Tropical Adventures was born in 2005 out of the founders' personal experiences of immersing themselves in the culture of Costa Rica, learning the language, sharing perspectives with locals and fostering personal and cultural understanding of the people and community through service and volunteering.

Scott Pralinsky and Isaac Garcia didnít set out to ìsave the world,î but yet to make a difference in the lives of one person at a time.

Pralinsky says, ìWhen we started out, we really didnít know what we were doing. We just knew that we wanted to do something to help out our own community. Once we started doing research and getting out to meet all the individual communities and families and hearing their stories it was really hard to figure out where to start. There was so much need out there and, of course, we wanted to help everyone. But we just started one school at a time, one family at a time. And before we knew it, things took off like crazy. Now we look back just a few years later and itís unbelievable how many people we have helped and how many of those people we consider to be part of our family. Itís the best ëjobí Iíve ever had in my life.î

Garcia, who grew up in Costa Rica, adds, ìIn addition to the great feeling of knowing how much weíre helping the people, animals, and the environment here in Costa Rica, I donít think we knew the extent of the impact the program would have on the people who come to volunteer. Besides the sheer beauty of the country itself, I think people are really blown away by the authenticity, warmth and generosity of the Costa Rican people. Almost 100% of our volunteers leave in tears, having made new friends for life. And a good majority of them come back to visit. Itís really like we have created a big, international family. I love it!î

Scott Pralinsky, is co-founder and Executive Director of the Tropical Adventures Foundation. His previous experience includes 13 years designing and teaching courses to the US Air Force and being a subject matter expert in the area of international crisis response. Outside of his work with the government, Scott also consulted privately for senior executives and board members on merger and acquisition issues for various international corporations, including Smith Barney and Time Warner. Now a Costa Rican citizen, Scott has lived in Costa Rica since 2004 and holds a graduate degree in Spiritual Psychology from the University of Santa Monica.

Isaac Garcia is co-founder and Director of Volunteer Services of the Tropical Adventures Foundation. He holds a bachelors degree in Political Science from the University of Costa Rica and an MA in Spiritual Psychology from the University of Santa Monica. In 2003, after specializing in public policy hoping to learn more about possible solutions for addressing some of Costa Ricaís economic and social issues, Isaac began working for the Minister of Security, specifically with the Department of International Cooperation. In this position, he worked with national and international foundations to create and execute economic and social projects. Isaac loves his work with Tropical Adventures and enjoys his time traveling and with his many animals on his farm.

Ricardo Osorno has lived in the region of Guanacaste all his life. Since graduating from from the Hispanoamericana University with a degree in Advertising, heís clocked up several yearsí experience working freelance in the advertising industry. Heís now our Volunteer Coordinator for the beautiful region of Guanacaste located in the Pacific Northwest. He'll be your Volunteer Coordinator if you choose one of our projects in this beautiful region. His smile is infectious, he loves his job and he is anxious to welcome you to his beautiful country.