The Healing Power of Travel
Me and my dad.
When I first flew to Costa Rica, I had no idea what to expect. Just two months earlier, my father had passed away after a long battle with ALS. At 19 years old, I was struggling to cope with his loss. My father had always seemed invincible to me, and the reality of his absence was incomprehensible. I became disengaged, disinterested in the things I once cared about, merely going through the motions of my daily routine. I had planned this trip months in advance and was excited to share my experiences with my dad upon my return; I never imagined he would be gone before I even left.
I had never traveled internationally alone before, and I knew next to nothing about Costa Rica. As our plane descended toward Liberia airport, I couldn't tear my eyes away from the window. Each lush island we passed sparked my curiosity, making me wonder what it would be like to experience them up close. When we finally approached the mainland, it felt like I had been transported back to childhood; every animal, plant, and scene was new and wondrous to me.
Ron & Nacho.
My love for the country, its people, and the lifestyle began during that first visit, when I attended a Jiu Jitsu retreat hosted by Ron Jarman at Hero Academy in Tamarindo. Ron is a great guy who runs amazing retreats, but far more important is the charity work he does. Hero Academy has provided training to over 1,500 local kids, along with transportation, clothes, and even food. The majority of the kids are referred by local charities as at-risk youth in need of positive influences. Hero Academy stepped up to help the community in 2017 after Hurricane Nate, providing shelter, food, supplies, and repair funds. In 2020, they delivered over 180,000 meals to local families struggling due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The importance of Hero Academy's work is self-evident, and if you'd like to support them through donation, they are a United States 501(c)(3) listed under Hero Academy CR.
Over the course of a week, I formed countless meaningful relationships with the people I trained with and the locals I met. Ron organized a week full of incredible activities for the group: we rode ATVs and horses through the jungle, bathed in natural springs, rode a catamaran while snorkeling along the coast, zip-lined, and hiked to a breathtakingly blue waterfall. But most importantly, we got to help out with the local kids' class at Hero Academy. Despite having known each other for less than a week, we had done so much together that it felt like many of the people I met had been my friends for a lifetime.
Our shared interest in Jiu Jitsu and traveling brought us together, but our shared experiences created a unique bond. Witnessing the beauty of the country was one thing, but seeing the work Hero Academy does was something else entirely. The love Ron and everyone at Hero feels for the community is evident in the extraordinary level of work they put in—a passion that is truly contagious.
Adam Nijem of Star Method Boxing.
When it was time to leave, I felt a deep sense of sadness—not just at leaving a physical place, but at leaving an entire state of being. Anyone who spent time exploring the outdoors as a child knows the feeling of wonder—seeing something new and unexplored, appreciating it in all its parts. We've all experienced moments so unique and beautiful, they seem almost unreal. While these feelings aren't exclusive to childhood, as I grow older and face the rigid responsibilities of adulthood, they seem increasingly fleeting. But does it have to be that way?
When I returned home from Costa Rica, I missed it deeply, but the sadness soon gave way to something else. I noticed that each day, I was actively searching for that feeling of wonder—and more importantly, I was finding it. I began waking up earlier than I had in years, dedicating time to the things that truly mattered to me.
There’s a gospel verse that says, "Unless you become like a little child, you will in no way enter the kingdom of heaven." I’m far from a religious scholar, but I interpret this as a call to abandon cynicism and rediscover our capacity for child-like wonder and innocence. Heaven doesn’t have to represent some place in the clouds; it can symbolize a state of being. I won't pretend I had a spiritual epiphany on that trip, but each day I experienced something new and awe-inspiring. Sometimes, that’s all it takes to remind us that those feelings are within reach.
