Free · Certificate included
Preparing for a Mission Trip to Costa Rica
Arrive as a guest who did the homework — including an honest answer to "why Costa Rica?"
Reviewed monthly · last reviewed October 2026
What you’ll learn
- Give an honest answer to "why are we going to Costa Rica rather than somewhere with greater need?"
- Describe the country you are actually visiting — middle-income, stable, educated, with no army since 1948
- Name where need in Costa Rica is genuinely concentrated, and why that is a partner question rather than a tourist one
- Greet, thank and apologize in Costa Rican Spanish, use usted, and understand how "pura vida" and "con mucho gusto" actually work
- Follow local norms for dress, faith, time and hospitality without being told
- Apply the photography and child-safeguarding rules that protect the community and your team
- Recognize the short-term practices that do harm here — including wildlife "volunteering" and displacing paid local labour
- Prepare for water, dengue, the rainy season, road travel and a budget that is higher than you expect
Screen your volunteers for $5
VolunteerBadge runs FCRA-compliant background checks for just $5 — with identity verification built in. No monthly fees, no contracts.
Create a free account →Course outline
- 1
The fair question: why Costa Rica?
Someone will ask why you are not going somewhere poorer. It is a fair question with a real answer — learn it before you are asked.
6 min Quiz - 2
A country that is not waiting for you
The state works, the church governs itself, and the regions are very different from each other. What that means for a visiting team.
7 min Quiz - 3
Where the need actually sits
Refugees and migrants, the Caribbean coast, the Indigenous territories, and informal settlements — and the ethics of each.
7 min Quiz Interactive - 4
Tico Spanish and the grammar of pura vida
Usted everywhere, "con mucho gusto" instead of "de nada", and what "pura vida" is actually doing when someone says it.
8 min Quiz Written + interactive - 5
Respect, faith and the camera
Dress, hospitality and time; a state religion and a growing evangelical third; and the photography rules that are not negotiable.
7 min Quiz Interactive - 6
Do no harm in a middle-income country
Displacing paid local labour, orphanage voluntourism, wildlife "volunteering" and animal selfies, and giving money to children.
8 min Quiz Written + interactive - 7
Water, dengue, roads, rain and the budget
The practical facts that end trips early — plus the one piece of good news about Costa Rican tap water, and the pre-flight checklist.
7 min Quiz Written + interactive
Sources & further reading
- U.S. Department of State — Costa Rica Travel Advisory (Level 2 — Exercise Increased Caution)
- U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention — CDC Travelers’ Health: Costa Rica — vaccines, malaria areas, dengue and Zika
- UNHCR — UNHCR operational data portal: Costa Rica — refugees and asylum seekers
- UN News / UNHCR — Costa Rica’s refugee lifeline at breaking point amid funding crisis (May 2025)
- Pan American Health Organization / WHO — PAHO: Dengue in the Americas
- Instituto Costarricense de Acueductos y Alcantarillados (AyA) — Costa Rica’s national water utility — drinking water quality and coverage
VolunteerBadge Academy courses are provided free for general educational and informational purposes only. Every course is researched from reputable, authoritative sources (cited on the course), but VolunteerBadge and ScreenForge Labs, LLC make no representations or warranties of any kind — express or implied — as to the accuracy, completeness, currentness, reliability, or suitability of the content for any purpose. Content may contain errors or omissions and may become outdated, and laws, regulations, standards, and best practices vary by jurisdiction and change over time. This material is not legal, medical, mental-health, clinical, financial, safety-certification, or other professional advice, and completing a course or earning a certificate creates no professional relationship, license, accreditation, or endorsement and is not a substitute for training, certification, supervision, or policies required by law, your organization, your insurer, or a licensing body. Always follow your organization's own policies and applicable law, use your own judgment, and consult a qualified professional (such as an attorney, licensed clinician, or medical provider) about your specific situation. In an emergency, call 911 (or, for a mental-health crisis, 988). To the fullest extent permitted by law, VolunteerBadge and ScreenForge Labs, LLC disclaim all liability for any loss or harm arising from reliance on this content or participation in any course.