Day 20: Happy International Day of the Girl

Girls in traditional dress in Costa Rica

When I started this thing, I did say that some days, the Daily Boost would be as simple as a photo – and today is one of those days. Three girls, walking together, colorful and happy: that’s all I need this morning, and I hope you love it, too.

Today closes out a week that ended up focusing on women. Women who run, women who write, women who drive poetry ambulances, women in the making. Here’s the roundup for all those weekend readers out there. And on this 20th day of the Daily Boost, I want to express my gratitude to all those who have read and commented on these posts so far. I’ve gotten soup recipes, book recommendations and more; let’s keep the conversation going! If you have a friend you think would like this, or if you see a post you’d like to share, please spread the word: for those of us writing in a vacuum, these connections are incredibly comforting, like an echo coming back to us when we shout off the cliff. So I thank you.

Day 16, Monday Motivation: A Costa Rican speedster who inspired us all.

Day 17, Tuesday Beauty: A group of women join forces to explore the theme of “unlove.” to

Day 18, Wellness Wednesday: How How a British ‘pharmacy’ gave me a shot in the arm. 

Day 19, Thursday Exploring: How to travel like a girl.

Wishing you a happy weekend!

Day 19: How to travel like a girl

Each week so far of the Costa Rica Daily Boost has taken me somewhere unexpected – I end up on Friday somewhere I didn’t envision on Sunday. This week ended up becoming a deep dive into women in sports, literature and wellness, so as Thursday neared, my day to focus on explorations, I found myself wondering: is there a guide to women-owned tourism businesses in Costa Rica?

In starting to research this question – I’m sure there’s a lot out there – I instantly came across Her Report, an incredible project I’d never heard of. Founded by journalist AnneMarie Houlis, the site includes stories by and about women around the world, but also practical travel information for women (in their “Travel Like a Girl” section). They’ve even created guides to women-owned businesses in specific locations – including Santa Teresa, on Costa Rica’s Nicoya Peninsula – check to see if they’ve got one for your favorite destinations.

I’ve written pretty recently about the dangers facing women travelers and the balancing act we must sometimes perform to preserve our sense of adventure and while also common sense precautions, so I’m thrilled to find a resource that seems to bridge that gap through information and peer-to-peer advice. I’ll definitely be keeping an eye on Her Report.

Do you have women-owned businesses to recommend or great travel information sources created by women? As always, I’d love to hear from you.

http://www.herreport.org/travel-guide-santa-teresa/

I’m a writer in San José, Costa Rica, on a year-long quest to share daily posts on inspiring people, places and ideas from my adopted home as a kind of tonic during a rough time in the world. Sign up (top right of this page) to receive a little dose of inspiration every weekday in your mailbox; tell a friend; check out past posts; and please connect with me on Instagram or Facebook! You can also find me churning out small, square poems on any topic under the sun (here on the site, on Instagram or Twitter).