After a few weeks on the island in Panama, my friend offered me the chance to stay longer and keep helping at the resort. We decided to decline – London still felt like home. Instead, I suggested working remotely, writing blogs and travel guides. She was supportive and simply said, ‘Then travel, go explore Panama if you want.’

So, we decided to take a short break and visit Puerto Viejo de Talamanca in Costa Rica. We found very affordable tickets online, which claimed the journey from Boca Brava would take four hours. It ended up taking eight.

First, a boat. Then a van, followed by a long-distance bus, another boat to Bocas del Toro, another bus… and finally, we crossed the Panama-Costa Rica border on foot, dragging our bags and passports in hand. One last bus took us to our apartment. Exhausted doesn’t even begin to cover it.

I filed a complaint with the company for misleading information on their website and managed to get a refund. But when we looked into returning, there was no alternative. The only other option would’ve been to travel all the way up to San José, the capital, and then take two domestic flights back down to David. So, to make the trip feel worth it, we extended our stay in Costa Rica by three days.

The way back was even worse. Ten hours on winding mountain roads, and I couldn’t stop throwing up. Nobody noticed until we got off the bus and I was still being sick next to a car. Another passenger saw me and offered a motion sickness tablet. I thought, ‘If only I’d known earlier.’

But hey, we made it back to the resort. Alive.