Postcard From Costa Rica: Finding Work/Life Balance

Throughout my career, I’ve worked with many bosses. Some were mentors who were motivated to shepherd employees along their career. Some were micromanagers who insisted on reviewing emails before pressing send. But only one took me and my coworkers to Costa Rica.

A Safe Place for Snacks

I began working with Lena while on film and commercial sets around the Philadelphia area. As a production assistant, one of my many menial tasks was to get coffee for cast and crew. Lena’s Crafty truck became a safe space. She served up refreshments for the body and soul with her exceptional breakfast wraps and no-nonsense personality. I took any chance to help set up her space or find a crew member who could help power her truck. So when she asked me to be her assistant on future projects, it was an easy YES. 

Craft Service, or Crafty, is the table full of food on set. It was my job to shop with Lena’s grocery list, keep the table presentable with healthy and delicious offerings, and ensure any special dietary requests were included. The menu changed throughout the day. Breakfast could be early morning or late at night. Dinner could be early evening or 2AM. But Crafty always had snacks—which is another reason I was drawn to it. Lena also expertly plated sandwiches, sushi, and other yums for me to serve around set for those who couldn’t get to the table. Sometimes I would even deliver to cast members in their trailers. There are many stories about these experiences, but that’s a different blog.

Catering For a Cause

Since freelance production work wasn’t always available, Lena also catered private parties. So when she invited me to help at a friend’s charity event, it was another easy YES. During one swanky soiree, the hosts auctioned a week at their villa in Costa Rica. I was excited for Lena when she won. I was even more elated when she asked if I wanted to go!

Throughout my time working with Lena, she was always a kind and generous soul. Not only did I get to see her take care of the cast, crew, and her friends and family, but she treats those who work with her with respect. Sometimes there’s a little tough love thrown in if the table is not to her level of standards, but presentation is everything. 

In my experience, not all bosses are willing to approve requests for raises or even offer a pat on the back for a job well done. Some have sprung for lunch and provided letters of recommendation, but this was rare. While lunch and lavish trips is not a requirement for employment, it definitely feels great to be appreciated. It feels even better to be in first class on the way to Costa Rica.

A Lot to be Thankful for

We traveled to Costa Rica over Thanksgiving. If you’ve ever traveled during this time, you probably know it’s not always easy. True to form, getting to our destination came with some hiccups. The first being a cancelled flight. 

Since we were originally scheduled on one of the first planes out of Philly to Miami, we planned on staying overnight at the airport hotel. Once we checked in and got settled, we received the cancellation notice. Our best rebooking bet was to change airports altogether, so we took a taxi to Baltimore and did not turn down first class seats for our trouble. While the rest of the flight fiasco is a blur, I do remember chatting up book publishers in our row and having an equally stressful cancellation situation on the way back to the States. 

Even though we were traveling internationally over the holiday, we were headed for a tourist destination. There was a traditional turkey dinner advertised at one of the local restaurants, but honestly I don’t remember if we ordered it. I do remember the incredibly fresh fruit, fish, tropical drinks, and the coffee. Sometimes swapping tradition for a sweetly potent brew is well worth it.

Planned to Pure Perfection

Pura Vida is a national Costa Rican catchphrase associated with a positive outlook on life. It’s used as a greeting, question, and answer. Just saying it elicits a sense of wellbeing and gratitude—which matched the spirit of this gifted Thanksgiving vacation.

As much as I love traveling, the planning part is not always a thrill. To make this dream holiday even dreamier, the whole thing was professionally organized—just one more thing to be grateful for. We were picked up from the airport, shuttled over a mountain and through coffee plantations to the villa, and enjoyed scheduled excursions including sunset cocktails at a cliffside restaurant, a catamaran tour to Isla Tortuga, a zipline over the rainforest, and a trek through Manuel Antonio National Park. 

Even the residence where we were staying was exceptional. I didn’t even mind the tiny hermit-like crabs that scittered around the floors. There was a pool right outside—frequented by friendly lizards—but the property was also affiliated with the neighboring Marriott hotel. Nothing says wellbeing like lounging by multiple pools and spa treatments. Having a golf cart to scoot around made it easy to access the hotel and marina nearby. 

There were several free days worked into the schedule, which not only gave us breathing room to recoup from hectic travel, but also allowed us to shift activities around if the weather wasn’t great—which ended up adding to the carefree Pura Vida vibe. 

Bumps Along the Way

What fun is travel if you don’t come home with stories to tell? While some are sparked by incidents that weren’t exactly exciting at the time, it’s always good if you can laugh about it later. 

The tour to Isla Tortuga started out well. We stopped for snorkeling on the way, and the guide even scooped up a puffer fish to show us all its spiky glory. After an afternoon of relaxing on the island’s white sand beach and sampling local delicacies, we headed back into the darkening horizon. Short tropical showers may be a welcomed relief on a hot day, but when you’re caught in a storm on a boat, it makes for an uncomfortable ride. As we bounced along the tormented sea, we were pelted with rain drops and soaked, it seemed, even more than when we bobbed in the calmer waters earlier in the day. 

Weather was also the reason for an overcast sunset cocktail hour, because of course when you plan to see a sunset, the clouds have other plans. However, we witnessed vivid skyline spectacles every other evening. Maybe it was the fact we were on vacation, at the beach, or enjoying colorful drinks, but the Costa Rician sunsets were extra extraordinary. 

Plans also changed when the day trip to the National Park was moved to the last free day. Cloud cover didn’t stop us from seeing sloths and trees full of monkeys. 

Even with the bumps and hiccups, this trip holds so many wonderful memories—all made possible by one of the best bosses and all-around stellar human. 

So if you have the opportunity to travel to Costa Rica and experience the Pura Vida lifestyle, my advice is an easy, GO. If you happen to be a boss with the means to treat your employees to something special, know they will be forever grateful. It doesn’t even have to be a trip. Any leader should take the opportunity to mentor instead of micromanage and show people the respect they deserve. And if you’re one of those lucky employees with a manager who shows this kind of courtesy, tell them how much it's appreciated and pass on that goodwill to others. You don’t have to wait to travel to Costa Rica to live by their values of positivity and gratitude. Incorporate it into your everyday life and feel like you’re on a mini vacation every day.