My first adventure to Costa Rica was with Under 30 Experiences ( U30X) which was unforgettable and a feeling that is almost indescribably. Because I decided to travel with U30X all the planning was done for me, I meet new people, and I was able to awaken emotions/feelings that I have been sleeping on.
The travel company basically took all of the stress and tasks away from planning my own trip. Everyday was filled with exciting places to eat, gorgeous views, and outdoor adrenaline packed activities. Some of those activities included zip lining through the rain forest with Sky Adventure, relaxing in the hot springs, hiking up mountains, visiting secret beaches, repelling down water falls with Quepos Canyoning, kayaking, water rafting, yoga, and exploring city areas.
U30X gave me the chance to travel with liked minded individuals between the ages of 21-35 who enjoy traveling and experiencing new places, foods, and activities just as much as I do, all of which, I meet upon my arrival in Costa Rica. The company encourages others to travel solo to help with stepping outside of ones comfort zone. The people I meet were from several parts of the world such as Chicago, California, Italy, New York, North Carolina, Maryland, Pennsylvania, Colorado, Washington, Florida, and Costa Rica. I thought it was going to be hard to meet and connect with strangers but sharing the experience we were all receiving made it hard to be shy and and not socialize with each other. I even went on the trip with an injury and everyone was so helpful and thoughtful. I was amazed and thankful that people I just meet helped me up hills/mountains when they could have just left me behind. A new friend, who was very helpful with helping me get around, introduced me to a new way of cultivating my ideas and clearing out bad habits to make room for new beginnings through a moon ceremony which was very motivating and filled with women empowerment.
I allowed for my first U30X to Coasta Rica take me outside of my comfort zone and fuel my life by trying new things like repelling down an actual water fall and sharing my inner feelings through conversations with understanding individuals. Midway through the trip I had a moment when I sat a lone in my bungalow thinking and really searching within myself to gain better understanding of my passions, finding love within myself and others, and just living a Pura Vida lifestyle. During the Cocal community cooking experience I really reflected back on the things I have accomplished in life and the things I want to accomplish. During the experience I had a moment where I walked down to the ocean and my deepest thoughts took over until I heared a little voice screaming “Muchacha!” I was a little girl waving her arms for me to walk towards her to come see what she found in sand and then to join her on the playground.
When interacting with the children on the playground I went back into deep thoughts about my childhood dreams to become a teacher and a writer. Every now and then I feel guilty for staying in the retail instead of going straight into grad school for a MAT program. However, U30X made me realize I continue to do what I do because I am shaping and developing others in several ways outside of a classroom through mentoring, inspiring and blogging. From having personal conversations with others and trying new things the entire experience kind of awoken me in a way to keep going and pushing even harder to accomplish things I want to see happen.
Traveling with Under 30 Experiences gave me adventures and stories I will forever share with anyone who will listen. They even gave me a reality-check and reminded me of the things that makes me happy and the process it took for me to get to where I am. To some traveling may just be something to do because its Spring break, Summer break, Fall Break, Holiday Break and etc but for me, its a time to enjoy the little things in life: mother nature, taking chances, experiencing new things, building relationships and the list can possibly go on. Traveling fuels my life and I hope to fuel someone’s life by sharing my experiences.
