No matter the destination , at the start of our trips, one of the kids always asks, “Are we there yet?” when just 20 minutes into our journey. “No sweetie pie, not quite. Just close your eyes.”

With the recent TSA delays at airports across the US thanks to yet another government shutdown, we left an hour earlier than usual, weary of long lines at Dulles. That meant a 3AM wakeup for Amir, Lidia and me, and 3:30 for the kids.

#1BigBrother asked Dad for yet another rundown of the size and shape of the airplanes, and #1LittleSister inquired about snacks. “Is there a chef on the airplane?” – referring to the flight attendants bringing meals and drinks by request.

We had an easy flight from Dulles to San Jose. The TSA delays never materialized, and our flight arrived in Costa Rica 20 minutes ahead of schedule. The next leg of our journey was a domestic flight from San Jose to Quepos on the southwest coast. Amir researched driving rather than flying, but drive times can vary anywhere from 2-5 hours depending what reference you are using.

If you decide to do the same, know that you have to leave the international airport entirely and go outside to access the domestic terminal. As soon as we saw the tiny prop planes, I remembered what domestic air travels is like in Central America. Somewhere around 1999, during a trip to Guatemala with my mom and sister, I flew on one of these planes. They are straight out of an Indian Jones movie, propellers, open cockpit and all.

Our flight to Quepos was delayed more than an hour, but then only 20 minutes in the air, we were at our destination, Dominicalito. Amir rented a 4WD SUV expecting one of us would need to taxi to Alamo to pick it up, but when we arrived in Quepos, Felix, from Alamo, was there with our vehicle ready.

We arrived at our AirBnB just an hour later than anticipated. Our host unlocked the gate, introducing us to our new home for the week. We (and by we I really mean Amir) spent a few weeks comparing options in this region of Costa Rica before settling on this home with stunning views, an infinity pool, and rainforest gardens complete with monkeys playing in the morning.

The kids immediately wanted to swim. Lidia was a champ and got in with them immediately. I can never resist the need to unpack before I can relax and have fun.

I should probably explain who Lidia is as she’s making her debut in our travel blog. Lidia, from Spain, is our fourth au pair, joining our family last August after we finished two amazing years with Ale (Mexico). Lidia has done her share of traveling the US since joining us, but this is our first trip abroad together all six of us.

Our plans tomorrow only include finding yummy breakfast in town and perhaps a trip to the grocery store. Otherwise we plan to just swim and explore this 5 acre property. The 15 chickens at the bottom of the hill are sure to be a hit with our crowd.

~Steph