Costa Rica was put on the map by President Oscar Arias back in 1987 when he became a Nobel Peace Prize Laureate. Dr. Oscar Arias made it possible for Costa Rica to become a 2nd world country and have the world know that Costa Rica was more than a neighbor to Nicaragua and Panama. Before that, Costa Rica was already a safe haven for many people from all over the world to retire to the beautiful and peaceful country. Costa Rica has no army, it’s people are laid back and easy going and used to the large amount of foreigners looking for a nice location to retire to. The culture and its people, besides the beautiful flora and fauna, are the main attractions and the low cost of living to top it off. Though Costa Rica has become more expensive in the last few years, it’s still very affordable for most of you. The huge advantage of Costa Rica over other retirement havens is that there are so many different micro climates to choose from and every location offers something different. That’s why we offer you this Retirement Tour, so you can find out if Costa Rica is for you or not. During the tour, we’ll teach you many things to make the move easier for you, but also many cultural differences. Just to give you a small sample of what you’ll learn on our tours, read on.

You’re a guest to this country, so behave like it

Costaricans are proud people and want to be respected.

When Costaricans go to your country, you expect them to adjust to your customs and language. And for them it is harder to get used to a different way of life and a different language. Most Costaricans have never even left their country. Europeans and North Americans are generally well traveled, they cross borders more often. As English is the most spoken language in the world, travelers assume the population of the country they visit will speak in that language, which is correct to assume if you are a tourist.

When a foreigner visits another country, he or she is not seen as somebody special. They get treated badly many times in customs; they don’t find anybody with enough time on their hand to go out of their way to show them a direction when they are lost. They are part of the large travel herd and none of them gets the V.I.P. treatment. And feel free to ask any immigrant back home how he/she is treated by customs, immigration, the police and many other official institutions. Costa Rica is no different.

Exactly the same thing can happen to you when you come to Costa Rica, so be ready for it. But you can make your travel and life so much easier and comfortable when you try to adjust to their customs and language as you expect them to do. Costaricans are proud people and when you show them respect, they will respect you too. Show them that you are interested in their customs and their language and they will respect you for it.

To make your life a little easier, you can click here to get some tips on how to adjust to the local customs