In April, THE YOUNG THE RESTLESS’ Tracey E. Bregman (Lauren) left Genoa City and embarked on a family vacation to Costa Rica. Here, the just-returned actress talks a little bit about her travels and shares some pictures from her trip. Be jealous, be very jealous!

"It was unbelievable," sighs Bregman. "I got back at 2 a.m. and then had a 6:30 call and worked till midnight. My husband called and asked how I was doing. I feel fine," she assures with a laugh before launching into her travelogue.

"I prefer exploring trips," she explains. "Whenever I go places, I don't like to go to the tourist-y spots. I like to go where the people who live there go, so I'll go off the beaten track."

Costa Rica proved to be off the beaten track, and more. "It was amazing," she raves. "It was summer camp. The boys (sons Austin and Landon) had the best time. We had our own bus, our own driver and our own tour guide. It was great. If we saw something, we pulled over."

And they saw a lot of somethings! "I zip-lined 500 feet in the air over the rain forest," shares Bregman, ticking off additional events. "We rafted; kayaked; rode horses to La Fortuna, the waterfall, and then hiked down. We visited a coffee plantation, a cheese factory, butterfly reserve and orchid farms."

Even with all of that sightseeing, Bregman can cite "being at the volcano in Arenal," as the highlight of the trip. "Rarely is it ever clear, but there was not a cloud and we watched it erupt while we were there. It was so cool."

Though nothing can top a volcanic eruption, Bregman is quick to praise the quieter parts of her trip. "All of a sudden, we'd be in the pouring rain and we'd duck into this little tiny restaurant in the middle of nowhere. They have all these restaurants run by families," she describes. "It's a Third World country with a lot of poverty. People's homes are minute, but there's no trash and no graffiti. They're constantly sweeping. They have a real cleanliness thing. Every restroom was meticulous. I ended up at LAX baggage claim at 1:30 in the morning. I went into the bathroom and it was, 'Oh my God, welcome to America.' It was just trashed," she chuckles.

But cleanliness isn't the only thing she'll remember about Costa Rica and its people. "Everyone's so sweet. When you say 'gracias,' they say 'mucho gusto,' instead of 'de nada.' They say, 'my pleasure.' It's lovely."

See for yourself in our Photo Gallery.