Living Abroad in Costa Rica

I picked up this book very early on in my quest to learn as much as I could about Costa Rica.  I also wanted to learn about Costa Rica from a foreign resident's point of view - not a traveler's point of view.

Erin's book turned out to be better than I expected.  The amount of information that she provides is staggering, covering issues from legal residency requirements to healthcare for foreigners to the local cuisine.  She is very honest in her depiction of Costa Rica, though there is not a lot of negatives noted - very likely because they don't exist!

I would recommend that anyone considering purchasing a home in Costa Rica, for whatever purpose, buy this book.  And of course, anyone who is looking to move to Costa Rica MUST buy this book.

Choose Costa Rica for Retirement

I read an earlier edition of this book, and I devoured it!  Even though the title focuses on retiring in Costa Rica, the book also has a strong slant towards investing there as well.

Like Erin Van Rheenen did in the Living Abroad in Costa Rica book, John Howells offers a lot of thorough, pertinent, and useful information about retirement and investing issues in Costa Rica.  Although, I still think that Erin's book is a little more comprehensive, so I would recommend buying her book along with this one.

Waterproof Costa Rica Map

Even if you don't plan on doing a lot of driving on your own when you are in Costa Rica (the roads can be treacherous), do get a good map to familiarize yourself with the country.  It's also good to have handy when you are reading any of these recommended books, and you can look up locations on the map that are written about in the books.

Costa Rica's landscape is so diverse in such a small area!  In a country the size of West Virginia, you have beaches, rainforests, volcanoes, banana & palm oil farms, as well as 2 ocean coasts - the Pacific and the Atlantic.

Frommer's Costa Rica 2007

I actually don't have a preference as to which travel book to use, but I do recommend getting at least one!

Because Costa Rica is diverse in its landscape, it is also diverse in the activities and sights to see!  There are some must-sees in Costa Rica that you don't want to miss, and these travel books will make sure you don't!

The Surfer's Guide to Costa Rica

In case you aren't a surfer and did not know, Costa Rica is a surfing mecca!  Costa Rica's Pacific coastline is riddled with amazing surf spots all up and down the coast.

No matter what surfing level you are at, I recommend that you pick up this book if you want to do any surfing in Costa Rica.  If you are a more experienced surfer, you can find all the advanced surf breaks.  If you are a beginner, you do NOT want to be caught out at a surf break that is too advanced for you.  So use this book to find a great beginner beach where you can learn safely.

Guide to Costa Rican Spanish

In case you didn't know, Spanish is the national language of Costa Rica, though a very large number of Ticos and Ticas (the friendly reference to Costa Ricans) do speak English.

But what better way to fit in and make friends in a foreign country than to try to learn and speak their language!  I can tell you from personal experience that I was afraid of offending Ticos and Ticas as I butchered their language trying to speak it.  But, I was relieved to find that they are VERY helpful and appreciate the effort greatly to try to speak Spanish.  I have to say that speaking Spanish with the locals was one of the highlights of my trip.

Costa Rica - Culture Smart!

I actually have not read this book, but Erin Van Rheenen does touch upon some cultural differences in her book, Living Abroad in Costa Rica, that I think warrant further studying.

Why should you learn more about their culture and etiquette?  Well, a very obvious reason is because there are certain intricacies with their culture that aren't obvious, yet can definitely impact your relationships with the Ticos and Ticas.  One obvious one is what's referred to as "Tico Time".  Ticos are a laid back bunch, and for them, things happen when they happen!  They aren't as uptight and scheduled as us North Americans.

So sit back, relax, and embrace pura vida!