Costa Rica Gateway to Wellness Travel
Hey travelers!
Today’s blog is about a travel experience close to my heart.
My trip to Costa Rica.
Life-changing.
Maybe I’m exaggerating, but the trip led to a sequence of life-changing events I’d been too afraid to leap towards prior.
Have you ever felt stuck in life?
You try to make a move, but nothing is moving to show you how to get out, hence the stuck part.
When I feel trapped, the best thing I can do for myself is retreat to clear my head and experience a fresh perspective sprinkled with inspiration.
Costa Rica was a mental and physical retreat that pulled me out of thoughts of desperation and anxiety. The experiences and activities were spontaneous decisions my friends traveling together made that proved to be an unexpected blessing.
How did it help transform me?
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Not sure it was one thing. What did happen was activities around wellness, nature, beauty, and relaxation, which in itself cleared my mind and gave me a new perspective on my situation at home.
It also filled me with gratitude and awareness of the pura vida life.
Wellness Tourism.
Wellness Tourism in Costa Rica is popular with the Millennials, Gen X, and Boomers, which inspired me to write this blog and share my experience. Sure, I stumbled into it, yet the message was as clear as a blue sky. What a great way to travel.
What the heck is wellness travel or tourism?
That was my initial thought when I first heard about it.
With Google’s help, I realized this concept is not new; if anything, it is an old concept revamped into mainstream travel. Good news if you are a budget traveler like myself.
How?
Follow me back to when hidden resorts, exclusive retreats facilitated by the best experts and gurus, spas made for kings and queens, personalized services reminiscent of the Greek God era, and wellness activities like hydration bars and couples massages were only available to the rich and famous.
Maybe I am being a bit dramatic, but as a kid, we thought luxury meant staying at a Holiday Inn with a complimentary breakfast and a pool. Forget the spa services, meditation gardens, gyms, and free exercise classes.
As wellness tourism begins to trump the days of fly-flop-and-sip, the availability of affordable services increases. What was once only afforded to the wealthy is now available for healthy, budget-friendly travelers.
Why wellness travel?
Health-conscious individuals want to experience wellness activities while traveling, and destinations like Costa Rica offer it. They want a trip focused on spas, nutrition, nature, fitness, sleep, relaxation, and mental and physical rejuvenation.
What exactly is wellness travel?
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Wellness travel is broad. First, what it is NOT.
It’s not health or medical travel where a person travels somewhere to get medical procedures or treatment.
It’s not another way to say fancy retreat for the rich.
It's not exclusive to retreat centers or resorts, meaning you do not need to book an all-inclusive or specialized retreat to enjoy wellness travel experiences and services.
It’s not a vacation centered around passive relaxation where the goal is to do nothing and not move towards anything except the next bar. Those days are over for many travelers who desire a more enriching experience.
So, what is it?
Wellness travel encompasses an array of experiences that boost mental and physical health with a different way to relax, more like active relaxation, as you take action for your wellness.
The best part is, you decide what you want to experience! Check out my blog 11 Self-Care Practices to Do Anywhere for ideas. If you enjoy reading as a way to relax, read my blog 9 Essential Reads for Women Travelers. The book list is full of inspiration, connection, and strength.
If surfing in the Pacific is your sanctuary, great! If you prefer to be pampered and guided into a wellness journey. Amazing! You may love staying in a peaceful bungalow and exploring nature solo. Fantastic!
Your experience could be a Costa Rican mountain resort in the lush rainforest, a coastal beach hotel with sunrise yoga, or a VRBO next to a hiking trail leading you to stunning waterfalls.
The point.
What brings you a sense of rejuvenation, relaxation, peace, and well-being?
There lies your destination and itinerary. Wellness tourism is a continuum or the acquiring of wellness attained while traveling.
I went to Costa Rica hoping to experience a sloth citing. These lazy creatures fascinate me and freak me out a bit. My expat friends made it happen with a trip to the Rescate Wildlife Rescue Center in Alajuela. We found two sloths tightly balled up high on a tree branch.
The excitement was similar to the first time I saw fireflies in Illinois. There are no fireflies on the West Coast where I grew up. It had been a dream of mine to witness for so long. It may seem silly to get so excited about a fly or sloth, but it’s more about the wonderment in life and my wanderlust for experiences.
They positively impact me and inspire me to keep moving toward my desires with a heart full of gratitude. Witnessing this foreign creature in its habitat was one of my most memorable inspiring experiences in Costa Rica.
What inspires your well-being that you can include in your next trip?
The Trillion Dollar Wellness Tourism and How It Serves You
The two separate industries combined equate to a multi-trillion dollar industry. Wellness tourism is well on its way (pun intended) to becoming a trillion-dollar industry within the year.
How does that serve us as travelers?
There will be more and more well-being options at different destinations. It’s beginning to show in hotels as they add spas, gyms, meditation rooms, healthy eating options, and fitness classes for guests to enjoy.
