{Hometown Honeymoon}: Costa Rica

My friend and bride-to-be, Tami and I shared a hometown for several years during college. After a few years of teaching, Tami decided to go to work in a different capacity - in the Peace Corp. She was lucky enough to call Costa Rica home for 2 years. Tami has put together a few tips for anyone interested in visiting this beautiful country - especially if you are fortunate enough to be located nearby and make this your "Hometown Honeymoon"

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Costa Rica is the most visited nation in all of Central America. Who can resist the West Virginia-sized country with so much to offer? There's white water rafting on world renowned rivers, fascinating eco-tours, erupting volcanoes, crater volcanoes, white sand beaches, black sand beaches, incredible diving, cloud forests, and the list goes on. Any travel book can guide you to these wonderful places.

I love Costa Rica because I spent a little over two years there as a Peace Corps Volunteer and I got to see a side of the country that most tourists miss entirely. If you plan on going to Costa Rica for your honeymoon or just for a vacation, please do me a favor and step outside of that five star resort or condo you've rented and open your eyes to the Costa Rica that I know and love. If you can, try to spend a night or two with a host family. Eat what they eat and travel the way they travel. Even though the country is small, each province has different food, weather, terrain, etc. to offer. If you'd like to give something back to the country, call the Peace Corps office and hook up with a volunteer in the area where you'll be staying so you can join in on a current project.

One of my favorite excursions (and one I highly recommend) as a Volunteer was traveling down to the Zona Sur with nine teenagers I'd been working with in my site. They'd never been away from home before. We spent the first night sleeping on the beach under the stars and the next morning we met up with our guides. We drove to the base of a mountain and then hiked about an hour up to an incredible cave hidden behind a majestic waterfall. We spent the next two days rappelling down the front of the waterfall, hiking, and living in the enormous cave. It was truly spectacular. When I was there, it was just a small family-run business, but now they are a non-profit tour company. You can find them at Tree of Life Tours. Costa Rica is a great place to honeymoon whether you want to exercise your love for adventure and nature or you just want to spend lazy days at a nice hotel to recoup from your exhausting wedding. Either way, you won't regret choosing Costa Rica for your Hometown Honeymoon.

Thank you Tami! Have a great weekend everyone!