Language Camp in Spain

Live with a host family and learn Spanish through full immersion with Greenheart Travel’s teen summer language camp in Salamanca, Spain. Spaniards call Salamanca “La Dorada,” the Golden City, because of the golden hue cast by the centuries-old limestone buildings. This city is also world-famous for being one of Europe’s oldest university towns. Students from Spain and all over the world still congregate in the Golden City, speaking Castilian, the signature Spanish style of Spain.

Explore Salamanca with Greenheart Travel Scholarship Winner, Ariela Martin:

• Must be between 13 – 18 years old*
• Be in good mental** and physical health
• Beginner level Spanish is accepted, but a general knowledge of basic questions and phrases is helpful

*If you are between the ages of 13 – 15, you will be enrolled in the Junior course. If you are between 16 – 18 years old, you will be in the Teen program. The defining factor between the programs is the amount of supervision, with Juniors required to be chaperoned during free time.

**What does it mean to be in good mental health?

*Moving to a new culture and staying in unfamiliar surroundings without your normal support structure can be very stressful, even to a well-adjusted student. Sending a student with pre-existing conditions on a long-term exchange program could exacerbate whatever challenges the student was previously facing. In order to ensure the safety of our participants, we must be rigorous in our pre-screening of all high school abroad applicants.

Therefore, we may not be able to accept students who have struggled with any kind of mental illness, specifically within the last 2 years and/or are reliant on medication to address their existing mental health condition. Each student will be addressed on a case by case basis and ultimately it is Greenheart Travel’s in-country partner who holds the right to accept or decline a student based on their individual policy.

These include, but are not limited to:

• Depression
• Anxiety
• Obsessive-compulsive disorder
• Eating disorders
• Chronic debilitating migraines
• Bipolar Disorder

All students who currently experience one or more of these conditions will be required to submit an addendum to the terms and conditions as well as a letter of support from their current mental health specialist. If the student’s mental health issue has been managed (post-medication) for over 2 years, we will still require a note from his/her relevant practitioner (psychologist, therapist, psychiatrist, etc) as part of the application process.  We encourage you to discuss your specific situation with us directly before securing these documents.

2021 Program Costs:

• 1 week: $1,760
• 2 weeks: $2,520
• 3 weeks: $3,220
• 4 weeks: $3,810
• 5 weeks: $4,490
• 6 weeks: $5,210

Please note, all prices are listed in USD. 

Packaged into the Price:

• 15 hours of language classes per week
• Airport pickup and drop-off upon arrival and departure at the Madrid airport
• Transportation to Salamanca
• Host family accommodation
• 3 meals per day*
• Comprehensive medical/accident insurance
• Fully chaperoned daily cultural activities & excursions
• Half-day arrival orientation in Spain
• Online and on-site language level placement test
• Comprehensive program handbook with cross-cultural communication training and Spanish culture tips
• Certificate of completion at the end of the program for use on college applications
• Access to Greenheart Travel Facebook groups to connect with alumni and others on your start date ahead of your program.
• Greenheart Atlas Program 

*There is a supplemental fee of $45 a week for students with special diets (vegetarian, vegan, gluten free, lactose free, etc.). Please check with us if you have any questions. 

Our Support and Services: 

• Extensive pre-departure advice and support from your US-based program coordinator! We will be with you from your first inquiry, all the way through preparing to leave and your arrival in Spain.
• Support services from in-country staff upon arrival to Spain.
• Online pre-departure cultural and logistical orientation before you leave
• 24-hour in-country and emergency support for the duration of the program, including 24-hour emergency phone numbers to reach a program manager at any time.

Additional Expenses to Budget for (Estimates):

• Flight to Spain (Madrid)
• Spending money for souvenirs or snacks in Spain

Payment Details

• $300 Application Fee due by the program deadline to formally apply
• $300 Commitment Payment due after acceptance within 14 days to save your spot on a certain start date
• Remaining balance is due 8 weeks before departure to Spain

Worried about the program fee?

Our goal is to help make travel accessible to everyone and we are here to help when you are deciding if this experience is financially do-able. Each year we offer scholarships for high school study abroad students! We also have a guide to fundraising your program fee, and many high school students fundraise in their hometown ahead of their program.

