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Six Trips. Eight Months. A Whole Lot of Sunscreen.

Chris & Courtney | February 2026

This is our sixth trip to Costa Rica as a family in the last five years. When we zoom out and really think about that, it feels significant. Not just six plane rides. Not just six vacations. Over the last five years, we’ve spent a cumulative eight months here. Eight months of our family’s life unfolding in this small stretch of coastline in Guanacaste.

That’s pretty cool.

It wasn’t some grand master plan at the beginning. We came once, then came back, and slowly this place became woven into our story. Different babies. Different stages. Same coastline.

Every trip has looked different because our family keeps changing. What we need changes. What stresses us out changes. What feels like an adventure changes. But this time, something felt steadier.

The Slow Packing

One of the biggest differences this year happened long before we boarded a plane.

Courtney started packing three weeks early. Not because she loves packing. Quite the opposite. She loves not feeling frantic. So instead of the usual last minute rush, the dining room slowly turned into what she calls “the staging area.” Open suitcases sat quietly against the wall. Swimsuits were washed and folded. Sunscreen was restocked in bulk.

She pulled up our old Costa Rica packing list and walked through it line by line, adjusting for who the boys are now instead of who they were last year.

There’s something about that slow preparation that changes the tone of a trip before it even begins. It feels less reactive. More intentional.

And maybe the most encouraging part was realizing how much less we needed. We didn’t bring the Snoo this time. That used to feel non-negotiable. We’ve traveled internationally with it before. Seeing it stay home felt like crossing some invisible line into a new season of family life.

In total, this is what we brought:

• Four checked bags
• One car seat bag
• Two pack and plays
• Two carry-on bags
• Two backpacks

It sounds like a lot when you list it out, and maybe it is. But for six people traveling for three weeks, it felt manageable. We weren’t hauling every phase of parenthood with us anymore. Just what this season requires.

Courtney would tell you that having a living packing list is the real secret. Every trip teaches you what you didn’t need and what you forgot. Adjust it. Save it. Refine it. That rhythm alone lowers the stress by half.

Removing Variables

If there’s one principle that guides how we travel with four kids, it’s this: remove variables wherever you can.

That one belongs mostly to Courtney.

We drove to Charlotte so we could take a direct flight to Liberia. It’s a longer drive than we would prefer. It means waking up at 5:30 in the morning and loading sleepy boys into the car. But it removes the uncertainty of connecting flights, missed gates, and sprinting through airports with strollers and backpacks.

With four kids, predictability is kindness.

The flight itself was almost calm, which feels dangerous to say out loud because we’ve had the opposite before. We’ve done the crying baby. The pacing the aisle. The sweat and silent apologies to strangers.

One of the best decisions we’ve made over the years is buying a seat for the baby and bringing the car seat onboard. It’s not cheap, but it changes the entire energy. He’s comfortable. He’s secure. We’re not negotiating every five minutes about where he should sit.

There’s something about being able to exhale on a plane that makes the whole journey feel lighter.

Why This Town

We keep coming back to Las Catalinas because it supports the kind of family life we’re trying to build.

It’s fully walkable. No cars weaving through town. When you step outside, you’re already where you need to be. The beach is a short walk. Coffee is close. Dinner doesn’t require loading everyone into a car and buckling five different straps.

With four kids, eliminating that constant in-and-out makes the days feel softer.

We also came into this trip knowing we weren’t going to explore the whole country. This wasn’t a “see everything” season. It was a “be somewhere deeply” season. Las Catalinas makes that possible.

It’s contained in a peaceful way. The rhythm is simple. Groceries can be delivered. The ocean is always there. There are plazas where the boys can run without us hovering every second.

The kids club has been part of that rhythm too. Three of the boys go in the mornings. They’ve made friends. They come back sandy and tired in the best way. During those hours, Courtney and I can work, exercise, or just sit quietly and have a real conversation without being interrupted mid-sentence.

Then the afternoons shift back to full family mode. Beach time. Pool. Pajamas early. It feels balanced instead of chaotic.

Why February Works

We’ve learned that timing matters.

February here is warm but manageable. There’s a breeze most afternoons. The heat doesn’t feel punishing. We can spend hours outside without everyone melting down.

April is a different story. We’ve done that too.

When you’re traveling with little kids, small environmental differences make a big impact. A few degrees cooler. A bit of wind. It changes the tone of the entire trip.

The Bigger Picture

When we think about the fact that we’ve spent eight months of the last five years in Costa Rica, it doesn’t feel like a statistic. It feels like layers of memory. Different versions of our boys learning to walk on these streets. Different sunsets from different balconies. Different stages of us as parents.

None of it has been effortless. There are still hard days. There are still arguments about who touched whose sandcastle. There’s always sunscreen in someone’s eye. Traveling with four kids under six is inherently chaotic.

But there’s also something about stepping outside of routine that reminds us who we are as a family. It forces us to rely on each other differently. It pulls us into shared experiences instead of parallel schedules.

For us, that’s what Big Life, Little Crew is really about. Not chasing perfect travel moments. Not curating something impressive. It’s about choosing experiences that stretch us and shape us, even when they require four checked bags, two pack and plays, and a whole lot of planning.

Six trips. Eight months. And we’re still learning how to do it better each time.

And that feels like a story worth continuing.