Students from low-income families are the beneficiaries of our Pacuare Sea Turtle Program. We consider an annual household income of $50,000 or less as “low-income” as that is the number used by the US government to determine Pell Grant eligibility.

Travel opens minds, breaks down barriers, and builds confidence in students. We want to make sure the transformative power of travel is available to everyone!

These experiences create global citizens that come back to our communities with new ideas, a fresh outlook, and an appreciation for their communities. They also gain skills that are transferrable and employable! Help us create a stronger Iowa by donating today!

Travel Sparq is the right organization to create these opportunities because of our values. We will instill these in our participants by pursuing a life of compassion and tolerance and harboring an adventurous spirit.

Secondly, our people. From our board of directors to our trip leads and chaperones, everyone involved in our organization is working tirelessly because we believe in our mission. Unpaid and relentless, we are ready to change students’ lives!

Lastly, our program is built for the students’ benefit. Every choice in building this program is deliberate to ensure students have a safe, transformative, and fun experience with Travel Sparq!

Students must apply and meet our eligibility requirements. After selection, they will complete five mandatory pre-trip classes. These classes help combat culture shock, set appropriate expectations, and prepare students for the trip.

Then it’s wheels up as we fly to Costa Rica for two weeks. The first week will be spent working on a sea turtle conservation run by Latin American Sea Turtle Association. While there, they will be patrolling beaches for nesting turtles, helping release hatchlings, and assisting with basic tasks around the conservation.

During the second week, students will experience the cultural diversity of Costa Rica through excursions to learn more about the land of waterfalls. With coffee plantations, city tours, and national park hikes, this country’s biodiversity is unmatched!

Upon return, we will have two post-trip classes to recap the experience and discuss how they can translate into real-world skills!

Students must fill out participant surveys throughout the program, beginning with pre-trip classes. These help us gauge our effectiveness and how a student’s outlook might change during and after the program. We will also have daily guided reflections while in Costa Rica.

This is a program that is NOT found in Iowa. If students are looking for traveling opportunities while in high school, their options are:

• $7674 Where there be Dragons- a program that spends four weeks in another country.

• $9380 International Student Exchange- multiple locations per semester.

• $4850 Counsel of International Educational Exchange- various locations for 3-week trips.

While these programs are incredible, they are utterly inaccessible to low-income students.

$0. We cover the cost of passports and visas, airfare, and conservation program fees. We also cover lodging, three meals/ day, and the cost of all excursions. The only cost to the participants is that of snacks and souvenirs.

Our goals:

• Create effective learning opportunities for underserved students.

• Build relationships with schools and community service providers to reach more eligible students.

• Travel abroad every year with a growing number of students.

Our vision: to be the most effective personal-growth program available to underserved high schoolers in Iowa.

The average cost for a student to go on the trip is about $2400. Based on many expenses that are not fixed (looking at you, airfare), this may vary annually. What this means is any donation impacts participants. Travel Sparq is made up of volunteers, so no donations pay for salaries.