Hi! New traveller here! That's right, I joined Origin Travels with pretty much no travel experience besides a few family vacations and school trips. After COVID cancelled the backpacking plans I had in Europe for Summer 2020, I was itching to get out there and travel the world. As a young woman it felt like the perfect way to make my debut to the world and set out on a journey of self exploration, I knew I wanted to travel but I didn't really know how, especially in the middle of what was still a global pandemic.
When I stumbled across Origin Travels, other than really resonating with their mission, I was amazed at seeing these groups of women, who came from all different walks of life, travelling together and bonding over the adventures they embarked on together. Long story short, when I got the opportunity to work with OT, I jumped, and a short month later I was heading to Costa Rica with them, a little afraid, definitely nervous, but extremely excited.
My nerves settled the minute I got from the airport to the hostel we were staying in for one night, to be able to catch our domestic flight in the morning. As soon as I met the other girls that I would be spending the week with, I was calmed and felt an instant connection, it was a truly remarkable moment to realize what bonded all of us was our desire for travel and new experiences. It really did feel like finding your girl gang.
Our first adventure the next morning was our domestic flight from San Jose airport to Tambor airport. I won't lie, when I saw how small the plane was I was pretty nervous. I've only ever flown in commercial airplanes, so just the sight of something so tiny had my heart racing. However, the moment we took off I was in complete awe. With such a tiny plane you see everything, and getting to fly over Costa Rica was unlike anything I've experienced, I was truly blown away.
The views were amazing! I couldn't believe my eyes.
From there we explored the small town of Montezuma and had the best Cechive of my entire life!
Our home for the week was at the Wild Sun Jungle Lodge in Cabuya, home to the Wild Sun Rescue Center, a wildlife rescue centre that protects and saves animals in the Nicoya Peninsula. The lodging was beautiful, complete with a infinity pool and spiralling staircases that took you to an amazing outlook.
The lodge was a beautiful place to wind down after long days, tan poolside, and regroup to laugh about the day's adventures. Waking up to the sounds of jungle monkeys right outside your window was something I've never experienced before, but it got me out of bed bright and early every morning. Although I consider myself a night owl, I found myself naturally waking up before even the sun to make our 6am yoga classes!
With views like that though it's hard to not want to wake up at 6am to do yoga!
Our week was spent exploring the Nicoya Peninsula, hiking waterfalls, visiting the local brewery La Selva, watching the sunset in Santa Teresa, learning to surf, and so much more. One of my favourite experiences was definitely learning how to surf. I'm not a big swimmer, so it was something that was very far out of my comfort zone and to be honest I'm afraid of judgement and publicly failing, which with surfing is kind of inevitable. However, surrounded by the amazing group of women we had on our trip, and the badass female instructors that were teaching us, I felt safe, secure, and comfortable. I even stood up on the board and caught a few waves! It was such an empowering moment of 'I can do anything I put my mind too' and heartwarming to see the endless support all these women I barely knew had for me, and they were right there to celebrate with me.
This was my first time travelling by myself, to a place that was very out of my comfort zone, but I wouldn't change a second of my experience for anything! It sounds cheesy, but from the moment we all met it really did feel like I found my girl gang and there was something really special about travelling with a group of like-minded women who are there to support you and cheer you on the whole way. I'm so happy I got to kick off adulthood with this amazing trip and am forever grateful for the people I got to meet, and all the experiences I got to have.
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Picture this: a group of four adventurous girls and a seasoned guide, setting out on a journey from the bustling city of Toronto to the serene wilderness of Algonquin Provincial Park. The air is filled with excitement and the promise of new experiences.
