Travel tips | True Costa Rica

What Exactly is a Tour Operator? Why Do I Need One?

A lot of folks don’t really understand exactly what it is we do, as a “Tour Operator” specializing in Costa Rica.

So I just want to just share a tour operators point of view, and offer some general information about the pros of working with a tour operator.

Are you a Travel Agent?

Please notice that I said tour operator, not travel agent. A tour operator is a travel agent who specializes in one destination. It is an important difference. That is what I do. Pre-Internet (yes, there was such a time), I sold some retail trips. But the majority of my business was as a wholesaler. I packaged Costa Rica for resale to travel agents. We had pre-made itineraries. But we were very good at special requests, and custom packages. I make my network of travel agent clients look very smart indeed.

I got into the business because I fell in love with Costa Rica. I have now been in this industry for over thirty years (since 1992), and I still love my job. I have also learned a few things along the way. I am happy to share my thoughts.

We offer our services for FREE. A reputable tour operator does not charge a fee, or mark up from what you pay for your trip.

You should be able to purchase the same service online for the same price. So we are a FREE service. Though sometimes, a tour operator can get special “net rates”, and offer the same hotel for an even lower price than the hotel might offer. But you don’t work with a tour operator solely because of a lower price.

You work with a tour operator because of our knowledge and expertise of the destination.

I go to Costa Rica at least twice a year, and usually more than that. I am always looking to tour a new hotel, or look over a local destination that I haven’t checked out. It drives my wife crazy, as I can get a little obsessive. But if someone mentions a hotel at a particular beach, I have probably at least inspected it. I know what is good or bad, and I know the other hotels in that area to compare it to.

That guy from work, may have loved the resort hotel he took his wife and kids too. Anyone can book that for you. But that is probably the only hotel he knew about in that area. Sure HE loved it, and it probably is quite nice. But if you are going on a honeymoon or anniversary trip, a tour operator can steer you to a romantic adult hotel. One without kids doing cannonballs in the pool. Or if you are bringing the family, there could be a more suitable hotel choice, or a completely different beach, or just a better value that your friend had no clue about.

Everyone is different. A “just the girls” trip is different than a bachelor party fishing trip. Some people want to dangle from bungee cords or rappel down the side of a cliff. Others want to add to their birding life list. One Size Does Not Fit All.

The most important part of a tour operator’s job is listening.

So many people call me with an idea of what they want to do in Costa Rica. Sometimes, the activities don’t match the region they want to visit. Or they are just confused by all the hype online. Often my job is to educate them, and guide them in a direction more suitable to their interests or expectations. Costa Rica is a diverse destination. If someone just wants to sell you something, without listening to what you expect your trip to be, Move on.

We know what things should cost. We aren’t fooled by Fake “Sales”

We are in the market everyday. For example, we knew of a large beach hotel that was offering a “buy two nights, get a third night free!” special. Sounds great. Except they increased their prices by over 50% before they offered that special. So you are actually paying slightly more for that room, than you would have before it was on “special”. And I am not sure it was worth the old price to begin with, let alone the inflated new rack. But if you are looking at it for the first time, you probably think you are seeing a great bargain.

Contrary to popular belief, we also don’t have a vested interest in what you buy.

Commissions in our industry are pretty consistent. We are like stockbrokers. We get paid the same if you book a great hotel, or a dump. So we usually don’t have a financial interest in putting you in a particular hotel. But in the Internet age, our reputation is everything. So my interest is in giving you the best experience possible. Good experiences drive referrals and repeat business to our in box.

Any business owner loves repeat business. Awhile back, I booked a honeymoon for a young lady. She told me she was a repeat customer. It turned out I had booked a trip for her family when she was teen. Her dad still had my card. If I had put them in a substandard hotel that paid me an extra 5% commission, would they have remembered me? Maybe. But also maybe for the wrong reason. Looking out for them brought me a nice piece of business a dozen years later. Isn’t that cool? After all this time, the lion’s share of my business is repeats and referrals.