We also offer discounts for applying early (plus there are many other benefits to applying early!) for each start date and for US families that have hosted an exchange student with Greenheart Exchange.

Please inquire here if you have questions about the program fee, scholarships, or fundraising for your program.

As of 6/10/21 – Spain is welcoming vaccinated Americans!

We are running this program for Summer 2021 and will be accepting applications up to 2 weeks prior to your start date. Please review the entry requirements here and make sure you are eligible before applying.

Students choose between a 1-6-week program.

*Please note: Greenheart Travel can also accommodate off-season requests and programs during Australian and New Zealand summer breaks (December-March). Please inquire here for more info.

There are 3 different levels — Elementary, Intermediate, or Advanced. The levels are sub divided up into two sub levels depending on your linguistic skills. You will be given an admissions test on your first day to evaluate your skills and place you in the proper level.

Spanish Courses

• 3 morning classes for 50 minutes Monday through Friday in air-conditioned classrooms
• Classes are taught by native Spanish teachers who specialize in teaching Spanish as a foreign language
• Spanish lessons involve speaking, listening, reading, and writing in lively and informal small classes with no more than 12 students
• You should take a Spanish/English dictionary, notebook, and pencil for class but your school will provide all books and workbooks.
• Students receive a Certificate of Completion at the end of the course

Activities and Excursions

The summer language camp includes cultural, sports, and a wide variety of other educational activities at no additional cost. A different activity is planned for each day except Sunday and includes visits to museums, group events, a day at the swimming pool, excursions and field trips outside of Salamanca. Meeting young people from other countries is a very rewarding part of the program, allowing students to broaden their view of the world.

Here’s a sample of what your day will look like:

Read Tricia’s blog post to get an idea of what your schedule in Spain will feel like!

School staff supervises all activities. During the excursions, students are expected to do some educational activities like take quizzes, take notes of what they see or interview local people.

Please note: Participants are not allowed to go out at night outside the homestay unless accompanied by a chaperone.

All students fly on their own to the Madrid Barajas Airport and are then are picked up by a language school representative, transported to Salamanca, and then dropped off at their host family. After you are accepted onto the program, you can start looking for flights and making arrangements.

Flight guidelines: 

All classes start on Monday, but students should:

• Arrive at the Madrid airport between 8:00am and 4:00pm on Sunday before Monday classes start
• Depart on the Saturday at the end of their program after 1:00pm

Transfer information:

The mode of transfer depends on when students arrive. Students will be automatically reserved for one of the transfers depending on the flight details provided to Greenheart Travel.  The travel time between Madrid and Salamanca is around 3 hours. Remember, the airport transfer is included in the cost of the program.

• Students that arrive at the Madrid airport before 11am travel by train to Salamanca
• Students that arrive at the Madrid airport between 11am and 4pm will take the group shuttle that departs after 4:00pm

Arriving or departing outside these designated windows will incur additional fees.

Students live in carefully selected family-owned residences. These private homes can accommodate between 4 and 8 students at a time. Students will share a room with at least one other student of the same gender. The host family will provide breakfast, lunch and dinner each day. All students in family-owned residences are supervised by local families and have a curfew.

All residences are located near the school – 10-20 minutes walking distance. Prospective hosts undergo a rigorous screening process. Participants can rest assured that only suitable host families will be selected. In order to qualify, the residence owners must:

• Successfully pass a criminal background check
• Undergo and pass an in-person interview with program staff
• Agree to and pass a home inspection

*If you would prefer to live in a dormitory, we do have options available during certain start dates. Please contact us directly with questions.

Greenheart Travel has been sending teens to Spain for many years, and there are advantages of applying for this program through us:

• 33 years of experience with cultural exchange programs
• Friendly, responsive, and professional support from your program manager, Connor.
• Connect with alumni and others on the program via our Greenheart Travel only Facebook forums, before you even leave!
• We try and make our program fees as inclusive as we can. We include things like medical insurance so you don’t run into any hidden fees down the line.
• Greenheart Atlas Program. The Greenheart Travel Atlas is a cultural training interactive guidebook alongside five videos where you will find three main topics covered: Personal/Professional Development, Cultural Understanding, & Environmental Awareness.
• Our alumni recommend us! GoOverseas.com Reviews // GoAbroad.com Reviews
• Hands-on support and personal attention every step of the way
• 24/7 emergency phone number to reach a staff member at any time
• Pre-departure “Culture Shock and Adjustment” Webinar before you leave
• Discounts for future Greenheart Travel programs
• We are a non-profit, mission-based organization
• Continued support throughout your time abroad

We also have some unique offerings to our Greenheart Travel students and alumni!

