If you’re a parent of a teenager, you probably know the struggle: getting your kids to look up. Off their screens. Out of their rooms. Into the real world. Is this possible from one week in Costa Rica?
I spent countless hours researching a travel provider who could meet my expectations and requirements of luxury, sustainability, adventure, and ways to bond with our kids.
A friend recommended Hands Up Holidays. I was impressed with the creativity, flexibility, and how well Chris listened and created what truly was a perfect itinerary. His responsiveness and obvious care clinched it for me. When we booked our week in Costa Rica, we were expecting luxury and adventure. What we didn’t expect was transformation—especially in our 13-year-old son.
He’s obsessed with animals. So when we had the chance to help at a wildlife rescue center, we jumped at it. Hands Up Holidays organized everything: from a luxury private villa near Arenal Volcano, to a well-supported and safe service opportunity where we could make a difference during our week in Costa Rica.
For two days, we’d head out to the rescue center where sloths, toucans, and monkeys were being rehabilitated. We helped clean enclosures, prepare food, create items to stop the animals getting bored, and observe veterinary care. The staff treated us like one of their own, answering every question we had (and our son had many).
On day three, something clicked. Our boy didn’t ask for his phone once. He wasn’t checking messages or gaming. He was present. And at dinner, he couldn’t stop talking about all he had learned about howler monkeys, the feather-like tongue and diet of a toucan, and how sloths only come to ground to poop.
We spent the afternoons ziplining through cloud forests, soaking in hot springs, and rappelling down cliff faces. But it was the time at the rescue center that left the biggest mark from our one week in Costa Rica.
On the flight home, our son looked out the window and said, “I want to be a vet now. But like… a wildlife one. For real.”
That trip didn’t just reconnect us as a family—it helped our teen find a new passion, and maybe even a calling.
– Amelia Franco traveled to Costa Rica with her family in March 2025