A few years ago, we sold our second home in Monteverde. The buyer? A honeymoon couple from almost twenty years ago. They were taking their kids on a first trip to Costa Rica, and stayed in my house.

You have one person, that is making sure everything is work together and smoothly

Think of your tour operator as the “quarterback” for your whole trip. We make sure that everything goes smoothly. Your trip may involve several transportation legs, often from different vendors. Your tours and activities hosts vary from point to point as well, and you will be staying in several different hotels. That is a lot of balls in the air! We have a nationwide network of vendors, that cover all facets of your adventure. We will make sure that all of these gears mesh fully.

We can make sure that the private van or rental car shows up, and is on time. We coordinate your day tours, and know the best activities in each particular area. We know how many days you should spend in a particular region, or when you are trying to do too much in a short time. We know what car rental companies import their own cars and keep them in good repair. The ones with multiple offices and 24 hour help lines. And yes, we also know who is most likely to charge for phantom damage or overbook.

Sadly I also know of the hotels that are in trouble, and probably won’t survive low season. They are trying their best, and are still accepting reservations and deposits. We have had to back away from them.

No one wants to talk about this part of our industry. With the recent poor economy, many hotels experienced huge difficulties. The problem is that they built when the economy boomed, and overextended themselves. A couple of the major players out there are now owned by the banks. Others just went out of business. They could not keep the ship afloat in the poor economy. Some of them, were folks we worked with on a regular basis. We are not going to send your funds to someone that is not going to be there. When we see the warning signs, we adjust accordingly. It is an unpleasant part of the job. Especially if it is someone that we really like. But someone needs to be paying attention to this kind of thing. I am spending my customer’s money, and I have to be diligent.

We are your Advocate. In case there is an emergency back home, or your adventure is interrupted.

If you should encounter a problem while you are there, we are in a better position to negotiate for you. If you book a hotel or tour directly, you are a one time customer. You don’t have a lot of leverage. You need an advocate.

Tour operators have relationships with the hotels, transportation companies and tour companies. Most hotels get the bulk of their business from wholesalers and tour operators. They value these relationships (as do we), and want to nurture them. So our relationships are pretty amicable. Chances are that if we booked it, we know the owner or general manager. We have probably had lunch with them. Or a few drinks at the annual travel mart! We are at a much better starting point to negotiate a solution.

Or if you have to cut the vacation short due to an emergency at home, we can handle all the cancellations and get you to the airport on time. We can negotiate the refunds or credits. And we do this while you are on the plane home.

Unfortunately, I have had to do this probably a dozen times in the last thirty years. But we have almost always been able to come to a solution that satisfies everyone. It is one less thing to worry about. A worst case scenario is that something has happened at home that was so bad, that you have to cancel your trip and rush back home. Do you really want to stress about the canceled arrangements? We’ve got your back.

If the problem is a flight delay or missed connection on your way into the country, your tour operator can help there too. We can make sure that everyone is aware of your situation and keep you in the loop. This way the van will be there to meet you that evening, or the next day when you finally do arrive. If this causes a ripple effect elsewhere in your itinerary, we can smooth those out with the hotels or tour companies too. A tour operator can re book when necessary, and send new vouchers in a very short time. This kind of thing happens more frequently than you might think.

We are US based. You are not sending funds or credit card info to a foreign land.

If you work with a US based tour operator, you pay for it here in the US. And you only pay once. You are not emailing your credit card information to multiple entities in a foreign land. If for some reason a refund is due, that is coming from here in the US too. You are not trying to negotiate with the front desk in another country, where you may not have any recourse.

In a nutshell. No matter how you book your trip, you are spending a tidy sum. The services of a tour operator are FREE to you. You are buying the services for the same price as a direct booking, and sometimes for less. Why would you not want to work with someone in your home country, who is an expert in your destination? Our advice is free, and we can make sure that everything flows smoothly. We know the pitfalls, and can prevent a problem from happening in the first place. If something does go wrong, our support is there if you need us.

