In 2009, Steve and Jackie visited Central America for the first time, with a trip to Costa Rica. They were delayed by thirty six hours on the outward journey due to bad weather in New York, so they missed their first night's accommodation in the capital, San Jose. They had a two-centre holiday, firstly on the Pacific coast close to Manuel Antonio National Park and then at an ecolodge in a 500-acre private cloud-forest reserve in the mountains.