Email this page
July 26, 2010
Costa Rica: How home-hosted visits are transforming lives
When OAT travelers tell me what they enjoyed most about exploring the world with us, they mention their home-hosted visits. This is especially gratifying to hear, since we work hard to include opportunities like these—where travelers join a local family in their home for a traditional meal—on every OAT adventure.
But it turns out our travelers aren’t the only ones who appreciate these cross-cultural connections—as evidenced by two stories I heard recently about some very special families in Costa Rica who’ve welcomed our travelers into their homes.
First, Wolfgang Brunner—OAT’s Regional General Manager for Central America—described how he and the staff members in our San Jose office started sharing stories about their childhoods one afternoon. Two associates (who also happen to be cousins), Product Administrator Karina Fernandez and Accounts Payable Analyst Mariangela Fernandez, grew up in a rural area called Llano Grande de Puriscal. In the early 1990s, tourists began coming to their village to visit the local school (which was attended by eight students) and, afterwards, dine with the families in their homes.
Karina Fernandez and her mother with an OAT traveler.
“It was the highlight of our week,” Mariangela remembers. “We had so much fun meeting these travelers.” They enjoyed it so much, in fact, that during the off-season, the girls used to pretend they were tour guides for this company … which turned out to be OAT. Working with us now, Karina and Mariangela say, is “a dream come true.”
What’s more, both women are incredibly grateful for the opportunities these visits afforded their families. “The extra income we received made it possible for us to leave our village and move to Puriscal City,” Karina explains. “Because of this, Mariangela and I were able to go to a good high school, which in turn helped us earn our university degrees.”
Separately, Adventure Specialist Maggie Nevins told me about a family she’d met during our Real Affordable Costa Rica adventure. After visiting with children at San Francisco School, which is supported by donations from Grand Circle Foundation, Maggie recalls, the group made its way to the students’ homes for lunch. “We trekked along this incredibly muddy dirt road,” she says, “eventually arriving at a small but spotless brick house. The mother had prepared this delicious meal for us—and I was amazed later to discover that she’d done all of the cooking on a hot plate, since their tiny kitchen wasn’t equipped with a stove.
“After we’d eaten,” Maggie continues, “I asked the mother, who spoke excellent English, why they did this—why did they bring American travelers into their home? ‘You’ve been to the school,’ she said. ‘Thanks to OAT, we have new classrooms and computers. My younger son is now first in his class—and your company made it possible.’ Then the father, a truck driver, spoke, and since his English was limited, the elder son translated for him. With tears in his eyes, the father told us how, through these home-hosted meals, his children had met teachers, lawyers, doctors … even an astronaut. ‘I am so grateful,’ he said. ‘You have opened up the world to my family.’”
The family who welcomed Maggie Nevins into their home.
Both of these stories underscore travel’s transformative potential: Whether we’re immersing ourselves in an unfamiliar culture, or sharing our history and traditions with inquisitive visitors, the very act of doing so can change our lives—and others’—for the better.
Do you have special memories of the families you’ve met during home-hosted visits with OAT? If so, I hope you’ll share your thoughts with me—and other travelers—by posting your comments below this Journal entry. (You can also email me at harriet@oattravel.com.)
In the coming weeks, we’ll be spotlighting Iceland, Egypt, and Southeast Asia (including Thailand, Vietnam, and Laos and Cambodia). If you’ve explored these destinations with OAT, I’d love to hear about your experiences—and see your photos! Email me at
Harriet Lewis