I sat on my horse Osso on a hillside in Costa Rica's Cordillera de Tilarán breathing in the crisp morning air of the mountains, utterly overwhelmed by the sight of the Arenal Volcano's sharp, defined rise from the lush, green landscape before me. I felt an incredible peace come over me and, as I looked over at my family, an indescribable gratitude that we were able to share this moment together.
I had dreamed of horseback riding through the mountains of Costa Rica – a visual I'd encountered back in February on a casual social media swipe – and suddenly here I was in a moment that felt so meaningful it somehow outsized the anticipation and planning that preceded it.
Guillermo from Elsewhere, Lonely Planet's travel planning platform, was the Costa Rica–based guide who helped me think through the itinerary and details of our weeklong trip. The control freak part of me loves the micromanagement of trip planning, so I was nervous about working with a local expert, but the working parent part of me found it freeing to hand over the details to someone else.
I caught up with Guille recently to reflect on our trip – and got his tips for anyone planning a trip to Costa Rica. I told him he knew what I wanted for our time in Costa Rica better than I did. Putting himself into the trip was an intentional part of his process, he said. "I'm not making your trip," he told me, "I'm making our trip. I imagine I'm part of the group that's traveling and put myself in your shoes."
You could feel his personal touch across our week. And the peace and gratitude of that moment on the hillside has stayed with all of us ever since.
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