To give you the flexibility to meet your own particular needs, we leave your flight up to you. Everything else is covered and arranged by us—airport transfers to and from the nearest airport, housing, meals, classes, activities, etc. That being said, we’d be more than happy to provide you with advice or guidance, so don’t hesitate to contact us about making travel arrangements; we can help you find the option that works best for you!

To reach Cadiz, there are three main options:

1. Fly into Jerez Airport, which is located in the city of Jerez de la Frontera. This is the closest airport to Cadiz—about 25 miles away. A representative of Centro MundoLengua will be waiting for you at the airport, and we will provide you with complimentary airport transfers to and from your host family’s home.
2. Fly into the airports of Sevilla or Malaga, which are about a 1.5-hour and 2.5-hour bus ride away, respectively. For an additional fee, Centro MundoLengua can provide airport transfers between these airports and Cadiz.
3. Fly into Madrid and then take a high-speed train to Cadiz. This trip takes about 4.5 hours.

Our summer volunteer abroad programs for high school students in Cadiz normally last between 2-3 weeks. However, it is possible to custom design your own summer volunteer program lasting anywhere from 2 to 6 weeks. Let us create the ideal program for you based on your interests, preferences, and the amount of time you want to volunteer!

We will accompany you on your first day and introduce you to all the key people you’ll be working with at the organization(s) with which you’ll be volunteering. At each organization, you will have a team of people on whom you can count for any questions or concerns.

The answer to that question depends on which organization(s) you’re working with. Some organizations allow students to work every day while others only allow them to volunteer on certain days. We will make sure you have volunteer work scheduled for every weekday, which may entail you working with more than one organization.

Here’s what a typical day will look like on weekdays. (For weekend days, see the answer to the next question below.)

8:30 AM to 9:30 AM: Breakfast With Your Host Family
Enjoy a delicious, home-cooked breakfast with your host family. Perhaps you’ll have some classic Andalusian breakfast fare, such as tostada con tomate, aceite, y sal!

9:30 AM to 10:00 AM: Go on a Scenic Walk or Ride to the Volunteer Center
Take advantage of Cadiz’s walkable streets or accessible public transportation system, and enjoy all of the sights and sounds of the city along the way. You’ll be sure to see some shops, restaurants, or attractions you’ll want to check out later!

10:00 AM to 1:00 PM: Volunteer
Enrich your understanding of the world while helping out Spanish residents in need. Whether you’re serving meals at a food center, doing arts and crafts with marginalized youth, or assisting the elderly, you’ll have daily opportunities to make a difference as part of the global community.

1:00 PM to 2:30 PM: Return Home
Head home for lunch with your host family—perhaps poking your head into one of those shops or taking photos of that beautiful building that caught your eye on the way to class!

2:30 PM to 3:30 PM: Lunch With Your Host Family
Share a home-cooked Spanish lunch with your host family. Perhaps you’ll have some gazpacho or a “Spanish omelet” (known here as “tortilla”). The meal will vary from day to day—and don’t worry: if you have any special dietary needs, we’ll make sure they’re met!

3:30 PM to 4:30 PM: Enjoy Some Free Time
Embrace the Spanish lifestyle by taking a siesta—or use this time to hang out with your friends, explore the city, or talk to your host family—a great chance to practice your Spanish in an authentic setting!

4:30 PM to 7:00 PM: Afternoon Activity
Enjoy cultural activities during these hours. Today, it could be a salsa lesson. Another day, it could a tour of a historic attraction. And another day, it could be a bike ride through the city. Every day is different! Spanish language classes can also be added to this program, and they would take place during this time period.

7:00 PM to 8:30 PM: Enjoy Some More Free Time
Enjoy another chance to relax, talk to your host family, hang out with your friends, and/or explore the city together.

9:00 PM to 10:00 PM: Dinner With Your Host Family
Savor some more Spanish cuisine with your host family. Perhaps you’ll have some paella tonight—or maybe some croquettes! This is also a great chance to talk to your host family about your day—providing you with yet another natural opportunity to practice your Spanish in an authentic setting!

10:00 PM to 12:00 PM: Attend the Nighttime Activity
Unwind from your adventure-filled day and have some fun with your friends from the program. Tonight, it could be a concert, a dance, or a dinner. Another time, it could be a tapas or movie night. Some of these activities are optional, so if you want to just go home and chill, you’ll have a chance to do that too!

