Our guest blogger of the month is Ann Becker. Ann is currently tutored by Veronica, one of our Spanish teachers at Multilingual Chicago. As the organizer of experiential travel trips to Costa Rica, Ann is one of our most exciting students! She uses her Spanish in a variety of fascinating contexts as she leads her trips. If you’d be interested in learning more about her trips, be sure to check out her website and feel free to contact her at: abecker@abecker.com.

“Does your ideal vacation integrate culture, ecology and building new relationships? I know mine does! I’ve spent the past six years organizing experiential travel trips to Costa Rica and its neighboring countries. While each trip is unique – for instance, several have been for women only- they all include the common elements of visiting indigenous communities and hiking, biking and boating through some of the most biologically rich and diverse environments in the world. It’s been a true joy to experience Central America with these travelers and to share my home away from home with them.

Our itineraries allow us to learn about culture and history while appreciating the enormous diversity of mammals, birds and flora of the Central American cloud and rain forests. Some examples of past and future activities are:

• A visit to San Gerardo de Dota, a magnificent cloud forest south of San Jose nestled in the Talamanca mountains. Bright flowers and plants flourish in this pristine valley and you might be lucky enough to spot a resplendent Quetzal, one of the area’s year-round resident birds.  Hear Mario Chacon (owner of the eco-lodge) talk about the history of San Gerardo de Dota area and his family’s leadership in cultivating responsible eco-tourism since 1954.  Later that day, we’ll plant a tree together to support local reforestation efforts.

• A guided boat tour to Chira Island. Located in the Gulf of Nicoya, Chira is Costa Rica’s second largest island.  Meet with the four enterprising women who came together to develop island tourism in order to generate income and protect the island’s natural resources.  Visit the lodge they built together, the Albergue La Amistad. Visit the Women Artisans’ Association of Chira Island and mingle with the artists, learning about their efforts to build a viable arts cooperative.

Our trip participants often return again and again! No trip is the same and we find that it is the group that brings a true richness and diversity to the experience. If you are interested in indigenous art, enterprising economic development, organic farming, cooking with local ingredients, rain forests or any of the other topics I’ve touched on, please feel free to send me a note and I’ll tell you more about the upcoming tours. Perhaps you will find yourself agreeing with one of our past participants that, “these trips are a once-in-a-lifetime experience that shouldn’t be missed!”