Building Wellness in Travel through
Connection, Simplicity & Authenticity

You don’t need to go farther than the most superficial Google search to see that mental and emotional health crises are on the rise for most age groups. Be it COVID, the general business of life, increased use of technology and the resulting dwindling of presence in the world around us, whatever it might be.

There is a clear pattern of disconnect in things like:

The health of our (whole) selves
Our connections with each other in a meaningful way
Our connections with nature & our interdependent world
Being able to stick to our true priorities
Our desired pace and flow of life and our actual schedules on a day to day basis

How We Integrate Contributors to Wellness
into our Travel Experiences

Connecting travelers with locals to the extent that makes sense for the particular group. At the foundation, human connection truly allows us to learn about each other and the world around us and to share culture.

This community can also be right within the travel group. Families who feel like their getaway is meant to help them reconnect with their kids or each other can find that benefit through our trips. We provide ample time to just sit back, take time with each other, enjoy what makes Costa Rica awesome while still making time to truly enjoy your travel companions.

Building Community

Most people seek out travel to Costa Rica because of the natural amazingness that exists pretty much all around: waterfalls, mountain ranges, rivers, streams, volcanos, hot springs, jungles, beaches, and wild biodiversity (5% of the world’s total, to be exact). Something about truly seeing the world all around you come alive is incredible and engaging in that, truly engaging, is a part of all of our trips.

Connecting
to Nature

We truly believe a bit of disconnection isn’t going to kill anyone (at least no Google searches have turned up any such news to date…) On our student trips in particular, we encourage participants to truly be present in their experience and get off their phones. Enjoy what is sure to be a very uncommon period of “technology down time” that we rarely experience during our daily lives. By engaging extensively in the community, having time to truly take in the nature and peace around you, curling up with a good book should you choose or coming together for a pick up game of soccer in the plaza, the opportunities are, not surprisingly, endless in what you can come up with when you remove the ease of pulling out your phone to get online.

Simplifying Life & Being Present

International travel, by nature, is a learning experience. We learn how to navigate language barriers, try foods we don’t recognize, traipse through terrain we don’t have back home, and a whole bunch of other new experiences. Our goal at Go Tico! is to deliberately incorporate opportunities to really learn about not only amazing Costa Rica on a surface level (great beaches! many national parks!), but instead experience the culture and nature and as a result, gain a greater understanding and appreciation for what you are a part of when you travel here.

Learning

By simply rekindling some of those simple, back-to-the-basics ways of living, we can really improve our overall well-being.

Even small changes can help us improve overall well-being, things like:

We at Go Tico! truly believe that those connections we had back in the day (those moments we reminisce about “when we were young”) are what is missing in so much of how the world is now operating.

We want to bring back those face-to-face connections, exploration, and the lack of necessity to constantly be "logged in" to social media. We want to create a fulfilling, low-stress trip of rejuvenation.

Kamika's Personal Testimony: A University Student's Stay in Rural Costa Rica

Upon my arrival, I quickly realized that while in La Flor, I would be treated like family. My first full day was filled with introductions to members of the host community, most of whom were Johel’s siblings and their children, a walk-through of the property including the Casitas while being extensively informed on the naturally grown produce and wildlife inhabiting the area, getting my hands dirty because Sara and Johel’s kids convinced me to do yard work with them (which was fun for someone who doesn’t do a lot of yard work), and becoming familiar with La Flor as a welcoming and beautiful remote area of Costa Rica.

My favorite part of that day and possibly the rest to follow, however, was waking up to the roosters (yes, I mean literal roosters calling) and walking out to the patio to sip my morning coffee while observing the most breathtaking view of the mountains and a rising sun directly in front of me. My close-second most cherished part of each day was joining all the tias in their chit-chat while they watched their kids playing in the street in front of the setting sun. Something about this interaction, and as they patiently helped me converse and participate in their conversations in Spanish, made me feel so at home and welcomed into the community.

Coming from a hectic and busy college-student schedule that entails minimal sleep, constantly experiencing high-stress/anxiety-filled emotions, and little time for self-care, it was a complete 180° to visit Costa Rica. In this setting, I was able to detach from my daily stressors and experience a culture so rooted in its natural landscape.

Every day through each excursion, discovering spectacular views of various natural sites such as waterfalls and mountains, enjoying delicious home-cooked meals, and interacting with Ticos all helped me find my center

I was grounded by the activities I failed to cherish or take part in back home including appreciating nature, spending valuable time with loved ones (without the imposition of technological devices), and embracing a new culture through shared activities.

As La Flor was my first pocket of the world waiting to be explored, I was reassured that there is heart and home to be found anywhere, and I did not have to look hard here to find it.

Our Own Quest for Wellness and Connection

Our Go Tico! Family took a big leap back in 2020 to move to Costa Rica and the life we'd always known and pretty much loved back in Madison, Wisconsin for the simple fact that, despite all that was good, something just felt like it was missing. Here is a little snippet from our blog:

The minute the decision was made, we didn’t look back, despite what seemed like endless hiccups, concerns, and challenges. It took awhile, but we were convinced that this was the way to really refocus our family on what we really valued and escape the rat race that was the life we were living: by experiencing the world, giving our kids a bigger world view outside of their own (beloved) community, developing their language skills, spending more quality time together, and working toward our own (however small) goals for our career paths. Basically, doing what my mom once so perfectly described as “so you want your kids to have the childhood you had?” Exactly. Instead of chugging away down a path we didn't feel was our own, I wanted their lives to be Serendipitous. Read the entire reflection in our blog.

Building Wellness in Travel through Connection, Simplicity & Authenticity

How We Integrate Contributors to Wellness into our Travel Experiences