Finding wellness activities and adventures will be more available wherever we go, enriching our travels and giving us greater access to alternative ways to retreat.
Here’s a tiny example. I was staying at the Hotel Cultura Plaza in the center of San Jose. It’s a busy city with fast food, bakeries, restaurants and plenty of shopping.
It’s not a place you’d expect to find high-quality organic cacao bars handmade locally. Well, I did and didn’t need to go far. Placed at the front desk of my hotel was a little woven basket with a flavor variety of local cacao bars. I took it as a win and bought six as gifts.
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This wellness tourism trend will continue to grow as destinations offer the best of their region.
Below are a few examples from around the world:
Costa Rica - Rainforest spa retreats
Morocco - Thermal Hammamms
Brazil - Thermal Waterparks
Argentinia - Thermal Resorts
USA - Weightloss Retreats, destination spas, and hiking retreats
Why Costa Rica?
PURA VIDA.
Pura Vida is the unofficial slogan of Costa Rica. It translates to “pure life”.
It symbolizes a simple, happy lifestyle and outlook. Costa Rica is known to be called the happiest country on earth. For this reason, many expats (a person who resides outside their country) are making it their home.
Solo Experience in San Juan and How I Found Pura Vida.
Being my first trip to Costa Rica and my Florida friends were delayed a day, I challenged myself to a solo stay in the capital city.
After making it through airport customs, I hailed a taxi, no I didn’t, the taxi driver hailed me. I hopped in and immediately realized I wouldn’t want to drive here, crazy drivers, people running across highways, and no shoulders to pull off the roads.
Once I settled into my hotel room. I went out to seize the rest of the day and explore the cultural center of San Jose.
It’s a busy city with people walking through the center of town and the market streets. What a lively place with a lot to take in.
After learning it wasn’t advised I go out alone past sunset due to safety, I stayed in my hotel room, which ended up being a long night. It gets dark by 6:00 pm.
I’m usually a very active traveler, filling my time with sights and experiences, yet I had no choice but to relax and get with the pura vida way.
The following morning, I had a few hours to explore before my scheduled pickup to Atenas to stay with my expat friends. The driver changed the 10:30 am pickup to 3:30 pm, allowing extra time in San Jose.
I took advantage of the opportunity to explore what I thought I’d missed the evening before staying in the hotel. The day began with a visit to the Jade Museum, enjoying lunch in Chinatown, taking a quiet moment in a Catholic church, and walking through the food market before leaving the city.
It all worked out, and that is the pura vida experience. Relax, it will all work out.
Where to go in Costa Rica? Here’s a Few Places to Consider.
La Fortuna is one of the most popular destinations in Costa Rica. The town sits at the base of the active Arenal Volcano. It boasts hot springs, waterfalls, and gardens.
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Corcovado National Park is arguably one of the best places on earth, with unspoiled beaches, waterfalls, trails, and eco-lodges.
Beach Towns:
Cahuita (Caribbean side)
Taramindo (Pacific side)
Most visited waterfalls:
Is wellness travel in Costa Rica expensive?
The cost depends on whether you are staying at an all-inclusive resort with spa amenities or a VRBO and exploring destinations like stunning waterfalls, lush rainforest hiking, or pristine beaches on your own.
Resorts can vary in price based on the services offered. The options in tourist areas like La Fortuna, Cahuita along the Caribbean, and Tamarindo along the Pacific Ocean, all offer affordable stays.
My Costa Rican mountain experiences of venturing out to secluded waterfalls, joining a community yoga class in a beautiful outdoor center, and sitting atop a mountain for a cafe con leche and breathtaking sunset views with friends were affordable and worth every Colon! (Costa Rican currency).
I also received healing on my neck from a shaman healer and enjoyed pool time with scenic hillside views. Priceless experiences!
When is the best time to go to Costa Rica?
Costa Rica has a rainy and dry season. The rainy season is between May and November. If you want to save money, this is the time to go. However, it is foggy, cloudy, windy, and rainy throughout this time of year.
My friend went to a wellness resort located in the rainforest in July and was surprised that the weather was cloudy and rainy. She wasn’t aware it was the rainy season when she booked the retreat.
The dry season begins in December and goes through April when temperatures are more like summer. I traveled to Costa Rica from the end of February to the beginning of March, and the weather was warm, with a breeze at night. I highly recommend visiting during the dry season to experience the outdoor attractions.
The exception to this weather schedule is the Costa Rican Caribbean coast. Its dry season is May to November. The Caribbean coast offers beautiful beaches, water activities, and unique cultural experiences like the town of Puerto Viejo, which is known as an Afro-Caribbean treasure.
The culture, nature, and Pura Vida’s way make Costa Rica a great wellness traveler’s destination with a plethora of resort and retreat options throughout the modest Central American country.
Travel well in Costa Rica. I did and will be back soon for my well-being.
Leave a comment if you’d like to know more about wellness tourism.
Any destination you’re thinking about?
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Happy Travels and Happy Wallets. Cheers!