We know the country better than anyone. And we know it from a North American perspective.

No matter what happens, we can also tell you about that great little tapas restaurant with the fantastic sunset view, or give you directions to the rocking chair factory in Sarchi.

My advice is that before you start booking everything directly, give me a call. We can talk, and get a feel for what you are doing.. If I can’t make you more comfortable or if you don’t feel confident, then move on. You can still book it yourself. No hard feelings.

But I feel confident that we can greatly enhance your experience. And make the process easier at the same time.

I hope this helps. Let me know if I can offer any further advice. Just get in touch!

Choosing a reputable rental car company

In all my years packaging Costa Rica, the single greatest challenge has always been rental cars. Less reputable companies run damage scams. Some overbook. Others do not have replacement vehicles if there is a problem, or offer proper support. Some just have old beat up cars.

Companies come and go. I worked with one company for years. We had a fantastic relationship with them. They were even my landlord, when we operated a satellite office in Quepos (Manuel Antonio) in the early 2000’s. They were exceptional. Until they weren’t.

The company changed hands, and they became pretty awful. They were sold to a company that owned multiple rental agencies. Suddenly, I didn’t know the people I was working with. We started getting customer complaints about missing pick ups, the condition of the vehicles, overcharging, etc.

We had been sending our “overflow” guests to another company. We made them our principal vendor, and have worked with them now for at least 15 years. They have been stellar.

This is were working with a tour operator is important. A tour operator has a relationship with the rental car company. We often offer lower rates that the car company offers on their own website. And you have this in writing, on your voucher at pick up. So no surprises. We know that they have good cars, and they don’t run scams.

Things to consider when renting a car in Costa Rica:

A good rental car is essential for a positive travel experience. Look at it this way. A family spends $2000.00 on airfare. Say you spend another $2000.00 on hotels and tours. This means you are paying several hundred dollars a day to be there. When you factor in what you pay for hotels and airfare, paying an extra $100 for a week of is not much in the whole scheme of things. A dependable and well maintained vehicle is the one thing that impacts your whole experience.

How new are these vehicles? The roads can be tough on rental cars to begin with, and customers tend to drive them harder than they would a vehicle they actually own. Rental cars have a short shelf life. This is important. The better rental car companies tend to buy brand new vehicles, and turn them over before they put too many miles on them. Turnover like this is expensive.

The cars are sold at auction, often to other rental car companies. So a car that one company deemed too old for their customers, becomes the newest car on the lot at another company. This is something to consider if two companies are offering what appears to be the same model and the same year at vastly different prices.

Are they going to honor the quoted rate and insurance? This is a big one. The forums are rift with stories of being quoted low ball prices, only to find out there are lots of fees. Or the insurance isn’t included. They have you at a disadvantage. None of the companies have cars on the airport property. If you are flying in, they take you to an offsite office. You find yourself standing their with your luggage and family, and are suddenly seeing all of these extra charges add to your rental. You don’t have many options. Most people will just cave. You just want to get going on your vacation.

Are you going to have a problem with false damage claims? Other than the company’s own testimonials, what kind of references do they have? It is difficult to challenge a foreign credit card charge. What recourse do you have if there is a problem? A few years ago, there were lots of reports of rear floor mats missing, and the guests being charged. There seemed to be rash of rear floor mats stolen. Who looks at the rear floor mats? But again, you have a flight to catch. So you pay and move on.

Will they accept any credit card coverage that your credit card offers? There is a government mandated liability insurance that you must buy. But sometimes you can waive the additional coverage if this is offered by your credit card company. Though we get a discount on the insurance too,

How many offices does the company have? If you break down in the boonies, is there support close by? What if you break down at night, will someone answer the phone?

It is something to think about when your rental car is broken down in Northern Guanacaste. A large national company will get you a replacement from Liberia in an hour or two. It might be difficult to get anyone on the phone at a small company that only has a few cars. And they may be hours away.

