A little history | 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!

Gallo Pinto, a great way to start the day.

Gallo Pinto It is a typical morning in Costa Rica, and my lovely bride is craving a “Tipical” breakfast.

Costa Rica has always been an agricultural economy. Even though tourism is now the #1 industry, many folks still work close to the land. This hearty meal is just the ticket to “fuel the furnace” for another active day. Tipical breakfasts include eggs, delicious local cheese, plantains, tortillas and Gallo Pinto. Of course, a cup or two of excellent local coffee completes the equation.

Gallo Pinto is the national dish of Costa Rica. The main ingredients are black beans and rice. Recipes vary, but most cooks add onions, bell pepper, and cilantro, all fried together in a little oil. During the cooking process, the rice takes on the color of the beans. This gives the dish a speckled appearance, hence the name, Gallo Pinto. Or “Speckled Rooster” in Spanish.

Gallo Pinto is omnipresent and served in virtually every restaurant in the country, from the fanciest hotel to the Burger King at the airport. If breakfast is served, you can bet that Gallo Pinto is on the menu.

There are slight variants around the country, where local ingredients find their way into the dish. In Guanacaste, it is not unusual to find hot peppers. On the Caribbean side, we were surprised to find some shredded coconut. There is always another local favorite on the table too. No dining table in Costa Rica is complete without a bottle of Salsa Lizano. This mildly spicy condiment adds extra zip to Gallo Pinto, and almost everything else consumed here!

The Painted Oxcart, from humble vehicle to national symbol

PAINTED OXCART The town of Sarchi has become well known as the home of that colorful symbol of Costa Rica, the painted ox cart. Yes, miniature versions have become popular as mini bars purchased by tourists to ship home. But the history of the ox cart is much more interesting, and they have played a very important part in the economic development of this country.

During the colonial period, they were used for the transportation of coffee, sugar cane, tobacco and other agricultural products. Teams of two oxen would pull the product laden carts down the treacherous paths from the Central Valley to Puntarenas for eventual export. On the return trip, they would be filled with manufactured goods from Europe. This includes the famous metal church in Grecia, a small town near Sarchi. This huge church was prefabricated in Belgium in the 1890’s, and shipped to Puntarenas. It was then transported piece by piece by hundreds of the relatively tiny oxcarts, a process that took a period of several years. If you visit this magnificent edifice, take a moment to think about the drivers from a century ago, walking every step next to their oxen, and exposed to the elements. It was a difficult life.

The owners of the oxcarts painted the carts to preserve them. But as time went by, the painting became more and more elaborate. A kind of competition eventually developed over who not only had the finest team of oxen, but who had the most beautiful cart. A national icon was born. Nowadays, you can still find the occasional ox cart in use in the rural areas. However modern truck tires have replaced the gaily painted solid wooden wheels, and you usually won’t see the intricate designs of days gone by.

But the painted oxcart lives on as a locally beloved art form. When you are in Sarchi, stop by one of the oxcart factories to purchase souvenirs. Take some time to check out the artisans working in the rear. They fabricate the different wooden parts on site. If you are lucky, you will see them methodically laying down the layers of paint necessary in each design.

In 1988, the government designated the painted oxcart as the National Symbol of Work. This was in recognition of the huge contribution that the humble oxcart made to the economic and social development of Costa Rica.

The Quakers of Monteverde

In the 1948, four young Quaker men in Fairhope, Alabama declined to register for the draft. This was shortly after WWII, and feelings of national patriotism were running high. To stand up for their beliefs at this particular point in time was an extremely courageous decision.

The young men were sentenced to a short prison term, of which they served four months (one young man served a little longer). Upon their release, the young men returned to Fairhope. Along with their families and other members of their meeting, they began to discuss the possibility of leaving the United States and make the move to a less militarized country. They considered several Central American countries, before eliminating them for various reasons.

Costa Rica turned out to be the perfect choice. The government was stable (the oldest democracy in Central America), the economy seemed sound, and the country had recently abolished its military. In October 1950, a group left Fairhope to travel overland for the arduous journey to Costa Rica. Over the next year or so, a total of 48 Fairhope Quakers arrived in Costa Rica. More joined the group in Costa Rica later.

Several locations were considered around the country, before they hit upon this mountaintop. The group was able to purchase 3400 acres, and the community was established in mid 1951. When you think about it, this was really an amazing undertaking. Some may even say foolhardy. Many of these people were not farmers back in the US. There was no electricity, no telephones, no hospital, nor a school. Plus, if you think the road up the mountain is bad now, can you imagine what it was like a half century ago?! But they had a strong community and an even stronger will. Eventually, the community thrived and became what you see today.

Another interesting development from the Quaker influence here is the Monteverde Cloudforest Reserve. The Quaker holdings at the very top of the mountain were originally set aside to preserve the watershed for the farms below. This also preserved the delicate ecosystem that is a tropical cloud forest. In the late 1960’s and early 1970’s, the area was discovered by biologists. Eventually, the Cloud Forest Reserve was established. This also marked the beginning of tourism in Monteverde. Tourism is an important source of income for the community today.

This is an extremely brief history of the Quakers in Monteverde. If you should be fortunate enough to visit, look into picking up a copy of the “Monteverde Jubilee Family Album”. This was published in 2001 to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the establishment of the community. Drawn from old letters and personal recollections, this is the most comprehensive record of the history of this area. Even if you don’t know a soul here, it still makes fascinating reading. Except for the occasional mention of generators and jeeps, it reads like something from the homestead days of the US. The later chapters refer to much more recent developments in the area, including local conservation efforts, and educational opportunities.

Look for the light green soft bound book at the Reserve gift shop or in the book store in Santa Elena.