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Date: Sun Jun 29 2025 - Mon Jul 07 2025
- Girl
- Seniors,
- Ambassadors
Bring your sense of adventure to explore Costa Rica’s vibrant forests, sparkling waters, and rich culture. Learn from local organizations about wildlife conservation, environmental sustainability, and other global issues, zip-line through the jungle, relax on the beach, and discover why Costa Rica’s motto is “Pura Vida!”
ABOUT THE TRIP
Head south to Central America for an adventure that complements your commitment to making the world a better place! You’ll learn how to take action to help protect the environment and create sustainable solutions for a variety of global issues all while experiencing the beauty and culture of Costa Rica.
This Destination begins in San José where you will get to explore local markets and visit a female-led humanitarian foundation that uses education to fight poverty. This is the perfect opportunity to practice some Spanish and enjoy a new city!
Next, you’ll head over to the Gulf of Nicoya where you’ll stop at a responsible fishery led by a local who leads the way in sustainable fishing in his hometown to save the sea. Afterward, you will continue to the Monteverde Cloud Forest, home to more than 2,500 plant species, 400 bird species, and 100 species of mammals. Here, you will share your day with the local Scouts and Pathfinders Club who are leaders in community activism and nature conservation in the cloud forest. As a welcome for us American Girl Scouts to Monteverde, you’ll have the chance to earn a specially developed patch that is unique to this experience with the local Club. You’ll also get the chance to adventure through an exciting challenge course within the cloud forest that will consist of a tree-top zipline bike, Tarzan swing, monkey bridges, and climbing trees.
After that, you’ll journey toward the Pacific Coast and spend a day on the Nicoya Peninsula, one of the world’s rare “Blue Zones,” a place where people live extraordinarily long lives compared to the rest of the world. You’ll visit with a local family, share lunch with them, and learn how responsible tourism can connect normal people, as well as researchers, to the wisdom of centenarians (people over the age of 100) for a better future. This is sure to be one of the most delicious meals you will ever have, as well as a memorable and rewarding experience!
Upon saying goodbye to your host family, you will then join a local NGO and their lead biologist to help her save the sea turtles that visit the nearby black sand beaches. This is a very special hands-on activity in turtle conservation, nursery care, and ocean protection. Plus, you’ll get to participate in a night patrol under the starry sky!
Before you leave Costa Rica, you will board a research boat and sail the Pacific Ocean with an organization that connects people to the sea to save the world! You will learn about Laser Photogrammetry and how researchers use lasers to measure sharks and rays as part of their research on endangered species. Did we mention you’ll end this adventure with a relaxing afternoon on the beach before your farewell dinner?
This Destination will empower you to take action and find solutions to global issues like poverty, wildlife protection, and environmental conservation, all while experiencing a new country and culture in the company of your Girl Scout sisters. Get ready, because when you return from this trip, you’ll be ready to change the world more than ever before!
Watch our Info Presentation on Costa Rica now!
TRIP DETAILS
WHO: Girl Scouts in grades 9–12 as of Spring 2025 (including
those who will graduate 12th grade in Spring 2025)
WHERE: San José, Monteverde Cloud Forest, Guanacaste Coast, and
more in Costa Rica
WHEN: June 29 - July 7, 2025
TOUR GROUP: The American Council for International Studies
(ACIS)
TOUR: Sustainability and Leadership in Costa
Rica
COST: $4051 + $75 Council Fee
WHAT'S INCLUDED:
- Round-Trip Flights
- Daily Breakfast and Dinner (unless otherwise noted)
- 3- or 4-Star Hotels that are Centrally Located
- 24-Hour Tour Manager
- All Local Transportation
- Leadership Workshops at Local Non-Profits and Organizations
- Global Exchanges with Local Students
- Monteverde Cloud Forest Canopy Tour with Ziplining
- Visit to a Beach
- Accommodation & Transportation for the night before flying to Costa Rica
- and More!
Travel can be life-changing, and GSSI wants all girls to have the opportunity to travel outside of their community. This trip is meant to empower local girls and give them the chance to grow their skills and learn about the world while being immersed in it.
NOTE: This is an official Destination recognized by GSUSA, meaning that this is an independent trip for individual older Girl Scouts. Internationally trained chaperones from GSSI will be provided for this trip.
IMPORTANT INFO
Girls selected for this trip will be required to attend several (virtual) pre-trip meetings to prepare for the trip and overseas traveling.
GSSI is allowing local girls who are not currently Girl Scouts to apply for this trip. For non-Girl Scouts who apply and are selected for this trip, an additional $30 will be included in the total cost. This covers the required national Girl Scout membership and provides supplemental international travel insurance. Note: Girls are not required to participate in any Girl Scout activities by registering for this trip, but are more than welcome to explore the organization if interested. If you are a Girl Scout with GSSI and have a local non-member friend who would like to join, share this with them!
APPLYING AND REGISTRATION
Girls who are interested in this trip MUST apply and be selected before officially registering with ACIS. The application consists of a few short answer questions, a short essay, and two references.
Since this is an official Destination with GSUSA, this trip will be open to Senior & Ambassador Girl Scouts movement-wide starting in August 2024. All Girl Scouts will need to apply through GSUSA's online system. August 1 to November 15, 2024, is the early application period with application decisions being sent out soon after that period closes on November 15. After that, Destinations with available spots will consider rolling applications until Spring 2025.
For local girls who are non-Girl Scouts wanting to apply for this trip, you can find your application here.
PAYMENT AND FUNDING
ACIS lists the full payment deadline as February 2025, however, as long as an automatic payment plan has been set up with ACIS, the final payment/full amount is not due until 45 days BEFORE departure. Payment plans can be personalized for each girl.
For local girls, there are several opportunities to fund this trip, including scholarships, proceeds from the cookie program, planning & hosting the World Thinking Day event in early 2025, and other money-earning possibilities. More info on funding opportunities is available. For Girl Scouts not from GSSI, please speak with your council about the opportunities that they offer to fund trips like this.
TRAVEL
Please remember that this is an international trip, so a valid passport is REQUIRED.
This trip will fly out of Louisville Muhammad Ali International Airport (SDF) on June 30, 2025. Since the departure time will be early in the morning, everyone will need to travel to Louisville on June 29, where we will be staying the night at Girl Scouts of Kentuckiana's Girl Scout Troop House at their Louisville Program & Learning Center. Girl Scouts from other councils* will need to fly to Louisville on June 29, where GSSI Staff & Volunteers will meet you to bring you to the Troop House. This ensures that we are all together as a travel group and will depart as such on June 30 from SDF. The cost for this night (accommodations, dinner, supplies) and transportation to/from the Learning Center & airport are covered by the $75 Council Fee.
*Please note that Girl Scouts from other councils will need to plan their flight to and from SDF and account for that additional cost.
For more info or questions,
contact:
Hannah Minasian at hminasian@girlscouts-gssi.org
Megan Lane at mlane@girlscouts-gssi.org
or call the Girl Scouts of Southwest Indiana Office at 812-421-4970