I have seen one of the companies that I deal with bring a replacement car on a flatbed truck up the mountain to Monteverde, AFTER DARK. That’s worth $100.00. Anyone who has driven that road in the daylight will agree!

This is where postings in the travel forums or an experienced Costa Rica tour operator is important. You cannot make this decision based on price alone. A US badged company is also not a guarantee. Many of these are smaller companies paying a franchise fee. Educate yourself as much as possible. This is one case of getting exactly what you pay for.

Not to blow my horn. But working with a tour operator is one way to avoid this.

Driving to Monteverde

We have flown into Liberia on our last couple of trips. I like the San Jose airport more. It is more modern and full service, and I always enjoy visiting with our San Jose hotel friends.

But the drive to Monteverde from Liberia is an hour shorter. While American Airlines is absolutely my least favorite carrier, they have a flight to Liberia that goes through Dallas. This allows us to avoid the headaches of the Miami airport.

We drove up the road through Las Juntas. This is the first time we have gone this way, and it is the best road that we have found yet. There is a very good paved road from the Pan American highway that leads into Los Juntas. You have to navigate a little in town, but if you can find the statue of several Campesinos, you are on the right track. Turn here, and you are on the road to Santa Elena. There is good paved road leading out of town, and only the last twenty kilometers (twelve miles) are unpaved. Even then, this road is in very good condition and is generally not as scary as the other road up from the Pan Am. It probably is not worth the extra drive from San Jose. But if you are coming from Liberia, this is by far the best choice.

Driving and Bribing

The whole reason I host this blog is to share the country I love with others. Most of the time, it is paradise found and one of my favorite places on the planet. However, it does have a few problems. While the government has stiffened penalties on corrupt cops, you will still need to be aware of what to expect if you run into one.

Most importantly, you probably won’t have any problems if you obey the traffic laws. So of course, that is the best policy.

We have been stopped three times, when (I have to admit) I was violating the speed limit. The first time, I feigned a complete lack of Spanish. But I foolishly let the police officer see the contents of my wallet, and there were quite a few bills inside. I hadn’t driven in Costa Rice much before this, and I was intimidated enough to give the guy $40.00. I really regretted it.

The next time was a little scary. The road was a remote. The cop got me out of the car, away from my wife. He spoke perfect English, and told me it would take hours to find a judge to pay the fine. I paid the bribe, only because this guy was so smooth that he scared me. I was afraid if I refused the bribe, he may suddenly “find” drugs in my car.

But these two experiences hardened my resolve not to pay again. So my third run-in actually turns out to be a fun story. This happened recently when my wife and I were driving down the Pan Am highway, only a couple of hours after we arrived in the country.

We rode right into a speed trap. The stop was legitimate. I was speeding. I gave the cop my passport and license. He took them and asked me to walk back to his car with him. I had just stopped at an ATM, and had a huge wad of cash with me. I waited until he stepped away, and gave all my cash to my wife. I retained 10,000 colons (about $18.00) and joined the cop.

He had a tattered traffic law book, like something issued to a student driver. It was in Spanish, and he had the fine for speeding underlined. This particular page was very dogeared and worn. He apparently turned to this one page often. He explained to me that he really did not want to give me a ticket that he (falsely) claimed would cost $200. He offered to give me a “warning” if I paid 20,000 colons on the spot. I was pretending not to speak much Spanish, and we chatted a little in “Spanglish” while discussing this. I was determined to talk my way out of this situation. We finally settled on the 10,000 colons that I had pulled out of my pocket, and he took it. This is less than the fine would have been.

During our conversation, he saw the several CR stamps in my fairly new passport. He asked me what I was doing in Costa Rica. I gave him my business card. I explained that I was there working with ICT (the government tourism bureau) on promotions for Costa Rica. I noticed a look on his face when I mentioned ICT. I told him we were scouting locations.

