Question 1

How many students do you travel with at a given time?

Accepted Answer

We have a maximum number of around 24 students at any one time on the summer immersion program with us. However, most programs average about 15 – 18 students.

Question 2

Who are the chaperones for the High School program?

Accepted Answer

Common Ground has 2-3 staff members who chaperone the high school groups at all times, and they are awesome! However, if our group size nears 20+ students, then we typically add a teacher from a school that has students traveling with us to help with the larger numbers. Usually there are more female than male chaperones.

Question 3

We have miles that we’d like to use for our student’s program, is that possible?

Accepted Answer

Absolutely. We can discuss the details about the chaperoned flights and whether or not your miles will put your student on that flight.

Question 4

Do I get credit for the language school classes I attend?

Accepted Answer

Yes and no. Most High Schools are not offering actual high school credit for the time you spend in Costa Rica. However, some schools will allow you to take an exam after you return and potentially test out of a year’s worth of Spanish classes. This is particularly an option for those students on the 4-week summer immersion program. Additionally, you can apply the amount of time you spend in community service projects to your school and club requirements. Usually students earn between 20 and 60 community service hours for the 2 and 4-week programs respectively. Additionally, if you are an IB student, you may be able to earn up to 75 CAS hours toward your graduation requirements.
Regarding college credit, 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

Question 5

Can my trip length in Costa Rica be flexible? What if I want to stay and study in Costa Rica for more than 4 weeks?

Accepted Answer

Of course your length of stay can be adjusted. However, we would be happy to work out a custom itinerary with you for those additional weeks. So just give us a call! (888) 879-2575.

Question 6

What if we’d like to make plans to have a family vacation before or after our student does the Spanish Immersion Program with Common Ground?

Accepted Answer

Not a problem at all. Usually it’s a good idea to plan a family vacation directly after your student finishes their immersion program so that they’re able to show you around a little. However, we prefer to know your plans as you’re submitting your student’s application, and we’ll make sure that appropriate arrangements are made. Additionally, we’re happy to help you with travel suggestions as well if you’d like some ideas about nice places to spend some time with you family in Costa Rica.

Question 7

Can you come to my school and make a presentation about this program?

Accepted Answer

Of course! If you would like to look into scheduling a virtual classroom presentation at your school, just put us in contact with your Spanish teacher or your Foreign/World Languages department head in order to see if we can get something on the schedule. Contact us here.

Question 8

How do you account for different levels of learners on the immersion trip?

Accepted Answer

We’ll have you complete a lengthy Spanish Immersion placement test that will give us a good idea of what class you should be in and who your classmates should be.

Question 9

What are the average class sizes on your immersion trips?

Accepted Answer

Classes average 4-6 people. They could be as large as 8 and as small as 1:1, but the average is in the 4-6 range.

Question 10

What level of Spanish should we come in with?

Accepted Answer

Immersion is always the best way to learn Spanish in the shortest period of time regardless of your starting level. That said, the more you know before you travel, the faster you learn while you’re there. So, the short answer is that we will work with you at any level of Spanish. We also encourage you to do whatever you can to work on your Spanish before you travel and we know that you’ll be glad you did 🙂

Question 11

Can we visit both Ecuador and Costa Rica on the same trip?

Accepted Answer

Yes absolutely! Each program has the option of choosing a “Combo” trip. See the details on each immersion trip.

Question 12

What is the cancellation policy in case of a family emergency?

Accepted Answer

We’re more than happy to transfer 100% of your program registration to another trip if you can’t travel for any reason. Refunds are harder. In fact, all of your payments are non-refundable. If you feel you may need a refund, we recommend a cancel for any reason travel insurance policy.

Question 13

Is the Spanish instruction one-on-one or group format?

Accepted Answer

The default is group format, usually with small groups. There’s also an option for you to have individual lessons for an extra charge.

Question 14

Do we need a visa to go to either destination?

Accepted Answer

If you have a US passport you don’t need a visa for either Costa Rica or Ecuador. If you have a passport issued by a different country you’ll need to check it directly.

Question 15

What are the vaccination requirements?

Accepted Answer

Covid vaccinations are no longer required to enter Ecuador nor Costa Rica.
Costa Rica – highly recommends all regular vaccines to be up to date. If you do the combo program (Ecuador and then Costa Rica) you also need to have the yellow fever vaccination.
Ecuador – you don’t need the yellow fever to enter.

Question 16

What is the difference between Spanish spoken in Ecuador and in Costa Rica?

Accepted Answer

Both are known to be good places to learn the language, they have a very clear pronunciation.
Main difference is that in Costa Rica they use the “usted” form instead of the “tú” form exclusively.

Question 17

Can my sibling/friend and I be paired with the same host family?

Accepted Answer

Yes, you just have to let us know beforehand you want to be paired up.

Question 18

Is it easy to get cash in both places where we will be?

Accepted Answer

Ecuador – yes, they actually use the US dollar as their currency.
Costa Rica – yes, they use Colones but there are several ATMs in town.

Question 19

Will you provide a suggested packing list?

Accepted Answer

Yes, along with a pre-departure course.

Question 20

Do we find out about our host families pre departure?

Accepted Answer

Yes, we send the information about a week before your arrival.

Question 21

Which airport do we fly into?

Accepted Answer

Cuenca, Ecuador – CUE is the airport code, you may need to book to Quito – UIO and then book a separate domestic flight.
San Jose, Costa Rica – SJO is the airport code.

Ecuador Summer Student Travel

Ecuador Spanish Immersion for High Schoolers

Become more fluent in Spanish

Gain cultural understanding

Explore the natural beauty of Ecuador

Earn between 15 and 30 hours of service learning credit

Grow in confidence, maturity and independence

Learn outside your comfort zone

23 – DAy Program

Part 1: AMAZON CLOUD FOREST – OUTDOOR SPANISH ADVENTURE

Highlights

Location

Part 2: Spanish, Culture, Andes

Highlights

Location

2025 Dates

24/7 Support

Price

Possible to combine with Costa Rica programs

16 – Day Program

Andes Culture & Spanish Adventure

Highlights

Location

2025 Dates

24/7 Support

Price

Possible to combine with Costa Rica programs

4 Week Combo Program

Highlights

Location

2025 Dates

24/7 Support

Price

Possible to extend longer than 4 weeks

Testimonials

Earn College Credit while you travel!

Testimonials

Itinerary

Day 1

Day 2

Days 3-8

2 week participants arrive into UIO and Fly to Cuenca together with group

Days 9-16

Days 17/18

Days 19-23

Next steps

High School Spanish Immersion FAQs

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