Did you know that Costa Rica is a tropical country? And that there a few things you should know about living in a tropical country before you move? You may have already guessed, I’m from the West Coast. A second-generation native Californian, in fact. Both sides of my family lived In California for about a…
Estimated Reading Time: 6 Minutes What to do with your free time when living in Costa Rica? Have you arrived without a job, without a mission, or without a business to found? Then that probably makes you a retiree of whatever age. Also, those who do have a job, or run a business, will have…
Estimated Reading Time: 5 Minutes Expats and visiting tourists should know about the behavior of trucks and buses on the Costa Rican roads. Most Costa Rican roads originated as oxcart paths in the valleys and on the winding hillsides. When these roads got converted to asphalt, they weren’t widened much. Buses in Costa Rica are…
Estimated Reading Time: 6 Minutes How difficult is driving in Costa Rica? I am now assuming for a minute that you have a valid drivers’ license. The kickback style of Costa Rica’s citizens is reflected in the posted speed limits throughout the country. Remember, I said “posted” speed limits. Sometimes, even I find it hard…
Estimated Reading Time: 6 Minutes Our arrival was exciting, just like our decision of moving to Costa Rica. Now that we are here living in Costa Rica, I’m throwing my chronological approach out the window. I’m trying to cover topics that may have value for you. Hopefully, they’re interesting subjects and observations that perhaps will…
Estimated Reading Time: 6 Minutes Everyone who moves to Costa Rica asks if they should take the car with them to Costa Rica or sell it. So how to plan to get your possessions moved to Costa Rica? First, you need to focus on moving yourself and your loved ones south. But what about and…
Estimated Reading Time: 7 Minutes What to bring when moving to Costa Rica? I bet you don’t know! There is stuff you love and there is stuff you think is important. When you’re asking what to bring when relocating, you should probably make a list. Well, The house is sold, Also, the cars are sold,…
How easy do you think it is getting your belongings to Costa Rica? Moving everything you own after all of the garage sales and donations are completed can still be tricky. Especially, if you: 1) Plan to rent in Costa Rica before you decide to make it permanent your home; and 2) Live on the…
Once you have decided on relocation to Costa Rica, there a few things you should do first. Okay, now you’ve had an offer on your house for sale and accepted. You will soon be faced with the prospect of nowhere to live. Pre-plan all you want, but it can still happen that you now are…
Estimated Reading Time: 7 Minutes Before you move: get rid of your stuff! If we were going to make a successful move to our new land, there was no choice but to sell our house. Most websites counsel you to take it slowly. But, before you get rid of your stuff, decide if you want…
How important are financial decisions before you move? I can’t overemphasize how much potential difficulty and inconvenience you can avoid once you move to Costa Rica. If you’ve attended to your financial details with a customized, flexible transaction plan. You will need ready access to your assets, so you have to take financial decisions ahead…
Some things are surprisingly different in Costa Rica than we think they are. Two weeks ago, I told you my experiences on setting up banking and utilities after our real estate. And today I am in my final blog about my story that started on January 25th, 2013. My wife and I think it turned…
Estimated Reading Time: 4 Minutes I am often asked, with a lot of skepticism, why yoga and horses? Where is the connection? My standard answer is; I have experienced the similarities between riding and yoga practice. The same stillness and union I find in my yoga practice I feel when I ride. Last week I…
by guest blogger TicoNuevo Back home, before I tackled the financial flowchart, we were dealing with a number of banks, and credit card and financial institutions; some of whom we felt either we would not need, whose fees would be too expensive to use when moving to Costa Rica or would not be easy to…
Estimated Reading Time: 6 Minutes Setting up Banking and Utilities after our real estate closing was a treat! During the two weeks we visited the country during our Costa Rica real estate closing, we enjoyed some downtime. Also, we did some touring and exploring and learning more about our newly-adopted second home. While meeting more…
Estimated Reading Time: 4 Minutes There have been several changes in the temporary Costa Rican residency policy and law that affect the financial wellbeing of long-term visitors. This includes those visitors applying for one of the three immigrant resident categories. Just before our arrival, Immigration made changes in the temporary Costa Rican residency. We received…