My Spanish was improving by the minute. I could see he was a little uncomfortable, as he processed this new information. I looked for an ID on his uniform, and saw that it was reversed and tucked under his vest. He noticed me looking. So I stepped to the side and looked at the number on his car. He definitely noticed this, and stepped with me to block my view. I stepped back to the other side and continued the conversation. He stepped to the other side as well. We continued doing a sideways two step. I think I was asking about locations. I continued looking at the number on the vehicle.

The guy suddenly gave me back my passport and license, and the 10,000 colons! He told me that since this was my “first time in Costa Rica”, he was letting me off without a warning. He told me to be careful because there were lots of police on the highway that weekend. Then he told me to go. Now. I quickly obeyed.

To be fair, this is only the third time that this has happened to me in over thirty years of travel in Costa Rica. I guess that three times in thirty years is not a lot. But I have driven daily in the US for almost fifty years and I have never been asked for a bribe by a cop here in all that time.

I love Costa Rica, and never enjoy speaking negatively about it. But this kind of thing is more common than folks like to admit.

If this happens to you my advice is to be polite. It sometimes helps if you don’t speak (or pretend not to know) a lick of Spanish. Keep any large amounts of cash out of sight. Unless you are in an accident or driving drunk, the fines are usually pretty small. You can just pay them to your rental car company. Don’t pay a huge bribe. The ticket will have the police officer’s information on it. You can complain later.

Cell Phones Are Now Available to Foreign Tourists

Many of my customers ask me if their US cell phones will work in Costa Rica. My answer is an unqualified “maybe”. It depends on the carrier. The government owned phone company finally has some competition, and the game seems to be changing weekly. But even if your US phone does work, it will be expensive.

However, I recently found something pretty cool. I was able to purchase a prepaid cell phone in the San Jose airport for twenty bucks, and it came with 300 minutes of local calls. Actually, the phone was free and I just bought the time.

This is kind of a big deal. Until lately, non residents were not allowed to own phones. We were there in December 2011, and heard that this was now possible. We spent half a day driving around Liberia, and couldn’t find anything. But the San Jose airport kiosk was fairly new.

The phone is able to accept international calls. This is really great for a tourist that needs to be available if there is an emergency at home. It is lso handy if you get lost in your rental car. You can call your hotel for directions.

I was able to take it a little further. Since I spend so much time in Costa Rica, I have always needed a way to keep in touch with my office and family.

For several years, I have had an 800 number that can be forwarded to any phone in the world. It is only nine cents a minute to Costa Rica from the US. When we are at our house in Costa Rica, I forward the number there. I also forward it to hotels I am staying at. Anyone with the number knows the drill, and will ask for my room.

I also have a callback service. I use my laptop to trigger a “callback” to whatever number I have available. The phone rings, and I have a US line. I can then call anywhere in the US for fifteen cents a minute. This works great at my house, but it is a little tricky at a hotel.

So I set up both services to be used with my new cell phone. It worked like a charm. This last trip was a work trip. I attended the annual travel convention, and spent a couple of days inspecting hotels.

My wife and assistant were able to call me on my 800 number whenever necessary, and I was able to call home without any issues. I was travelling over Mother’s Day, and it sure came in handy. These calling services cost almost nothing to set up, and you can do everything online. But most folks probably won’t bother with that.

But these phones could be very useful. So I just thought I would share! It is also important to note that these are SIM card phones. So you can use them while travelling in other countries. You just need to buy a new card when you arrive in the country.

But even if you used it for only one trip to Costa Rica, I think the peace of mind is worth the small cost.

Helpful travel hints for your perfect vacation

These are the helpful hints that I share with all of my clients. It is extremely long. You may want to just print it out!

PASSPORT

You must have one, and it cannot expire within 30 days after your arrival. This is very important. This is required by the Costa Rican government, and is non negotiable. Otherwise, they will send you home on the next flight. They are very serious about this, so check your passport!

