Feb 01 2025 - Apr 20 2025
Handstands and Kiteboarding Private Retreats in Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico
It might sound surprising, but the one thing that can truly ruin a trip isn’t the weather, the food, or even delayed flights—it’s expectations. This hard truth hit me for the first time back in 2006, during my yoga teacher training certification in India.
I was having a fantastic time immersing myself in yoga: waking up early, studying, reading, enjoying delicious Indian food, and diving deep into chanting, pranayama, and kriyas. I loved every minute of it! However, not everyone in my class shared my enthusiasm. Some of my fellow students were having an absolutely miserable experience. I was shocked—how could they not be enjoying something so incredible?
Upon further reflection, I realized that our expectations had been vastly different. While I had signed up expecting a rigorous, PhD-level deep dive into yoga, they had signed up thinking it would be a light yoga class with plenty of free time to explore India as tourists. My expectations aligned perfectly with the reality of the training. Theirs? Not so much.
This experience taught me a critical lesson: expectations can kill any trip. They set a mental framework that, if unmet, leads to disappointment and frustration. Worse, unrealistic expectations can leave you unprepared for what’s to come. Before heading to India, I practiced yoga intensely, prepared my body, meditated daily, and read extensively about Indian culture to brace myself for potential culture shock. My new friends, on the other hand, signed up and mentally crafted a picture of what they thought the trip would be like, without much research.
Don’t get me wrong—we all have expectations. It’s natural. If my teacher training had turned out to be a breezy, shallow retreat with little depth, I would have been devastated.
Since then, I’ve noticed this pattern repeatedly with students who join our retreats, adventures, and teacher trainings. Some arrive with expectations that align perfectly with what we offer, while others come with completely different ideas of what the experience will entail.
The trick to handling unmet expectations is this: when you realize things aren’t going as you expected, take a moment to check in with yourself. Ask if your expectations were unrealistic, unspoken, or unadvertised. If so, can you adjust them and shift your mindset?
We recently found ourselves on the receiving end of unmet expectations during our first trip to Madagascar. On our way to our first hotel, we were surprised by an unexpected boat ride to the destination. It was exciting but also nerve-wracking—we were worried about all our electronics getting wet! None of us had researched the conditions of the boat trip we were about to take. We all questioned why the tour operator, who left us waiting for three hours at a restaurant, didn’t warn us about the boat ride—we had plenty of time to prepare! After a few minutes on the boat, we realized there was nothing we could do. So, we let go of our need to control the situation, embraced the circumstances (while highly appreciating our travel insurance), and enjoyed the ride.
The hotel turned out to be beautiful! We were glamping for a week in a tent with limited internet access and clean shared bathrooms just a short walk from our tent. The food was delicious, the staff was super friendly and we had more kiting time than our bodies could handle. On our way out, we packed all our valuables in heavy duty dry bags and embraced the return journey, looking forward to our next location, which promised flatter water and most importantly private bathrooms!
At our second hotel, however, we were hit with something completely unexpected: the bathrooms had no fresh water! For over a week, we had to wash with salt water. It hit me hard—fresh water was something I had always taken for granted. Once again, I thought, Dang, I guess that was an expectation. To be honest, it wasn’t easy at first—and we’re pretty laid-back, modern-day hippies! It took us a few days to let go of our mental complaints, appreciate the water stinging our eyes, and adjust to soaps that barely worked in salt water.
What got me was this: I had read about this place extensively but somehow missed this crucial detail. It left me wondering—why wasn’t this mentioned anywhere? I bet this comes up with every single check-in. The frustrating part was that we could have prepared. We could have brought saltwater friendly soap or figured out how to bring bulk fresh water for brushing our teeth and drinking without relying on single-use plastics.
First, as a retreat and teacher training organizer, this experience reminded me of the importance of writing clear, detailed descriptions. I do everything in my power to prepare our students and participants for a great experience. But I also understand and accept that not everyone will read the emails, travel guides, and documents we send to help them prepare. Therefore, we should plan for ways to mitigate and hold space for those that come unprepared – as much as possible.
Second, as a participant, I learned a lot about myself, my privilege, and my biases throughout the trip. Our group kept circling back to these questions:
We observed that unmet expectations tend to ruin trips when people demand that their preconceived ideas be fulfilled, even when those expectations were never promised or are not realistic. For example, I’ve seen people sign up for a teacher training but expect a relaxed yoga retreat, or join a trip in Nepal expecting Western food at every meal. I’ve even seen travelers get upset because they assumed their tour guide could bypass lines at the airport or because they had to follow everyday rules and regulations. Hey, we once saw people having a horrible time in Hawaii because the trails were muddy!
On the flip side, those who take a moment to acknowledge and adjust their expectations tend to have a much better experience. They embrace the unexpected, shift their mental attitude, and open themselves up to the adventure that’s actually unfolding, rather than clinging to the one they imagined.
And I get it—nowadays, with social media, deep fakes, and AI-generated pictures, we’ve all seen the best. But traveling is about experiencing what is, not what we think it should be. And, at least for me, that’s why we travel instead of learning by watching tv. Although there are some smells I could have been ok just reading about!
Unmet expectations are inevitable, but they don’t have to dictate your experience. The next time you travel, do your research, prepare as much as you can, and remain open to surprises—both pleasant and challenging. Or do the complete opposite and don’t plan at all and see what will come! I bet even then you will have some particular expectations too.
And when you find yourself faced with something unexpected, pause, take a breath, and ask: Can I shift my perspective to enjoy what’s in front of me, rather than what I thought it should be? That simple mindset shift can turn a potentially disastrous trip into an unforgettable adventure.
Because, at the end of the day, traveling is an invitation to step into the unknown. The greatest journeys happen when we trade expectations for openness and wonder.
Raquel and Sam travel the world as modern-day nomads. They host adventure based retreats and teach acro, slackline yoga and handstands. They constantly search for beautiful locations, kind people and great coffee.
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