Costa Rica Changed the Way I Think about Travel

I went to Costa Rica expecting adventure.

I knew there would be rainforests, waterfalls, wildlife, volcanoes, and plenty of opportunities to get outside my comfort zone.

And there was all of that.

What I didn't expect was how much Costa Rica would make me think about the way we travel.

I've planned a lot of Hawaii vacations over the years. Oahu, Maui, Kauai—I've sent clients to beautiful resorts, helped them arrange snorkeling excursions and hikes, planned visits to historic sites, and built itineraries around some pretty spectacular landscapes.

But Costa Rica felt different.

The more time I spent in Costa Rica, the more I began to realize that nature wasn't just the scenery surrounding the vacation. Nature was at the heart of the vacation.

Nature Isn't Just Scenery. It's Part of the Experience.

In Costa Rica, I didn't feel like I was visiting a beautiful country that happened to have a lot of nature. I felt like I was being invited into someone's home who honored the nature surrounding it.

We would be just driving down the road and suddenly pull over so William our naturalist guide could show us a sloth with his telescope.

And while I didn't bring home a stuffed sloth, I came home with so many cool experiences like seeing these beauties in the wild.

When I was canyoning, I kept looking up into the canopy of trees thinking I wish I had my camera right now.

But I didn't.

But honestly, that was part of the magic. So many things I did weren't captured through my camera because I was doing things that required my full attention.

These experiences were things I was supposed to present in. Not preoccupied by capturing it to post later.

The wildlife. The rainforest. The waterfalls. The mountains. The sounds.

Even the adventures I did—things that pushed me far outside my normal comfort zone—felt less like checking an activity off an itinerary and more like experiencing the place on its own terms.

The Land Is Still at the Heart of Everything

What struck me wasn't simply how beautiful Costa Rica is.

It was how deeply the people seem to understand the value of that beauty.

Yes, Costa Rica is a tourism destination. There are hotels, tour companies, restaurants, transportation services, guides and all the things that come with a thriving travel industry.

But I never felt like tourism had completely taken over the place.

Instead, it felt like people had figured out how to invite visitors into their country without losing the things that make you want to come in the first place.

A respect for the environment.

A sense that the land wasn't something to conquer or change simply to make things easier.

They repeatedly showed that.

In the way they talked about the wildlife.

In the way they worked around the weather.

In the way they preserved the landscape.

In the way they seemed to understand that everything has a place in the larger ecosystem.

Even the things I might normally consider an inconvenience -- bugs, rain, muddy roads -- felt like part of the deal. Let's be real. I would never sign myself up for that willingly. But now, I would go back in a heartbeat.

Luxury Isn't Always What You Expect.

This was one of my favorite surprises.

I am a hotel snob. But on this trip, I slept in a tent. Now, granted, it was a glamping tent and a 5-star property. It did have a full bathroom. But the structure was a tent. In the middle of the rainforest.

I thought I would be terrified of this property because I was surrounded my the jungle, but I found myself being lulled to sleep by the sounds of the outdoors.

Then at 5 a.m. when the howler monkeys started talking, I couldn't wait to run outside to try to spot them.

Magical. I tell you simply. It was pure magic.

Costa Rica Made Me Rethink Easy

I prefer easy travel. I like a well-planned itinerary. I like a good road. I like being on time.

In Costa Rica, you might as well just lear to go with the flow.

Like William said, you will go as fast as the slowest car in front of you. That was so true.

Traffic, rain, animals can all change your route in Costa Rica. GPS can only help so much.

But somehow, this way of traveling became magical too. You just enjoyed the ride.

And Then There's Pura Vida

You hear pura vida everywhere. It's often translated as "pure life."

It's a way of approaching life, and after spending time there, I understood why it fits the country so well.

The people are warm and inviting. They appreciate the earth.

They are resourceful and simple but they don't do without. Instead they understand what is important.

Costa Rica didn't change my desire to travel in luxury. But it sure made me want to travel intentionally.

To slow down and notice where I am, understand the place I am visiting, and really connect with my surroundings.

I definitely learned that the most meaningful parts of travel aren't captured on my phone. They aren't scheduled either. And they aren't a souvenir.

It's a feeling. Maybe that's my pura vida.