Most of us spend enough of our everyday lives pushing through. Rest gets pushed later and later, until it starts to feel like something we have to earn.
I don't want to travel that way, too.
So recovery gets a place on my itinerary, not because I've done enough to deserve it, but because I value it. Travel has become one of the best places for me to practice making room for rest, especially when everyday life doesn't leave much of it.
And the more I practice it on the road, the more I want to bring it home.
I don't wait to see how I feel. I book the recovery before I know I'll need it.
Long hikes, physically demanding excursions, anything that's going to wreck me a little, happen early in a trip. Not because I need to earn a break afterward. I just know myself well enough to know I'll need the recovery. Rest and pleasure are as much a part of the trip as the adrenaline is. Neither has to justify the other.
My perfect itinerary looks something like this:
Costa Rica
Saturday: sunset hike at Arenal Volcano → massage at 6pm → dinner
Sunday: 7am La Fortuna Waterfall → breakfast, shower, nap 😴 → yoga, then an all-day pass and dinner at Tabacón Hot Springs
Don't sleep on getting day passes to the popular high-end resorts in town if you decide to stay elsewhere. They can offer some of the most restful amenities around: swim-up bars, hot springs, breathtaking views. My body felt so relaxed after all those hikes, soaking at Tabacón was exactly what I needed.
The recovery was never an afterthought. I knew I'd need it, so I made room for it from the beginning. Pleasure isn't something I save for after I've done enough. It's part of how I want to experience the trip.