Booking and Travel Information: Costa Rica (Middle School)

We manage travel so you don’t have to! 

AMIGOS manages all travel arrangements including flight bookings for all volunteers to ensure a safe and efficient travel experience for each of our participants. This section explains the booking process for the upcoming flight to Costa Rica and provides you with important information about timelines and what to expect, so you stay informed throughout every step of the process. 

When do we start purchasing the tickets?

Flight ticket purchases typically begin around mid-March. At that time, our team starts booking  flights for participants, ensuring that each traveler has a confirmed seat well in advance of the program start date.

Travel information

For middle school programs in Costa Rica, AMIGOS has selected three gateway airports:

• San Francisco International Airport (SFO)

• George Bush Intercontinental Airport in Houston (IAH)

• Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR)

Participants will be flying as unaccompanied minors from one of the designated airports only and will take a direct flight. Families will need to cover the $300 unaccompanied minor fee. Our staff will be present at SJO airport to receive participants upon arrival.

If a participant does not live near any of these cities, their family will be responsible for ensuring that the participant reaches one of the three gateway airports (whichever is most convenient). In this case, the participant must be accompanied by an adult to the gateway airport.

Process

For volunteers traveling as unaccompanied minors, an adult designated by the family must escort the participant to the departure gate at their gateway airport. A United Airlines representative will accompany them throughout the entire journey, including during immigration and customs procedures, until an AMIGOS staff member takes direct responsibility for the volunteers upon arrival in Costa Rica.

On the return trip, AMIGOS staff will accompany the volunteers at the airport in Costa Rica until they board their flights home. Once the volunteers arrive at their final destination, the designated adult will be allowed to enter the terminal up to the departure gate to meet their child.

During all travel days, the AMIGOS Travel Hotline will be available 24/7 to support families and volunteers with any questions or issues that may arise during travel.

Additional Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

1. How does a volunteer indicate their preferred departure airport to AMIGOS for booking?

On the Passport & Travel Information Form completed on the volunteer AMIGOS Dashboard, volunteers will indicate their preferred departure and return airport codes. 

2. What is the estimated cost for a volunteer's flight?

The flight cost estimates are based on actual flight costs from the previous year. These averages are calculated nationwide, so departures from many different airports are taken into account. The estimates listed are averages and the actual cost of a volunteer’s flight may vary.  

3. Is checked baggage included in my reservation?

Flights to Costa Rica do not include a checked bag in the ticket. Participants will need to pay for checked baggage separately, at a cost of $40 per segment.

4. Is a volunteer allowed to opt out of the AMIGOS flight booking?

On rare occasions, volunteers do choose to opt out of our AMIGOS flight booking.  We ask that families email admissions@amigosinternational.org if they are interested in arranging their own travel as it will need to meet all AMIGOS requirements and be approved by the Travel Team.  

5. Can families ask AMIGOS to use their miles to book their volunteer's flight?  

Unfortunately, AMIGOS cannot use a family's miles to book volunteers' flights. However, families can provide AMIGOS with their volunteer's frequent flyer number so that they earn miles for their volunteer's flight. 

6. When should families expect to receive their volunteer's flight itinerary?

Families should expect to receive their volunteer's flight itinerary two weeks ahead of their volunteer's project start date. The flight itinerary will be sent via email along with a travel memo outlining what to expect at the airport and who to contact if they need any support. A volunteer is eligible to receive their itinerary only once all volunteer paperwork and screening have been completed. If any of these items are outstanding, AMIGOS will hold the volunteer itinerary until completion. 

7. What if a volunteer's family would like to meet the volunteer in-country at the end of their project and have the volunteer return with them at a later date?

In this event, a volunteer must fill out the Travel Deviation Request Form, which is a Part 2 Paperwork item. You can find the Travel Deviation Request Form linked here. Please send the completed form to admissions@amigosinternational.org. Please note that for booking purposes, this form was due on April 15th. If you are requesting an alternate travel path after April 15th, there may be additional costs to changing your flight. 

9. May a volunteer start the program late? Alternatively, may they leave their project early?

No. Our programs take place largely in remote areas, and we cannot accommodate travel dates other than those published for the project.