed on the patio overlooking the lush rainforest alive with layers of birdsong. While the intense calls of howler monkeys and the toucan I spotted before my family woke had faded, our seven-year-old excitedly spotted two scarlet macaws and several hummingbirds within minutes. Then, a flurry of commotion brought us to our front door as the news spread quickly from the kids: squirrel monkeys!
By mid-morning, our group of eight adults and eleven kids made our way to a local bus stop and rode to Playa Espadilla for surf lessons and beach time. The warm ocean and humid air were a welcome escape from a cold Michigan winter. The kids practiced Spanish ordering copoz con dos leches (shaved ice drizzled with sweetened condensed milk), while we enjoyed pipa fría—coconut water from a freshly chopped young coconut.
On the walk back to the bus stop, we spotted our first sloth, clinging lazily to a high branch. Back at Rio Mono—our rainforest-nestled home for the week—we freshened up for the next adventure (which meant everyone jumped into our shared Airbnb pool and quickly changed into dry clothes).
That afternoon, we gathered at Rancho El Espabel (owned and operated by Isa) for our “City Friends Welcome Party,” alongside our incredibly knowledgeable and kind Quepos City Host, Heidy. The Welcome Party was an intentional lunch gathering meant to connect us with families from El Puente, a local bilingual school. Our families, who all attend Spanish Immersion schools in Grand Rapids, were thoughtfully matched by Travec with local Costa Rican families, taking into account language fluency and the children’s ages.
Any initial hesitation dissolved as quickly as the piña and sandía (fresh pineapple and watermelon) and arroz y pollo (rice and chicken). The kids swam, conversed in Spanish and English, played hide-and-seek, discovered animals, and became fast friends. Not only were sweet connections formed with the local Costa Rican children, but also with the other kids in our group—whom we hadn’t known before this trip.
After dessert—a custard-like cake served with traditional Costa Rican pour-over coffee for the adults and helado (ice cream) for the kids—we hugged and parted ways, knowing the children would reunite in a couple of days at the local school.
Using Travec’s Insider Information, our family took a taxi to Emilio’s Cafe for a sunset dinner. The painterly sunset view and Indian curry did not disappoint. Refreshed with papaya, pineapple, and watermelon batidos (smoothies) for our girls, a passion fruit martini for me, and a Paloma for my husband, we returned to Rio Mono. Immediately, our kids jumped into the pool to join their new friends for a night swim—with full bellies and full hearts after an incredible first day in Quepos.
View from Emilio’s Cafe in Manuel Antonio/Quepos, Costa Rica
The rest of the 8-day trip was a beautiful whirlwind. Our trip leader, Becky, spontaneously and generously planned an epic day trip to the Uvita waterfalls. A natural waterfall slide and cliff jumping into refreshing natural pools made for an exhilarating day of memories. The kids leaned on one another to find their courage—as did I—which revealed an unexpected benefit of group travel. From racing down a waterfall slide to speaking Spanish with locals, our kids borrowed courage from their new friends to try new things again and again.
In addition to visiting El Puente school and meeting again with our local “City Friends” family for dinner, our kids loved their cooking lesson with Costa Rican native Chef Eli. My ten-year-old daughter, who is typically shy about using her Spanish outside of school, eagerly spoke with Eli—immediately offering to help cook empanadas and fried plantains and even translating for the adults along the way.
Later, she told me quietly, “Speaking Spanish to someone who doesn’t speak English gave me purpose and made me want to speak the best I could.” It was a full-circle moment I’ll never forget. While families do not need to speak Spanish to enjoy a cultural immersion trip, this was one reason we embarked on the adventure. Giving our kids the opportunity to see how their Spanish immersion education directly relates to connecting with people in other countries and cultures was priceless.
From experiencing the thrill of the longest twin zipline in Central America at El Santuario Canopy Adventure to an ATV waterfall tour, from a guided hike at Manuel Antonio National Park to a fun-filled Catamaran Cruise along the Pacific Coast, the trip was filled with equal parts culture, connection, and adventure.
We saw sloths, monkeys, toucans, a sea turtle, macaws, giant grasshoppers, tree frogs—the list goes on. We snorkeled, swam, relaxed, explored, and enjoyed conversations over authentic Costa Rican food. Best of all, we left with new friends—both our fellow travelers from Grand Rapids and our new “City Friends” in Quepos.
We knew we wanted our kids to experience culturally immersive travel that goes beyond a typical vacation, but we were hesitant to embark on a group trip. Now I understand its power. The shared courage and connection that naturally grew while traveling with a community was an unexpected gift we will carry with us forever.
Travec is a local Grand Rapids, Michigan–based travel advising company founded by Kelsey Wilson and Amanda Cisneros. Travec offers culturally immersive journeys and custom travel designed to help adults and families learn through experience—engaging with local communities, history, language, and traditions in meaningful, real-world ways.