Greenheart Global Impact Grants (GIGs)

Greenheart GIG Grants are funds awarded to Greenheart Travel participants to use for community development projects in their host or home country after they return home. A GIG is the opportunity to create, improve, or maintain an impactful, community-focused project abroad or at home. Grant funds could be applied to supporting women’s cooperatives, schools, community centers, or health clinics, for example. Grant winners will be featured on our website, social media, and blog. You can see our past winners on our blog here.

Greenheart Alumni Program

We created the Greenheart Travel Alumni Program to provide resources and a community to support alumni in their advancement as global leaders, and a way to celebrate and reward our participants for being ambitious, inspiring catalysts of cultural exchange!

Junior Greenheart Global Leaders Conference

Each May Greenheart offers full-ride scholarships to around 10 teen alumni to attend our annual conference in Chicago. You can see more about what Jr. GGLC is and what you could do at the conference here.

Committing to a language camp program can feel a bit daunting, but we are here every step of the way to make the application process as simple as possible. Below are the steps you’ll need to take to be accepted on a Greenheart Travel program.

Once you start your application, you have two weeks to finish.

1. Ensure Your Eligibility: The eligibility requirements, such as age or language proficiency, may be required for certain destinations.

2. Start Your Application Here. You will be sent more information as well as the link to our application portal to begin your formal application. You’ll be able to save your progress along the way.

3. Sign the Terms & Conditions: After you complete the first part of your application, you (and your parent(s) if you’re under 18) will be asked to read through and sign our Terms and Conditions which outline the requirements and policies of the program

4. Submit your application fee: You will need to submit your $300 application fee at this point in the process. This is required in order to reserve your spot on the program and is subtracted from your total program fee.

5. In-Depth Questionnaire: This is the most in-depth part of the application process as it helps us get to know you better. You will need to provide detailed information about yourself, why you want to go abroad, and what you hope to gain from your experience. You will also need to upload your passport.

6. Acceptance: Greenheart Travel will thoroughly review your application and will contact you within 1-2 weeks to confirm your acceptance. If we find something in your application that we have concerns about, we will let you know immediately. 95% of applicants are accepted on the program they apply for.

You’re Accepted – now what?

Your program manager will be in touch with you directly about your acceptance. At this point you will be required to submit a second $300 commitment payment that also goes towards the total amount (it’s not extra). This is your commitment to your start date and once we receive it is when details will start to be booked on your behalf.

You’ll then be able to download program handbook from the portal, which talks more about your program, as well as supplemental information about dealing with culture shock and our insurance program. We will also schedule an online pre-departure orientation to answer any lingering questions you may have. You can expect to receive your host family placement 1-2 weeks prior to your start date.

Please refer to our COVID-19 blog for the most up-to-date information on current programming.

Adhering to COVID-19 Guidelines

Closer to your start date, you will participate in an online pre-departure training with a Greenheart Travel staff member. The details will be provided to  you upon acceptance onto the program. During this online training, the Greenheart Travel staff member will provide any specific COVID-19 guidelines or entry requirements (such as getting a COVID-19 test 72 hours prior to departure). All students will be required to adhere to any local or federal government guidelines while on program, such as wearing a mask and maintaining six feet of distance with anyone outside of this program. These will be discussed with students during the online pre-departure as well as upon arrival. Guidelines, requirements, and restrictions change frequently, so we will give you the most accurate information as possible as close to your start date as possible.

Cancellation in Case of COVID-19 or its Effects

Our policy is to still evaluate programs 6 weeks prior to your intended start date. If we determine we are unable to run your original start date due to factors like health & safety of students or entry restrictions, you will have options to defer to another start date/year, switch to a new program or request a partial refund. Please refer to our COVID-19 Cancellation and Refund Policy for more details.