Image by Peter Sheik
In this month’s Inspirational Destinations post, we’ve interviewed the author of the brand new Little LIP Guide to Nosara about Costa Rica as a Location Independent destination.
It’s a place already pretty popular with LIPs and Nancy Sun explains why…
Can you briefly introduce yourself & your business?
I am a new location independent professional. This summer, I let go of my Wall Street career to become a certified yoga instructor and professional freelance writer. Online, I am parlaying my 10+ years of personal blogging experience to launch the health and wellness blog HappinessPie.com. Its mission is to inspire conscious living on and off the yoga mat.
You wrote a great guide on Nosara, Costa Rica for us, how long have you spent in Costa Rica so far & what made you first visit?
I have visited Costa Rica three times; my last trip ended in August and lasted just under 3 months. My first visit in Winter 2007 was by accident: I was planning to go to Thailand but by the time I finally got employer approval, however, ticket prices had skyrocketed!
In search of closer, more budget-friendly tropical waters, I booked a flight to Costa Rica. I immediately fell in love with the country and have been spending increasingly longer periods of time there. I am returning this November for 6 months!
I am not alone in my love of Costa Rica. This summer, the country was named “The Happiest and Greenest Place to Live” by the New Economics Foundation. The Nicoya Peninsula of Costa Rica also recently received a lot of attention as a ‘blue zone’ where people are scientifically regarded to live the longest, healthiest lives. The town of Nosara is located on this peninsula.
How LIP-friendly is Costa Rica in your experience? What about Spanish? Is it a must-have or can you get by with just the basics?
I find Costa Rica to be very LIP-friendly. All the towns I have visited have Internet cafes and high-speed wireless is increasingly common.
LIPs have greatly benefited from Costa Rica’s $1.92 billion tourism industry. It is currently the most visited country in Central America. There is also a real estate development push here to market the country as a great place for a vacation, second, or retirement home. As such, many towns are creating infrastructure to accommodate the ‘first world’ technological amenities that LIPs need to thrive.
Linguistically, Spanish is not a ‘must have.’ English gets many people by. In fact, I have had many friends who’ve spent years here and bemoan that their Spanish should be better. That said, even attempting basic Spanish is looked well upon and can get you far. I’m not fluent myself and have not had any problems.
Image by Wha’ppen
Nosara sounds like a fantastic place – where else would you recommend in Costa Rica?
I would recommend Santa Teresa / Malpais, which recently got press for being the site of American football player Tom Brady and Supermodel Gisele Bundchen’s second wedding ceremony. That said, however, Santa Teresa is far from glitz and glamour – it is a small, friendly, and heavily surf-oriented beach town that is very LIP-friendly with several free wifi hotspots.
Well-known American tourist spot Tamarindo (and its surrounding beaches) is also highly LIP-friendly though more commercialized. Burger King and the American pizza chain Papa John’s have both recently set up shop. Puerto Viejo is alluring for those who want to see the Caribbean side and seek calmer, snorkel- and scuba dive- friendly waters.
As a place to visit, I recommend Arenal: the view of the volcano and its surrounding l hot springs, Tabacon ($$) or Thermopolis ($) are worth a weekend trip.
As a tourist, what’s been your best experience so far?
I’ve had many good experiences in Costa Rica: I’ve done the requisite rainforest zipline and canopy tour, jumped off waterfalls in Montezuma and learned to surf almost daily while gazing at sunsets over the Pacific ocean.
My best experience, however, was an impromptu 5-hour hitchhike I made from Nosara to the neighboring beach town of Playa Grande. My friend Jordan and I missed the public bus and rather than take a taxi, decided to see how far we could get depending on the kindness of strangers.
The verdict was ‘all the way.’ In addition to watching the passing scenery, I loved seeing who stopped, who didn’t, and meeting everyone who nudged us in the right direction in-between. I even made a video about my experience.
This hitchhike was a great experience as it was one of many events this year that helped me make my decision to live unconventionally.
Image by ChrisGoldNY
What challenges or drawbacks would you mention for anyone (LIPs) considering living or visiting Costa Rica?
LIPs should protect their valuables and passports. While Costa Rica has a low violent crime rate, petty theft is high. I have come across quite a few travelers who have had items stolen – even if that means just your flip flops on the beach!
Foreigners can get lulled into a false sense of security here because the locals are friendly, many of the towns are small, and they themselves are in a vacation state of mind. Don’t be fooled!
There is still an economic disparity between first world travelers and many of the locals in this developing country. Always make sure your residence is secure and lock your laptop, camera, mp3 players, etc. in a safe when not in use.
Any final insider tips or words of wisdom for LIPs visiting or wanting to live in Costa Rica?
While in transit from one town to another, let go of any expectations of the time you will arrive. Direct public buses may stop for locals and you might find a deep riverbed intersecting the very road you need to cross.
Be flexible and patient; things always work themselves out. You will get to your final destination – even if it means getting towed by the Costa Rican Off Road 2008 Champion in the Four Cyclinder Jeep category (as once happened to my friend)!
As the Ticos say, pura vida!
Are you interested in visiting Costa Rica as a Location Independent Professional? Do you want the low-down on one of the best places to head to, written by Nancy (interviewed above)?
We’ve just released the The Little LIP Guide to Nosara, available for instant download.
Related posts:
- Inspirational Destinations: Location Independent in Barbados
- Inspirational Destinations: An Interview With A LIP In Shanghai
- An Interview About Being Location Independent In Istanbul, Turkey
"
Posts
1 comment:
The accomplished ancestors is catered for as ugg boots ambit in sizes from babies, infants, big kids, little kids to adolescence and adults in gender specific styles. ugg can be anticipation of as pillows and blankets for your anxiety wherever you go. As one of the a lot of admired uggs by women and kids, ugg mini boots archetypal abbreviate ugg short become added accepted over the accomplished years.
Post a Comment