On the weekend, you’ll go on organized daytrips to some of the top destinations in and around southern Spain. Transportation, meals, adult guidance, and tours are included, so you’ll be able to enjoy hassle-free, worry-free travel.

As for the destinations, there are many possibilities, and the itineraries vary from program to program. The final selections will be announced when we get closer to the program’s start date, but here are some of the options we’ll be choosing from:

• Sevilla: the 2,200-year-old capital of Andalucía (the southern region of Spain), where you will find the largest cathedral in the world, three UNESCO World Heritage Sites, multiple palaces, gorgeous gardens, ornate fountains, charming buildings with wrought-iron balconies, cobblestone streets, lively plazas, numerous outdoor restaurants, and bustling markets.
• Tarifa: a charming beach town that is situated on the southernmost point of Continental Europe, just 8.6 miles across the Strait of Gibraltar from the shores of Morocco—the intervening waters providing a habitat to many whales and dolphins, while the coastal waters attract windsurfers from all around the world .
• Gibraltar: a British Overseas Territory on the Spanish mainland, where you will find the world-famous Rock of Gibraltar and the almost equally famous Barbary macaques that live around it, providing Continental Europe with its only population of wild monkeys!
• Vejer de la Frontera: a picturesque village full of whitewashed buildings, situated on top of a hill overlooking the scenic river of Río Barbate.

With our optional add-on classes, you’ll be able to level up your Spanish and have fun at the same time. Here are some of the key features of the program’s classes:

• Interactive, conversation-based classes designed for your specific level of Spanish.
• A friendly, experienced teacher who is a native Spanish speaker.
• A focus on both the Spanish language and culture.
• Opportunities to practice your Spanish skills in authentic, real-life settings, such as markets and shops.

While you don’t have to be fluent, you’ll need a high enough level of Spanish to be able to work at various organizations. We recommend you have an intermediate or advanced level of Spanish, however, there are certain volunteer opportunities that require very little communication in Spanish.

Before you arrive in Spain, we’ll ask you to take an online placement exam. We’ll also ask you to tell us the number of years of high school Spanish classes you’ve completed.

It’s like home away from home—with a few added benefits: enjoying homemade Spanish meals, making new friends, and practicing your Spanish in a natural, real-life setting!

Your host family will live in a middle-class home (most likely an apartment), where you will find all of the standard amenities of modern life. You’ll probably share a bedroom with a friend or another student from the study abroad program. You’ll also probably share a bathroom (European homes tend to have fewer bathrooms than those in the US, Canada, and Asia).

All meals are included with your stay. Special dietary needs can be met; all you need to do is inform us about them in advance. On top of meals, your host family will also take care of your laundry!

Like families everywhere, each of our host families is different, so it’s difficult to generalize about them. For example, some have children and/or pets; others do not. However, you can rest assured that each of our host families has been carefully selected by our housing staff, and each of their homes has been personally visited by our housing director to make sure it will provide you with a comfortable, enjoyable place to live, relax, dine, and gain first-hand experience of Spanish culture and hospitality.

We maintain a network of host families with whom we’ve been working for many years, so it’s not like we’ll be putting you with some random Spanish family; you can feel confident that you’ll be in good hands! If you need any assistance during your stay, our housing director will be available to provide support.

You’ll have at least 3 hours per day—sometimes more. It’ll just depend on what we’re doing that day, how much time you have to factor in for travel time, and whether you’re attending the nighttime activity, which will sometimes be optional.

You’ll have 24/7 adult supervision and support while you attend our program. That being said, the word “supervision” makes it sound kind of oppressive, and that’s not what it’s like at all. We’re just here to keep you safe, make sure you have a good time, and help you out if you need any assistance, not to breathe down your neck! Thanks to our extensive, experienced, and knowledgeable network of teachers, directors, coordinators, and host families, you’ll feel very well-supported during your time with us here in Spain. Every day, there will be someone to check in with you and make sure you’re okay during your volunteer placement, activities, and excursions (all of which are adult-led), and you’ll be able to contact someone from our staff for assistance 24/7.

Yes and yes! You’ll have opportunities to participate in language exchanges and/or sports games with local Spanish high school students. As for international high school students, there will most likely be students from other countries attending your program and/or other programs that we run during the same time as yours. Our students typically come from a variety of locations in the US, Canada, Europe, and Asia.