- Program
- Pura Vida Service, Costa Rica
- Traveled
- June 2025
- Hometown
- Austin, Texas
In this first-person account, Taylor Linden of Austin, Texas, looks back on Rustic Pathways’ Pura Vida Service program in Costa Rica in June 2025, with photos from the trip.
Taylor describes the best friends made in the group, lessons about helping people and making a difference, and a life-changing experience helping the kids at the school.
Taylor’s Trip to Costa Rica and the Friends in the Group
Hi, my name is Taylor, and I just got back from my trip to Costa Rica! I am so grateful for all the people that were in my group, and I made some of the best friends!
Helping the Kids at the School in Costa Rica: Lessons From Pura Vida Service
I learned so many lessons about helping people and making a difference in the world! Helping the kids at the school was a life changing experience, and I am so thankful that I had this amazing opportunity!
Taylor describes the friends made in the group and the lessons about helping people. The memories concern the June 2025 session, and Taylor first shared them on the Rustic Pathways Instagram account on June 21, 2025.
The program still runs as Costa Rica: Pura Vida Service. It runs 8 days for students ages 14–18 and includes about 16 hours of community service near Arenal Volcano, with improvements at Escuela Linda Vista, a local elementary school, and trail maintenance in Arenal Volcano National Park. See the program page for the current itinerary, dates and activities.
