It is a yearly tradition for Westford Academy to provide students with the opportunity to travel on an international trip. In 2023, WA students traveled to Greece, then Italy in 2024, and come April break, a group of 31 students and five chaperones will be going to Costa Rica on a trip led by English teacher Lynn Bonakdar.
Last year, despite a bed bug infestation early in the trip, WA’s time in Italy was a major success. On this trip there was a combined total of 102 students and chaperones visiting multiple cities around the country over the course of 10 days.
This year, the maximum number of students traveling to Costa Rica was set to 34. The size of the group was determined to ensure that all of the traveling students and chaperones could fit on one coach bus, making the nine days of traveling more organized.
“I like the idea of having a smaller group so that we can build community before we leave,” Bonakdar said. “We have met multiple times to learn about Costa Rica, discuss trip logistics, and get to know each other, which will hopefully lead to a more comfortable and close-knit group when we are on tour.”
Everyone traveling to Costa Rica will be meeting at WA early in the morning on Wednesday, April 16 to catch their flight out of Boston’s Logan Airport at 5 a.m. The group will fly from Boston to their layover in Panama, and then later that afternoon, finish their traveling for the day by landing in San Jose, Costa Rica. The date of the trip aligns with WA’s spring break in order for students to only miss two and a half days of school and return home on Thursday, April 24.
Bonakdar and co-advisor Stephanie Devlin have put together a packed itinerary for the traveling WA students. Over the course of the trip, a few of the main activities will include hiking at Arenal National Park and La Fortuna Waterfall, kayaking in Lake Arenal, learning how to make traditional Costa Rican food and participating in activities with local students, touring the Santa Elena Cloud Forest, ziplining through the canopy, enjoying a crocodile boat cruise and butterfly sanctuary, relaxing in hot springs, visiting Manuel Antonio National Park, and attending a folklore evening.
“I am really excited to do a lot of the activities we have planned to do such as kayaking around a volcano, hiking, and ziplining,” senior Mikayla Creighton said. “I am also really looking forward to trying the food and experiencing the culture in Costa Rica.”
According to students, Bonakdar has invested a lot of thought and effort into this trip. She co-led both the Greece and Italy trips in the years prior, and she is using her past experiences as an advisor to provide the traveling students with the most memorable experience possible.
“I had Mrs. Bonakdar for junior year English and I loved her class, so I’m excited to travel with her. She has been great about communicating trip details, answering questions, and [making sure we’re excited] for what’s to come,” senior Maddie Poirier said. “The packing list has also been super helpful to pack efficiently and pack items that we didn’t really know we needed.”
The weather and wildlife in Costa Rica is another aspect of the trip that both students and chaperones are looking forward to experiencing. Being a tropical island, Costa Rica has frequent rainstorms, but during this time of year, the temperature is consistently in the 70s and 80s.
“There is a chance that we might get to do a night hike with a naturalist in Monteverde,” Bonakdar said. “We will be exploring with flashlights and there is a chance we could see sloths, armadillos, exotic insects and birds, and even some glowing fungi. I think this will be an unforgettable experience for all of us.”
Several WA seniors are partaking in this adventure, viewing it as the perfect way to conclude their time in high school.
“I think what drove me [to go on this trip] was because it [is] my senior year,” Creighton said. “I really wanted to try something new and spend a fun time with my friends. Additionally, this will be my first time [traveling out of the country], but my parents went to Costa Rica and absolutely loved it.”
The cost of the trip totaled to about $4,000 per student. This fee includes all planned meals, tips, travel insurance, plane and bus transportation, lodging, entrance fees, tours, and a full time tour director for the group.
“Honestly I’ve always thought that the international trips have been super expensive, and when I saw that this trip cost under 4k, I thought that was a more stomachable price,” Poirier said. “Of course it’s also my senior year so I figured ending it with a trip with my best friends would be special.”
Provided by: Lynn Bonakdar
According to Bonakdar, she has been so passionate about creating unforgettable experiences for her students at WA because when she was in high school, she had the opportunity to travel to China and Greece, two trips which sparked her enthusiasm for travel.
“My interest [for traveling] is what led me to study abroad in Italy, and then as an adult visit other countries such as Turkey, France, Switzerland, and Spain,” Bonakdar said. “Now, I’m hoping to pass along my passion for travel to Westford Academy students.”
Bonakdar is always searching for adventure-filled excursions, so she is already preparing to advise the 2026 international trip to Japan. On Wednesday, April 9, Bonakdar is leading the informational meeting for next year’s journey to Japan.
“Not only do I enjoy planning and leading trips, but more importantly, I believe strongly in the educational and personal value of travel and providing opportunities for students to learn about other cultures,” Bonakdar said.
