We are Jennifer Turnbull-Houde and Matthew Houde, a couple from Boston who left it all behind to try out life in paradise.
Our first experience with Costa Rica was about 15 years ago. We came for vacation to visit a Costa Rican friend who Matt worked with in Boston. We quickly fell in love with the country’s friendly culture and beautiful natural environment, and returned for visits year after year.
On one of those trips, we decided to start journaling. We thought that in some way, our notes would help others experience this amazing place the way we do. Inspired to share our story, we expanded that simple journal into a book called Two Weeks in Costa Rica and launched this website.
In the following years, we couldn’t get Costa Rica out of our minds. We knew that we needed to start spending more than just two weeks at a time here.
In 2013, after years of planning, we took a leap of faith and sold our condo in the city, left our jobs (Matt in the landscape construction industry and Jenn as an attorney), and moved to Costa Rica full-time.
Then the adventure really began. For the first two years, we were house sitting and jumped all around the country. We lived in nine towns in total and explored countless beaches, parks, and waterfalls. We wrote about it all on our website, from the best destinations and activities to expat and moving tips.
Determined to make it work, in 2014 we published a second book called Top 10 Costa Rica Itineraries and began offering trip planning services.
All of this writing and vacation planning was completely different from our past careers, but we really enjoyed it and still do. After a couple of years of living out of suitcases, though, we decided that we needed a home base. Of course we would still travel the country (there is so much to see), but we wanted our own kitchen, bed, desks, and most importantly, a place to call home when we weren’t on the road. We picked an area on the southern Pacific coast and later moved north to the central Pacific coast.
Our two sons, Sam and Evan, were both born here and are part of our team too. They are great travelers and are constantly absorbing the culture and beauty of Costa Rica. These boys add a whole new family element to our articles that we are excited to share and expand on as we travel with them.
A lot has changed in our lives through this crazy journey, but one thing has remained the same. Just like that first journal entry, we hope that our articles, books, and services help you enjoy this amazing country as much as we do.
Pura Vida from Costa Rica,
Matt, Jenn, Sam, and Evan
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