Now scan the first page with your picture and the other important info. Now send the file via Email to yourself and a friend who is not traveling. If you lose your passport, a good copy will make things a heck of a lot easier at the embassy. Make a photocopy while you are at it, and carry this day to day in Costa Rica. You can leave the original in your room safe. Although chances are slight that you will ever be asked to produce it, the copy works just fine. You are supposed to also have a copy of the page from when you entered the country too. But unless you are under arrest, this copy should be good enough.

ENTERING THE COUNTRY

When you arrive, you will go through immigration first and then customs. All pretty routine stuff. There are free luggage carts in the baggage claim area, but these can’t be taken outside the building. They are handy for going through customs. Unless you look like an international arms smuggler or drug addled loser, you will find customs simple. You will be asked to place all of your luggage on a conveyor belt at the x-ray machines. They only open your luggage if they see something suspicious on the x-ray. Once you exit the building, you have to surrender the cart. But there are guys there to assist if you need it. Just stay with them. I always get a little nervous when someone grabs my bag and takes off.

Something fun about this airport is that they have a duty free shop in baggage claim. You can buy wine and liquor to bring into the country. Imported liquor is expensive in Costa Rica. So if you can’t go the week without Johnny Walker, this is a good stop. The wine prices are good too. We usually buy a couple of bottles for our room or to give as gifts to friends. The shop is located to your left as soon as you arrive downstairs in baggage claim.

Do not exchange money at the official looking currency exchange in baggage claim! See below.

SECURITY

Violent crime against tourists is almost non existent. Unless of course, you are looking for trouble!

But petty theft is a real problem. So it is important that you keep an eye on your stuff. Do no leave luggage in an unattended vehicle, or anywhere else. Keep an eye on your belongings at the beach too. Use the security box in your room.

99.9% of the locals you meet will be very friendly, honest, polite, and willing to bend over backwards to assist you in every way. Everyone is so nice, it is easy to relax and forget the rules. Don’t let that happen. When you relax, that is when that tiny part of the population is looking for their opportunity. My best advice is to treat your belongings as if you were visiting a large US city. Practice the same due diligence, and you won’t have a problem.

DEALING WITH THE TICOS (the locals)

It is almost a little embarrassing to have to mention this. But there are some cultural differences. Latin folks tend to treat each other with a little more kindness than we sometimes do here in the States. Even though we mean no offense, our rushing around and efficient manner sometimes comes off as rudeness.

The waiters will treat you very well, but there is a different philosophy in play here. No one will fawn over you, even in an expensive restaurant. But they will treat you like an honored guest in their home. Play along, and be a great guest. You will be amazed at the warm treatment you will receive. Be demanding, and suddenly the service is horrible.

The pace here is slower. It isn’t laziness, it is just relaxed. We call it “Tico time”. So if your food takes a little while, don’t stress. Just order another cerveza. Also, be aware that you will never get a restaurant check without asking for it. Ticos consider it rude to bring a check too early. To them, it is the same as telling you to leave. Maybe you wanted another cup of coffee or another cerveza? Many folks mistake this as slow service or laziness. Actually, they are being polite.

It is best to go back to what our mothers taught us. Say hello (Hola) when entering a business establishment. A simple “Please” (Por Favor, or even just Porfa), goes a long way. Thank (Gracias) everyone for everything.

One last thing. If things are not going well, keep your temper. Ticos tend to be non confrontational, and polite. Even when they are boiling inside. Yelling at a waiter or hotel clerk is extremely bad manners (even if you are in the right). You may not be aware of it, but this loss of control is extremely embarrassing for everyone. Especially for the one causing the commotion.

MONEY

Again, do not exchange money at the official looking currency exchange in baggage claim! The commission they charge is an outrageous rip off. Period.

Your US money spends well here. Just bring small bills, and make sure they are in good condition. The one hundred dollar bill is the most counterfeited in the world, and is always viewed with suspicion. Don’t bring anything larger than a twenty.

