Travel moves you . . . .Let it.

Every great travel experience is almost always followed by a wicked post-travel hang over of sorts. You know the kind,  where you wake up thinking the sea is outside your doorstep or in my case, that howler monkeys are outside my tent. Your mind is flitting with amazing experiences that no one but you had. Your eyes see the world different. Your heart feels fuller yet in some ways, feels emptier~ maybe due to the longing of what was your existence just a few short days ago. Never the less, a post travel hangover is brutal.

I'm coming off of a week of amazing experiences in Costa Rica with the Dreamsea Surf camp in Tamarindo. I spent a week "glamping" ( glamorous camping)in the forest with a tribe of people who came from all walks of life. 20 somethings wandered around in yoga pants and bikini tops while muscle clad young men did pull ups in the mango tree and in the distance, the sweet sounds of someone playing the acoustic guitar and singing to himself in the distance. Everyone was their own island ~ so to speak~ yet there was a sense of unity and family that was ever present. 

The mango tree

There's something to be said about bringing together a group of strangers of all ages to live in tents in the forest where the living room is outside under a mango tree, meals are shared and everyone is entitled to be simply who they are without judgement or criticism. It was fantastic to not look in a mirror but only once a day. The idea of someone wanting to be by themselves for a while is not taken as an insult to the group but more so of an understanding of the joy of doing so.There was no sense of ego at the camp ~ it's as though it checked out upon checking in. 

I'm pretty sure I was the oldest glamper at the camp however that didn't matter. Our human race united us. Dreamsea surf camp united us. 

On the topic of age, I got to thinking about the beauty of bringing together people of different stages in their lives and how rarely that happens in our regular lives. We tend to stay with what we know and forsaking all of the great insights that come with creating relationships with people of different stages of life. I'm at the phase of life where I have my house, my kids, job etc and consider myself fairly "stable" whereas others were just starting out their journey in life. They have worked enough odd jobs to harvest up some money to globe trot and have adventures that most cannot say have ever had. As a person who is "middle aged" ( gross, I hate that term), there is nothing more inspiring to me than to sit together with a group of 20 and 30 somethings who are living life the way they want to. They are gaining experiences that with stay with them forever. As I spoke with my "family" at Dreamsea, I felt so hopeful for our world. I felt inspired that there are still people in the world that are peace loving, caring, and in love with life. I often found myself observing the campers and simply feeling in love with who they were. Maybe it was a maternal thing ~ feeling proud of such amazing and inspiring young adults as though they were my own kids. As I said my farewells to my young Dreamsea tribe members, I looked at one camper in particular and said, " You're such a great person ~ I can't wait to see how you turn out because I know it's going to be even more beautiful than what you are now."

I can go on and on about the things we DID while in Costa Rica but what's most important to me is how I FELT while at Dreamsea in Costa Rica and how I FEEL now. This is how I sum how I felt while there: complete, whole, ME. Now, after I have returned I feel, alive, inspired and in love with life's opportunities.

I had taken a guest with me to Dreamsea to expose her to how a real travel experience can move you ~ shake you to your core ~ and leave you breathless and immediately upon the first welcome hugs, she got it.  Needless to say, she now has the post travel blues as well but she also has the post travel inspiration and love for life's adventures zipping through her veins!

I'm in the market of creating life changing experiences through travel. I make it a point partner with people who share the same vision and together we bring a real sense of "Viva la Vida" to our travel family. 

It brings me great joy to see and be able to feel someones joy in their travel journey and ultimately in their life's journey. Travel is doing. Travel is feeling. Travel is simply being you. Travel is growing beyond oneself. To travel is to really live a life fulfilled.  Viva la Vida!