Costa Rica is famous for its beaches, volcanoes, waterfalls and wildlife. And yes, you should 100% go see ALL of it.

BUT after planning trip after trip, here is what I have learned... the thing people remember most is almost never the big attraction. It is the little moments nobody told them to plan for.

Pulling over at a roadside fruit stand because somebody told you to try fresh mango with salt (do it). Picking the hot springs that actually fit how you travel instead of the one with the biggest marketing budget. Staying four nights in one place instead of cramming seven destinations into eight days and spending your whole vacation in a van. Hard pass.

That is the stuff you will not find on page one of Google.

I spend an embarrassing amount of time researching Costa Rica. Tourism board updates, hotel locations, what travelers are really saying, what locals recommend... and honestly I probably spend more time hunting down the little gems that never make it into the guidebooks than is healthy.

So when I plan your vacation you get steered around the mistakes, your days go to the experiences that actually fit you, and you come home saying "how the hell did she find that?"