Not everyone can make it work in Costa Rica. Any foreigner that has spent a number of years will attest to that fact. Hundreds of people dream of retiring to this lovely country, but not all manage to make that dream a reality.
Here are some tips for success in Costa Rica:
- Keep an open mind.
- Be flexible, things will be different here.
- Find a new hobby that takes advantage of what Costa Rica has to offer.
- Find a good doctor. Excellent and affordable health care make Costa Rica ideal.
- Don’t walk around alone at night, avoid hanging out at bars.
- Keep up with events at home either through TV or the Internet.
- Learn about the Costa Rican culture. Read books on Costa Rica and the local newspaper. Make friends with expats who have stories to share. Get involved with the ARCR.
- Get a good bilingual lawyer by doing your homework and getting good references from other expats.
- Don’t get involved in businesses or investments unless you are ready to add more complications to your life. If you are here to retire and live off of a pension, then do it!
- Hang out with the locals. It will help you appreciate their culture more, and learn the language.
- Give back to the community, but in the way they need it, not in the way you, as a Gringo, feel it should be done.
- Use Skype (www.skype.com) or a VoIP phone such as Vonage (www.vonage.com) to keep in touch with friends and family.
- Keep your sense of humor and your common sense, you will need lots of both.
- Enjoy the country! When you get stressed with the local or the way things are done, escape to your favorite place in Costa Rica and remember why you came here in the first place.
- Make friends, the kind who you trust to help you out in hard times.
If you try to live by these little rules, or at least keep them in mind, your success rate in Costa Rica will be much higher than your average Gringo.
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you forgot a few:
don’t expect drivers to obey traffic laws or stop signs or to use common sense….as a driver or pedestrian, always be on the defensive and ready to react.
don’t leave anything in your car.
don’t pay someone up front to do a job.
don’t slam the door of a taxi as you enter or exit.
Great additional tips! Thanks Mike C.!