You will probably want to use local currency. It is just easier. Your hotel can usually change a small amount of money for you. But they are not a bank, so they don’t keep a lot of cash on hand. You can also get money from an ATM. They usually give the best exchange rate. Most big US networks (Pulse, Cirrus, Maestro, etc.) are in use here. But not at every bank. So when you find one that works, make note of the name for future reference.

Stash some US money for the last day of your trip. Costa Rican colons are hard to exchange back home, and you will get murdered on the exchange rate. You want to spend all your colons, and live on US money at the end of your stay.

If you are going to be using a credit card, it is a good idea to let your provider know. They will often turn a card off when they start seeing a bunch of foreign charges. A quick call today can save a hassle and expensive international call later.

STAYING HEALTHY

You can eat the food and drink the water just about everywhere. Bottled water is widely available. I drink it out of convenience, but not out of necessity. So food and drink are not a concern. I find that the biggest problems my guests encounter are sun poisoning and digestive problems.

You are only slightly above the equator here. The sun is a lot more intense than it seems. If you forget your hat and don’t wear sunscreen, you are asking for trouble. Sun poisoning will lay you out for a full day or longer. It is just like the flu. Sniffles, nausea, diarrhea, fatigue. Take precautions, and you will be fine. I can’t stress the importance of this enough.

You should bring some Imodium or other anti-diarrhea medication. Sometimes just a change in diet will cause this kind of problem. The good news is that it probably is not a problem caused by bacteria. If you are affected, lay off the fried food. They use palm oil a lot, and it is hard to digest if you are not used to it.

There is a very slight incidence of tropical diseases. But they are not nearly as common here as in other parts of the third world. Most of the things that can affect you are mosquito borne. Just use your repellent, especially in the early morning and at dusk. Pay close attention to your ankles. In seventeen years, I don’t think that any of our clients have come home sick. But take your precautions. It is always better to be safe than sorry.

If you are going to be drinking alcohol at the hot springs, make sure you hydrate! And no, a frozen margarita doesn’t count. Hot springs are great fun, but extremely dehydrating. Mix this factor with alcohol, and you can see the party ending early. An occasional bottle of water is the smart thing to do.

TIPPING

All restaurant checks have a 10% tip, and some tax added. By law, they have to give you a bill. This 10% is a starting point. If your waiter has been good, then add another 10%.

If you are being transferred a long distance, make sure you take care of the driver / guide. Tips are an important part of their income. If you are just a couple people or a family in a small van, figure $20.00 is good. If you are part of a large group, figure $5.00 per person, per day.

The drivers doing local transfers in San Jose should get a couple bucks, but taxi drivers are usually not tipped. There are usually some guys that will help with your luggage at the airport. Tip like you would in the US. Tip anyone that helps with your luggage at the hotel. Figure a buck a bag for the luggage assistance.

Don’t forget the chamber maids, figure a buck a day, unless you are really messy! Some hotels leave an envelope in the room. Others have a box in the lobby for staff tips. A buck or two left on the table after the free breakfast buffet is always appreciated.

KEEPING IN TOUCH

The best way is by email. Internet cafes are pretty common, although not all of them offer a high speed connection. Most hotels now offer some form of Internet access for guests. If you must call home, I don’t recommend that you use your US based calling card. They usually are your worst deal, and it can get expensive quickly. If you must call home, purchase an international phone card from a pharmacy or large grocery store. These are sold in US denominations ($5, $10, $20), and are your best deal at about fifty cents per minute.

LEAVING THE COUNTRY

All carriers want you to check in two and a half to three hours in advance. You have to comply. This is a small airport. If two or more big jets are leaving around the same time, the security lines get long. If there is an elevated threat level in the US, they search every bag by hand. You can see how this can slow things down.

You have to pay your exit tax before you get in line at the ticket counter. There are two places to do this. They are located in the corners of the terminal, across from the ticket counters. The lines appear long, but they move quickly. If the line at the closest one is crazy long, then go to the other. There always seems to be next to no one there. Go figure.

I hope that you find this information useful! Enjoy your stay, you are going to a very special place.