What Lori Richardson Learned in Costa Rica That Changed How She Does Her Job

There are trips that entertain you, and then there are trips that change you. For travel advisor Lori Richardson, a 50th birthday celebration on the sun-drenched Pacific coast of Costa Rica turned out to be very much the latter. She arrived expecting dramatic scenery and warm weather. She left with a changed opinion on a resort brand she had never previously recommended, a healthy warning about August heat, and a story that no brochure could have told her.

A Destination That Delivers on Every Level

Costa Rica has long held a reputation as one of Central America's most spectacular destinations, and Richardson found that reputation more than justified. Standing before sweeping panoramas of mountains, volcanoes, coastline, and dense rainforest, the scale of it hit her all at once. As she puts it, "Those views — the mountains, volcanoes, beaches, wildlife — I mean all of it." It is the kind of response that cannot be rehearsed. It comes only from being there.

The wildlife did not disappoint either. Costa Rica is famous for its biodiversity, but there is something different about encountering it firsthand rather than reading about it in a destination guide. For Richardson, one moment in particular has become a favourite detail to share with clients. "The monkeys on the beach," she says with evident delight. "It's real." That single image, wild monkeys moving freely along the shoreline while guests relax in the sand, captures something essential about what makes Costa Rica unlike anywhere else.

What the Brochure Does Not Warn You About

Richardson traveled in August, and she is refreshingly candid about what that means. The heat in Costa Rica during peak summer is not the kind of warmth a Canadian traveller typically anticipates. It is immersive, relentless, and deeply physical. "You cannot prepare for that kind of heat," she says plainly, and it is exactly the sort of honest, unvarnished advice that separates an advisor who has been somewhere from one who has simply read about it.

This is the detail clients cannot find in a highlight reel. It does not diminish the destination, but it shapes the conversation every good advisor should be having before booking. Knowing that August travel requires real heat tolerance, and perhaps a willingness to retreat to air conditioning more than once, is the kind of insider context that helps travellers set realistic expectations and return satisfied rather than surprised.

The Resort She Never Expected to Love

Perhaps the most significant professional development of the trip came not from the rainforest or the volcanic landscapes, but from the resort itself. Richardson stayed at the Riu Guanacaste, and her reaction was one she did not anticipate. "Up until this trip, I wouldn't sell a Riu resort," she says. "Now I have a different view on them."

That shift carries real weight coming from an experienced travel professional. Richardson arrived with reservations, and she left genuinely impressed. The property had undergone renovations approximately a year prior, and the results were evident throughout. The service, the facilities, and the overall standard of the experience surpassed her expectations in a way that was impossible to dismiss. "I was very surprised by this resort," she explains. "The service, the renos were done a year ago and it quite surprised me. I was very thrilled with this resort and would highly recommend this."

There is also a more personal dimension to her endorsement. Richardson describes herself as a beach girl, and she was genuinely uncertain how she would feel about the Guanacaste coast's distinctive black sand beaches. The answer, it turns out, was better than expected. The novelty of black sand underfoot, warm from the sun and striking against the blue Pacific, became part of what she now describes as a thoroughly enjoyable beach experience.

Who This Trip Is For, and Who Should Think Twice

One of the most valuable things a well-traveled advisor can offer is an honest assessment of fit. Richardson is clear that Costa Rica, and the Riu Guanacaste in particular, has broad appeal, but it is not without caveats. The destination is genuinely safe, welcoming, and accessible. The logistics were smooth from the moment she landed at Liberia International Airport, where customs was efficient and ground transportation was seamlessly organised.

For guests who prefer to stay close to the resort, the property offers everything needed for a relaxing, all-inclusive escape. For the adventure-minded, the surrounding region opens up considerably. Zip-lining through the rainforest canopy, soaking in natural hot springs near active volcanoes, chasing waterfalls, and exploring the layered ecosystems of the jungle are all within reach. The destination rewards both the rest-seeker and the explorer, often within the same trip.

The one genuine consideration is timing. Traveling in August means experiencing Costa Rica at its hottest and most humid. Those who are sensitive to extreme heat may want to consider the dry season instead, or at minimum arrive prepared for conditions that go well beyond what a Canadian summer afternoon delivers.

First-Hand Knowledge as a Professional Tool

Richardson's trip to Costa Rica was a birthday celebration, but it was also, in the most practical sense, professional development. Every detail she noticed, from the quality of the renovated resort to the ease of the airport experience, from the reality of the heat to the surreal sight of monkeys wandering the shoreline, becomes part of the informed, honest counsel she now brings to every client conversation about this destination.

For the months ahead, Richardson is focused not on her next trip but on building her business, grounded in the kind of first-hand credibility that this journey helped earn. The road, it seems, gave her exactly what she needed. She is not chasing the next stamp in her passport just yet. Instead, she is doing what only the best advisors do: letting experience do the work.