Burn Out in Costa Rica

The last thing I wrote on this site, was an article about the “Art of Traveling Well.” To be completely candid, I failed in that mission.

These last few weeks have seen me and my parents, journey from the humidity of Costa Rica to the aridity of Arizona and to the jubilance in California where we just wrapped up wedding festivities. Currently, I am sitting in Terminal 3 of Tokyo's Haneda International Airport preparing for my flight to the Philippines. I only got here 2 hours ago on an All Nippon Airways flight from LAX. Although I sit here still a bit tired, the burnout has disappeared, and I am extremely excited at the prospect of what the next 13 days holds. The excitement is due to the confidence of knowing what I need to do and that I have not and will not make the same mistakes again.

Why did I fail?

Several reasons and factors impacted why I was not able to travel the way I had intended to. Some were beyond my control and some in some instanced, I did not check myself enough and maintain the balance I had hoped to.

· Schedule – This was without a doubt one of the most hectic trips of my life. From the first day to the last, we woke up at 7am or earlier to begin with our activities and journey to a national park or volcano trail or a similarly physically taxing excursion. On trips, I tend to wake up earlier than my routine however waking up each day and having to essentially tire myself out had its negative effects towards the end of the trip.

· Nature of Activities – The amount of physical work we had to put in during the trip as well as the way they were set up, being one after the other and at times 3 across a day only compounded the tiredness. Even when we weren’t trekking mountains or zip-lining above the canopy, we had to lug our overpacked suitcases in and out of vans or up and down riverbanks. The long travel days accompanied with immediate excursions upon a new destination’s arrival were particularly annoying.

· Changing Weather – We visited 3 towns in Costa Rica: La Fortuna (Arenal), Monteverde, and Manual Antonio. Each had their own weather conditions that affected us differently. Arenal was one of the most humid places I have ever been to. (Note: I grew up in Mumbai!). Monteverde had amazing weather, pleasant and honestly a tad chilly. We did not realize how chilly until the second day where we were underdressed and unprepared. Manual Antonio, a beach town had humidity comparable but slightly lower than that of Arenal. Having our bodies switch between the 3 places and their challenges was trickier than we anticipated, especially since we weren't prepared for it.

Key Takeaways:

1. Planning – While this was a trip my father had planned; I think next time regardless of who plans a group trip double checking the smaller details such as excursion times and ranges would be the better way to approach an otherwise unclear/busy schedule.

2. Packing Cautiously – The words “packing light” do not exist in my family. We will always carry multiple extra pairs of clothes, tons of (in case of emergency) medication, and random things. I have a bad habit of carrying multiple notebooks/reading books. For future trips we MUST reduce the weight of our bags and pack something for unforeseen weather if the region is prone to changes.

3. Creating Personal Time – I think one of my biggest personal issues was not having time to do anything apart from what our excursions and adventures had planned. This is because they were one after the other or would end towards the latter part of the night not allowing for any down time prior to me falling asleep. I think if I ever have trips of this length (not just 10 days in Costa Rica) but the month long one encompassing the US and the Philippines I’d want to have a day allotted to not necessarily traveling or exploring. While walking through a town or city can be incorporated through that day, I’d want to unwind from the hectic moves and sites.

Although this trip was kind of mismanaged and not planned as perfectly as it could have been, we did have a great time and got to see a lot of things not many other places have to offer. If you’ve made it this far, this is my final piece of advice and the biggest learning I gained from this trip:

If you feel overwhelmed by the number of things you have stacked on your plate, it is important make the time for yourself to unwind and do things you normally would if you weren’t traveling. That can help you to regain some balance and normalcy with the energy and desire to go again and continue your travels positively.