Costa Rica: First Time Visiting
If you’re planning your first international trip and Costa Rica is your destination, you’re in luck. Costa Rica is a great place for first time international travelers and thanks to a well developed tourist economy it is easy to plan a trip and get around this small, friendly Central American country.
Elizabeth Donatelli, a broadcast journalist with stories featured on MSNBC, CNN, HLN, and The Weather Channel, recently put together a video for Costa Rica Star News highlighting Costa Rica as a great choice for first time international travelers and helping put to rest any concerns that first time visitors might have.
Having backpacked Europe, driven across the United States five times, and spent several weeks in Central America, Elizabeth Donatelli has used her sense of adventure to help first time visitors to Costa Rica understand just how easy it is to get around Costa Rica, even for those who don’t speak Spanish and have never been to a Central American country.
Chances are those visitors planning a trip to Costa Rica already have a friend, family member or co-worker who has visited this popular destination so asking for recommendations is a great way to start planning a trip. Getting advice from fellow travelers is one of the best ways to plan any vacation, whether domestic or international. Reading online reviews is also a good strategy if you don’t know of anyone who’s visited Costa Rica before. Once you narrow down which places in Costa Rica you’d like to check out, the next step is looking into accommodations and transport.
Costa Rica has a thriving tourism economy and as such many of the popular destinations are filled with a wide variety of accommodations to suit the budget of any traveler. From high end, 5 star resorts, to budget backpacker hostels to beach front vacation houses, it’s easy to find a place to stay in Costa Rica. Unless you’re traveling during the busiest times of the year, Christmas, New Year’s, or Easter week, it is not necessary to make reservations in advance, although you may still chose to do so. There are plenty of places to stay in all of the popular destinations that most travelers visit during their time aboard. There are also multiple ways to get from point A to point B.
Some visitors to Costa Rica rent cars for the duration of their stay, while others may chose to use the numerous private shuttles found throughout the country. And, as Elizabeth Donatelli points out in her video about visiting Costa Rica, taking the public buses is a fine option as well. Getting around Costa Rica is relatively easy although the roads are not always in the best condition and traffic can be unpredictable. Other than some minor delays and a few bumps here and there, transportation throughout Costa Rica is affordable, easy to understand, and reliable.
Costa Rica is a great launching place for international travel as there are many tourists who visit this county each year and Costa Ricans are incredibly friendly and helpful people who want to make sure that all visitors enjoy their stay. After visiting Costa Rica, you’ll be ready to take on your next international adventure. But you may find that you loved Costa Rica so much, you just end up coming back for a second visit!