Basic Flight Information for Flights to Costa Rica
Rustic Pathways has a national contract with Continental Airlines for its group flights from the USA and Canada to Costa Rica. We require all students originating within North America to travel on our escorted group flights to ensure the safety of our students and the efficient operation of our programs. We have weekly escorted Continental flights every Tuesday during the summer from both Houston, Texas and Newark, New Jersey directly to San Jose, Costa Rica. Rustic Pathways students come from every corner of the USA, and you may begin your trip in any USA or Canadian city serviced by Continental Airlines. The cost of your plane ticket is based on the state from which you depart. Please see the chart (above) and find the state where your home airport is located. The price shown is the airline ticket cost from your home airport to either Houston or Newark, and then onto San Jose, Costa Rica. The price shown is for round-trip travel for both your domestic flights and your international flights, and does not include taxes and surcharges imposed by the airlines or the governments which are billed separately.

Canadian Students
Canadian students have the option of beginning their trip with Rustic Pathways from their home airport in Canada (Continental Airlines operates flights from Vancouver, Calgary, Toronto, Montreal, Ottawa, Halifax and Quebec – although the number of flights and the timing of those flights may create serious connection issues) or making their own way to any US city served by Continental Airlines and beginning their trip there. Students who book their own flights are subject to restrictions on what time they can arrive into San Jose, Costa Rica, and what time they can depart San Jose. Students booking their flights outside of the established time frames will incur a minimum of $120 transportation fee each way. If you are a Canadian student and have questions about your options, please email us at costarica@rusticpathways.com.

International Students (students not from the USA or Canada)
In most cases, international students are asked to make their own flight arrangements to either one of our Gateway Cities (Houston or Newark), or to make their own flight arrangements directly to San Jose, Costa Rica. Students who book their own flights are subject to restrictions on what time they can arrive into San Jose, Costa Rica, and what time they can depart San Jose. Students booking their flights outside of the established time frames will incur a minimum of $120 transportation fee each way. If you do not live in the USA or Canada and have questions about this option, please email us at costarica@rusticpathways.com.

Check your Luggage from your home airport directly to Costa Rica
When you check in for your first scheduled flight, you will be able to check your luggage all the way to your final destination in San Jose, Costa Rica (SJO). You do not need to pick up your luggage when you change planes.

Meet your flight leader at Newark or Houston Airport and be escorted to Costa Rica
You will fly from your designated departure airport to either Newark (EWR) or Houston (IAH). When you arrive at Newark or Houston you will meet your flight leader and stay with them all the way to Costa Rica. Every group flight from Newark and Houston to Costa Rica, and every group flight from Costa Rica back to Houston and Newark has a Rustic Pathways Flight Leader escorting the students on the flight. Flights from your home city to Houston or Newark are not escorted.

Beginning Your Trip In One City And Returning To A Different City
Some students want to begin their trip in one city, and then return to a different city at the end of their Costa Rica trip. We are able to arrange this in almost all cases as long as you are beginning your trip in one airport served by Continental Airlines, and returning to another airport serviced by Continental Airlines. When you do this, the airfare is 50% of the airfare listed above for your departure airport, plus 50% of the airfare listed above for your returning airport. If you would like to leave from one airport and return from another airport, please indicate this on your application form. If you have questions, please contact us at costarica@rusticpathways.com.

Cost of airfare from your home (or State Where you will fly from if not the same) airport to our Newark or Houston Gateway, then on our escorted flight from either Newark or Houston to San Jose, Costa Rica