Hey Reader,

You know we love a good travel adventure—but this one was not on our bucket list!

Last month we were cruising towards Costa Rica, dreaming of beaches and sloths, when suddenly… our plane circled the Cayman Islands for an hour and then turned around mid-flight. Yep. Thanks to a ground radar outage in Honduras, Southwest had to divert us all the way back to the U.S.!

Instead of waking up in Manuel Antonio National Park, ready to explore the jungle, we spent the night near the Orlando airport waiting for our rescheduled flight, which wouldn't depart until the following morning. Somehow, the kids muddled through...

(I was glad we chose this hotel for our unplanned overnight thanks to the awesome pool scene and the view of the Disney World fireworks from the lounge!)

Because our planned stay in Manuel Antonio was only two nights and involved a lot of driving, the overnight delay made it basically impossible to go there.

But hey, we made the most of it! Once we finally landed in Costa Rica, we pivoted our plans and took an amazing trip though the Central Valley. We didn't really know anything about the area as most visitors skip right over it on their way further north, but it turned out to be a fantastic first day—totally different from what we expected but full of adventure nonetheless! Check it out here:

➡️ How we spent our first day in Costa Rica​

This whole fiasco was also a great reminder of why I never travel without a solid travel insurance policy. Flight diversions, extra hotel nights, missed plans—it all adds up fast (in our case over $1000). For less complicated trips we rely on the excellent coverage from our Chase Sapphire credit card, but it can be trickier if you're flying on miles and booking your hotels on points. I was beyond relieved to have a stand-alone travel insurance policy to cover the chaos. If you want to make sure you’re covered for your next trip, I have used this comparison website to purchase travel insurance for years:

✅ Find the best travel insurance for your next trip​

Have you ever had a flight get totally rerouted like this? Tell me your craziest travel detour—I’d love to hear!

Happy (and hopefully less chaotic) travels,
Melissa

PS - Did you know that National Park Week is coming up April 19-27? This is an awesome time of year to visit some of my favorites:

1️⃣ One day in Bryce Canyon with kids​

2️⃣ Ultimate Guide To Visiting Big Bend National Park​​

3️⃣ Saguaro National Park Visitors Guide​

4️⃣ ​10 Best Things to Do in Shenandoah National Park With Kids​

5️⃣ Joshua Tree National Park With Kids​

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