Isolation Diary – Roberto, Costa Rica

We’ve been chatting to Roberto, our partner in Costa Rica, to learn a bit about how he’s finding his time in isolation. Roberto love to plan experiences that show off his home country, but that’s a bit on hold at the moment. So, he’s using his time to catch up and tie off all the loose ends that have been hanging around – get organised, in other words. And he’s been finding that extends to other areas of his life as well – read what he has to say below!

Working in tourism during Covid-19 outbreak can be boring. I love to put itineraries together, to understand what people want out of a vacation and put it into a planned experience to maximize the happiness before, during and after a trip. However, none of that can be done these days. So, this is a great time to do other things to keep yourself busy, but mostly to keep yourself healthy and happy.

Evidently, the amount of work leaves some free time to explore and do other things. But I am sure I am not the only one that needed to catch up on a number of pending items, all of them important for your business. So, definitely the number 1 task is catching up and making sure you are organized and ready to pick up again when you have to.

Then, I have been extending the organization to other areas of my life: house came first. So, there has been a lot of projects to renew, paint, organize, throw away or donate stuff, etc. At the end of this crisis, I will have a nicer office and home! That brings another happy opportunity in my life: I get to do all of these projects with Vane (my partner), so sharing more quality time with her has been great so far! Obviously, you can’t complain about that!

Besides traveling, I have been entertaining another couple of hobbies, passions, lifestyles…whatever you’d call it. Principally yoga: my personal practice is probably one of the things that has benefited the most from the ‘mandatory break’. Practicing every day, expanding the practice and studying more has been one of the main daily activities during these days. If for some reason, there is more time and energy to exercise more in any given day, Vane is a pilates instructor! Another great way to channel the energy into something positive!

Finally, I have always loved to keep a nice garden with flowers, edible plants and medicinal herbs. But keeping a garden is like having a pet: you need to invest time and effort to keep it well-fed and happy. As we have two dogs, when time is constrained, the first thing to be sacrificed is the garden! Not anymore though, as I have been able to start planting vegetables and plants! In the middle of the dry season, where water is not abundant, it is not easy to keep a green garden, but it is a good time for flowers! Oh, and now that people are staying home, birds are visiting our garden more and more! Pretty cool!

I need to say that I am concerned about the future of our industry: it has not been easy to take the appropriate measures to ensure that after all this, we are still going to be in business to help our customers travel and have wonderful experiences. I am sure there will be additional actions that I will need to take to survive through these hard times. But, you can decide to focus on the positive things: on all these different activities that you are allowed to enjoy now, that make you a better person; on the positive impact on the environment and on the wildlife; on the importance of spending better time with your loved ones and keeping your nest as nice and clean as possible! I value this time at home because it gives me time to take care about me as a person, to grow, to share and to appreciate even more all the people and things that are in my life!