Brandy Lavaie

One last little Costa Rica photo dump. 🇨🇷❤️

From successfully renting AND driving a car in another country (which I was probably way too proud of 😂), to delicious food, random beautiful views, little adventures, lots of laughs…and all the moments in between that made this trip incredible!

Because these are the kinds of moments I love looking back on, the random, everyday parts of traveling that somehow end up being some of the best memories.

So here are a few more from a week I’m definitely not ready to forget. 🇨🇷

So grateful for this adventure, the memories we made, and another reminder of just how much I love experiencing this big, beautiful world. 🌎❤️

Hasta luego, Costa Rica. 🇨🇷✨

Apparently Costa Rica is still following me around. 😂🇨🇷

I was on my run today when this little water treatment plant “waterfall” immediately made me think of the REAL waterfalls I was exploring in Costa Rica just a week ago.

And the timing couldn’t have been more perfect because…

Today my team and I finalized the details for Costa Rica June 2027!!! 🇨🇷✨

I came home from this last trip even more certain about what I want the next one to feel like: a bit of adventure, relaxation, connection, nature, new experiences and the kind of memories you come home still thinking about.

And I am SO excited about what we have planned. ❤️

Full details are coming very soon!

But if Costa Rica has been calling your name too, DM me COSTA RICA and I’ll add you to the waitlist. 🌿

I had the whole row to myself again on the way back home on my final flight…but it just happened to be about 9 hours later than originally planned…

After an overnight flight delay, I am SO happy to be home. And I am so grateful American Airlines willingly offered us a hotel voucher for the night.

It may have only been about four hours of sleep, but it was four SOLID hours…which was definitely more than I would have gotten trying to sleep in the airport!

The hardest part of the delay though was missing my daughter’s band camp performance this morning. 💔

And if you’re a mom, you probably already know exactly where my heart went with that…

The mom guilt was REAL.

Thankfully, my son took lots of pictures and videos for me and it brought me so much joy to see her SO happy with her new friends.

So overall I am feeling so full of gratitude after an amazing week in Costa Rica! I am happy to be home resting with mis mascotas 🐈‍⬛🐶 and I am excited to see my kids on Wednesday! I can’t wait to give them their Costa Rican fudge and little painted rock souvenirs and hear ALL about their time spent while I was away. 🥰

I know how hard it can be to give ourselves permission to go.

There’s the guilt. The feeling that we should always be there. And when you actually DO miss something important, that guilt can get even louder.

But one of the things I have had to learn over the past several years is that taking care of ourselves and making space for the things that fill our hearts doesn’t take anything away from our kids.

In fact, I think there’s something really valuable in letting them see us do it.

I want my kids to know that loving the people in your life deeply doesn’t mean you stop making room for yourself.

That you can be an incredibly present, loving mom AND still travel. Have adventures. Nurture friendships. Chase the things that light you up. Have experiences that are just for you.

Because someday, I want them to give themselves permission to do those things, too.💗

When was the last time you felt mom guilt for choosing something for yourself and what did you learn from it?

We have been wanting to make it to Poás Volcano all week, and this morning we finally made the 1.5 hour drive out there! 🌋

We were told to go as early as possible for the best chance of seeing the crater, since clear visibility can be hard to come by later in the day. So we left at 6:30 AM to arrive for our 8:20 reservation and, well… this was what we saw!!!

The fog was so dense you literally couldn’t see anything at all, but we had fun with it anyway!

There was also a cute little gift shop and café with an old-fashioned payphone outside. You know I had to see if it still worked and attempt to make a call! 😂

On the way back down the mountain, I kept seeing signs for “fresas con crema,”, so obviously we had to stop and try some! Locally grown strawberries with sweetened condensed milk was the perfect treat!🍓

We also found the cutest little local souvenir shop where I picked up some painted rocks and cajeta (Costa Rican fudge) for my kids.💗

I can’t believe this is our last full day in Costa Rica and we head home tomorrow. We may not have gotten the volcano view we came for, but honestly, it was still a pretty perfect way to end the trip. 🇨🇷

This isn’t a zoo. And that’s exactly why you should visit. 🇨🇷

Today’s Costa Rica adventure took me to Rescate Wildlife Rescue Center where I was able to see and learn so much more about the wildlife here in Costa Rica.

