Programs in Scenic Costa Rica

Costa Rica is a new destination this year for Interhostel, the education and travel experience for mature travelers.

A two-week program, similar to the other overseas study/travel programs Interhostel offers each year, will take place April 5 to 18. The cost of the ground portion is $1,095. Round-trip air fare will add about $289, depending upon the departure gateway.

The program will be based primarily in San Jose, the capital, with accommodations at Hotel Europa, a first-class hotel with private baths, air conditioning and swimming pool.

Side tours, some with overnight stays, will include the quaint port of Limon on the Caribbean and the lush Monteverde Cloud Forest astride the Continental Divide.

Volcano Trips

Two volcano visits are included; Poas, one of the nation’s most active, and Irazu, the highest. From the latter you can see the Pacific Ocean and the Caribbean Sea.

In San Jose the program visits the national theater (patterned after the Paris Opera House), Jade Museum, Cultural Plaza, Central Market and other historic and cultural places.

While traveling in the country, members will participate in an educational program of lectures on Costa Rica’s customs, family life, flora and fauna and diverse geography.

Costa Rica’s rich ethnic heritage also will be explored with lectures on the Amerindian, Spanish and Afro-Caribbean makeup of the population.

Time is running out on reservations, so act fast.

Other Programs

Interhostel’s other programs include Bamberg, Germany, April 12 to 26; Florence, Italy, May 13 to June 1 and June 2 to 16; Toledo, Spain, May 15 to 30; Athens, May 17 to 31; Vienna, May 22 to June 5, and Lugano, Switzerland, May 31 to June 14.

Programs vary from $1,095 to $1,795. Interhostel trips include all in-country expenses, room and board, ground travel and transfers and admission charges. Air fare to each destination is not included but can be arranged through Interhostel at the least expensive, regularly confirmed fares available.

For more information, contact Interhostel, University of New Hampshire, Continuing Education Dept. T, 24 Rosemary Lane, Durham, N.H. 03824, or call (603) 862-1147, Monday through Friday, from 1:30 p.m. to 4 p.m., Eastern time.

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Frames Rickards, one of Great Britain’s oldest and leading operators of escorted tours in Britain and the Continent, is making a bid for more mature travelers with discounts on five of its many tours.

The tours are not specifically designed for mature travelers, and discounts for those 55 years or older are a modest 3% to 5%.

The discounts are offered on a six-day ($604) “Western Explorer” (southwestern England); 12-day ($1,015) “Best of Britain and Ireland”; 12-day ($1,173) “European Panorama”; 23-day ($2,013) “Grand Tour of Europe.” Prices are from London and do not include air fares from the United States.

Tours are by the company’s modern motor coaches and include a good mix of modern and traditional hotels, all with private bath or shower. Breakfast and dinner are generally included. Frames has a good reputation within the industry with an international clientele.

Frames has been serving British travelers for more than 100 years, and mature travelers make up a third of its tour members, many of whom are from Commonwealth countries.

British Tours

The company also has a wide range of other tours, many of them one- to four-day tours of Great Britain.

While there is no senior discount on these tours, Frames does add membership in what it calls its “Golden Opportunities Club.” This gives some discounts on shopping, restaurants and attractions, a travel bag and Fuji quick-snap disposable camera and other benefits.

If nothing else, the inclusive color brochure is worth comparing to other potential tour companies.

If your travel agent does not have one, contact the London-based company’s California sales representative: California Parlor Car Tours, 1101 Van Ness Ave., San Francisco 94109, or call toll-free (800) 331-9259.