ABOUT COSTA RICA TOURS LTD.
COSTA RICA TOURS, LTD. (CRT), specializes exclusively in Costa Rica and Panama. More than just vacation trips, our tours are "educational adventures" enjoyed by passengers of all ages.
Based in Charlotte, NC, the company was created in 1998 to contribute to the continued development of Costa Rica. CRT's owner, Sandra Feldman, has been actively committed to the country and region since serving as a Peace Corps volunteer in rural Costa Rica during the 1960s. After the Peace Corps, Sandra worked for more than 30 years as an educator and specialist in organizational and community development, focusing on Latin America. She brings her depth of knowledge of all regions of Costa Rica and Panama to the design of our tours.
CRT is dedicated to sharing the natural beauty and rich cultural histories of these two countries with our travelers. This philosophy, coupled with our long-term collaboration with individuals and organizations in Costa Rica and Panama, has resulted in innovative tours characterized by small group size, flexible dates, enthusiastic tour escorts, knowledgeable country guides and wonderful “surprises” around every corner.
Our passengers come from throughout the United States. We have customized tours for family groups and educational organizations including Kent State University, Iowa State University, Lynn University and The Art Institutes of Dallas and Houston. We also have provided customized tours sponsored by local groups including The Charlotte World Affairs Council, WTVI Public Television, Charlotte Country Day School and Countryside Montessori School. In 2002, CRT was selected by AAA Carolinas (North Carolina and South Carolina) as a Preferred Tour Operator for Costa Rica and Panama.
During the last 10 years CRT has grown through collaboration with associates in Washington DC, Atlanta, Texas and Iowa. The associates bring unique subject expertise to the company and help design, market and escort our tours. Our home office staff also includes a tour designer, a financial and technical specialist, and a marketing and data management assistant who expedite and customize tours.
Meet Us:
Sandra Feldman, owner of CRT, also is general manager and lead tour designer. Sandra served as a Peace Corps Volunteer for 2 years in Costa Rica and as Director of a Peace Corps training program in Fiji. For the next 25 years, she worked as a specialist in organizational and community development in the U.S. and in 15 countries primarily in Latin America. She also taught or administered educational programs at several universities. Since moving to North Carolina, Sandra has served on the boards of several local organizations. In 2007, the Charlotte chapter of the National Association of Women Business Owners (NAWBO) named Sandra its 2007 Business Owner of the Year.
Bonnie Birker served as a Peace Corps Volunteer in the Azuero region of Panama. Bonnie has a Masters in Social Work from the University of Iowa, and has worked as a human services professional in a variety of community development, micro-enterprise, and family economics programs. Raised on a farm in Iowa, Bonnie has been an avid gardener throughout her life and was the coordinator of the Master Gardener Program in Linn County, Iowa. A CRT Associate since 2001, Bonnie escorts our annual Panama with Canal Transit and Garden Tours, as well as co-designing and guiding numerous customized group tours. In 2006, Bonnie relocated to Panama and is assisting in the expansion of our program there as well as operating her Casa del Puerto B&B.
Dr.
Frank Rutowski, D.V.M., traveled with CRT as a passenger on
our CR Variety Tour in 2005 and on a customized tour for his family in
2006. He says that since his first CRT tour, the wonderful country and people have
become part of his heart. Frank joined CRT as an associate a to
co-design and escort our specialized Nature Tours. He brings extensive
knowledge from his undergraduate studies in zoology and graduate studies at
the College of Veterinary Medicine of North Carolina State University. Dr. Rutowski
owns and operates Animal Care Hospital
of Matthews (NC) and is one of the few local veterinarians with a special
interest in birds, especially parrots.
Donna Sullivan,
President of Sullivan's Custom Tours, brings to our company more than 20 years of
experience as a college instructor and administrator
at The Art Institute of Houston where she served as director of fashion marketing and
director of public relations. She has developed and escorted
educational study tours for fashion, interior design and culinary students
throughout the world. As a CRT associate Donna markets and escorts our unique
Tropical Cooking School & Tour in Costa Rica.
John Allensworth, Ph.D., received his doctoral degree in in geography with a specialty in Latin America, earth science and Third World economic development. John was a faculty member at Kent State University for more than 25 years and currently is a Lecturer in the Department of Geosciences at Georgia State University. He served as a Peace Corps volunteer in Panama and as a Peace Corps trainer for programs in the Dominican Republic, Peru and Honduras. John has organized and escorted cultural tours to 11 countries in Latin America, as well as to Thailand, India, Tibet, Russia, Italy and Ireland. As a CRT Associate, John co-designs and escorts customized tours in Costa Rica and Panama.