But what made this experience so special wasn’t just seeing the animals.

Rescate is a nonprofit dedicated to rescuing, rehabilitating, and protecting Costa Rica’s wildlife, with the goal of returning animals to the wild whenever possible.

Some of the animals who can’t be released remain in their care, including species that aren’t native to Costa Rica that were confiscated from the illegal wildlife trade or from people keeping them as pets.

Your visit helps support that mission, too: entrance fees, tours, and purchases at the café and gift shop help fund their work!💗

I also learned that Rescate was the first wildlife rescue center in Costa Rica to become accredited by the Global Federation of Animal Sanctuaries (GFAS).

Y para hacer la experiencia aún más divertida, ¡hice toda la visita guiada en español! 🇨🇷
(And to make the experience even more fun, I did the entire guided tour in Spanish!)

My guide was excellent: kind, fun, knowledgeable, and happy to answer all of my questions!

After the tour, I had lunch at the café: casado tradicional con pollo a la parrilla, un espresso doble y jugo de fresa para postre. ¡Qué delicioso! 😋🇨🇷

Not as many photos from this adventure, but I did capture some pretty cool videos!☺️

How many animals can you spot in a Costa Rican rainforest?

Day 3 took us to Carara National Park, and this was such a different kind of adventure.

Instead of chasing waterfalls, we slowed down and started looking closer.

We saw scarlet macaws frogs, big spiders, tons of frogs, a bat, many birds I don’t even know the names for, crocodiles, and a few other animals I don’t recall the names of! We also saw so many incredible trees, plants, roots, fungi, etc.

It reminded me how easy it is to miss what’s right in front of us when we’re moving too fast.

Sometimes the best part of exploring isn’t just seeing the big, obvious things.

It’s noticing the things you almost walked right past!!!

My fav part was how other people on the trail were so excited to share with us what they had seen too! One couple told us they had seen 3 woodpeckers! Another stopped to warn me about the snake they had just come across up ahead and shared their video with me.

Such a beautiful day observing and connecting with nature and others!!

Costa Rica, Day 3. 🇨🇷🌿

What no one tells you about chasing waterfalls in Costa Rica… 🇨🇷

You’re going to WORK for those views. 😂

Costa Rica, día 2:

Today we hiked Catarata del Toro & Blue Falls and made it to 5 of the 7 waterfalls.

This was easily the most challenging hike I’ve done since Rainbow Mountain in Peru in 2022 (possibly more challenging actually!).

Such an incredible workout, but even more incredible views. So grateful to have experienced it with Sara!!!

We even got to cool off with a swim in the beautiful blue water at Poza Azul. 💙

So grateful for the opportunity to experience 5 of these incredible falls and I already can’t wait to come back and explore the other two!!!

Plans don’t always work out the way we imagined…

Sometimes, they lead somewhere even better. 🇨🇷

This trip to Costa Rica looks a little different than I originally pictured it. But if there’s one thing life has taught me, it’s that a change in plans doesn’t mean something went wrong.

Sometimes it’s an invitation to let go of what you thought it should look like and be fully present for what’s actually unfolding.

To explore.
To connect.
To slow down.
To laugh.
To try something new.
To remember just how big and beautiful life can be.

This trip started as a vision for a women’s retreat. But along the way, plans shifted, circumstances changed, and the trip evolved into something different.

And instead of walking away from it, I decided to embrace what it was becoming.

A girls trip. An adventure. And a chance to reconnect with my friend Sara, someone I haven’t seen in more than 25 years!

So here I am in Costa Rica. 🇨🇷

For the next several days, we’ll be exploring, adventuring, slowing down, trying new things, laughing (probably a lot 😂), and seeing where this experience takes us.

And now that I’m here? I’m so glad I said yes anyway.

Because this trip is only the beginning.

Next summer, I’m planning to bring a group of women back to Costa Rica for an experience centered around adventure, meaningful connection, movement, laughter, and making memories in one of the most beautiful places in the world.

So consider this trip a little bit of adventure… and a little bit of research. 😉

I’ll be sharing plenty along the way.

And if Costa Rica with an amazing group of women sounds like something you might want to say YES to next year… stay tuned. 🇨🇷✨