Helps not necessarily in order of priority:
- ARCR 2-Day Seminar and their “countdown” checklist of what to do by number of months, weeks, and days before move.
- ARCR website and magazine El Residente is there to help you.
- Christopher Howard Live in Costa Rica Tour and his website/blog (Feature photo above is of his tour group I was with, 2014) and note that his tour includes the ARCR 2-Day Seminar that answers all your questions.
- Retire for Less in Costa Rica website and newsletter and also their
On Healthcare Tour after I moved here – very helpful to me! “Healthcare Tour” is excellent and I highly recommend.
- Checking out many other websites, books, organizations, though the above were the most helpful for me personally
- Securing a Costa Rica Attorney BEFORE the move really helped me! I did it through ARCR but there are other sources.
- Starting the Residency Requirements while still in the states makes it easier to get the needed apostille legal documents BEFORE the move and your attorney here will help you with what to get before leaving states.
- Make several visits here BEFORE you move, getting acquainted with places to live, people, and your options, and always rent before you buy!
- Starting Spanish classes BEFORE the move and continuing here. You can live here without the Spanish language, but you will then always be an outsider, a foreigner and life will be more difficult than the difficulty of learning the language. I’m still struggling, but locals appreciate my efforts.
- Getting acquainted with local expats who came here before you. Their experience is always helpful even if their situation is different.
- And when zeroing in on a town or community, join any expat groups or Facebook groups there to learn more from the expats now doing it! In Atenas we have Atenas CR Info Facebook Group which you have to join for free to read the posts and answers to questions (like all FB Groups). It is at: https://www.facebook.com/groups/atenascostaricainfo/about/
A few people like the organization and its magazine International Living. I did not like them nor find them helpful to me. They were more about getting my money – that was my personal experience. And I question their motives for promoting certain countries, places, etc. But you may want to check them out.
And for the final decision, follow both your heart and your head, but most important is to follow your heart! Where do you want to be? Doing what?
For me, Costa Rica is true ¡Pura Vida¡
Charlie – Retired in Costa Rica!
Looks like Payton Manning standing to your front right!
Well, it could have been, though not! Many sports and Hollywood stars have vacation houses here, mostly along the Pacific Coast. That particular guy was from Hawaii with his wife, looking to retire here because cost of living is so much cheaper here than Hawaii! 🙂 Yet just as tropical and laid back!