How to Solo Travel to Costa Rica

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1Getting Ready for Your Trip

2Enjoying Your Trip Safely

3Preserving Your Memories

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Expert Q&A

Tips and Warnings

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Traveling solo in Costa Rica is an amazing way to take in the country at your own pace. You can see the sights in the volcano region, watch wildlife in Manuel Antonio, or relax on the beaches in Guanacaste, the southern region, or in other remote coastal areas. You'll be much more likely to meet new friends and cut loose to try new things when you're on your own. What's more, as of 2016, Costa Rica is ranked the safest country in Central America and the Caribbean. Before you leave, you’ll have to get ready for your trip by doing things like obtaining a passport, planning your itinerary, and packing. Then you’ll be ready to explore Costa Rica, meet new people, and enjoy your solo trip. You might even want to preserve your memories with things like a journal or a scrapbook.

Steps

Part 1

Part 1 of 3:

Getting Ready for Your Trip

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   Apply for and receive a passport. Depending on your home country, this process may vary slightly. However, generally you’ll need a suitable photograph, evidence of your citizenship (and a photocopy), a valid photo ID (and a copy), a completed application, and payment for the passport.

   • The photo required for your passport must be a certain size and you must be clearly visible in it. It is not recommended you smile in this photo. Most drug stores with a photo lab offer passport photo services.
   • The cost for a regular US passport book, which is valid for all international travel, is $110 plus an execution fee, which is generally $25.
   • It’s best to get your passport as soon as possible, as it can take some time for it to be processed and issued. Standard processing, which is free, can take up to 6 weeks. Expedited processing ($60) will take 2 to 3 weeks.
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   Have a medical checkup and get vaccinated. To prevent having to spend time on your solo trip sick with a preventable bug, see your general practitioner or a physician. Verify with them that your inoculations are current. In preparation for your trip, you may want to:

   • Get a flu shot. You’ll be in close proximity to others while traveling, especially while on a plane or using transit in Costa Rica. This greatly increases your chances of being exposed to the flu.
   • Get a hepatitis A shot. This infectious disease can be easily caught through contaminated food or water, regardless of where you are staying or the quality of lodgings/restaurants.
   • Get a typhoid shot. This bacterial infection is recommended for most international travelers, as typhoid can also be caught through contaminated food and water.
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   Review some Spanish. You’ll find that many Costa Ricans, especially those involved with tourist activities and those who live in tourist friendly areas, can communicate in English. However, it might be helpful to review some simple Spanish so you aren’t completely lost when Spanish is spoken.

   • Go to your local library to pick up a Spanish phrase book, or purchase one from a bookstore or online. These books are generally written with common phrases useful to travelers and non-fluent speakers.
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   Plan a general itinerary. The beauty of traveling on your own is you can do whatever you want. However, having a general idea of things you want to do, see, and experience, will help prevent you from feeling lost when you arrive. An itinerary will also help you budget for your trip, and will provide you peace of mind where lodgings are concerned.

   • Travel guides, both physical books and online ones, are a great way of scoping out must-do activities before you arrive. These frequently have popular sights, resorts, hotel listings, and other attractions.
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   Budget for your trip. Depending on your plans, you can get by on relatively little money in Costa Rica. If you buy from and visit local establishments, which are often less costly, your daily budget can drop as low as $25 to $35 (13,800 to 19,400 CRC). A comfortable budget would be closer to $45 to $50 (24,900 to 27,700 CRC).

   • One night's lodging in a typical hostel generally costs roughly $10 to $18 (5,500 to 10,000 CRC). If you’re the kind of person that prefers a private room or hotel, expect to pay between $25 to 40 (15,000 to 22,100 CRC).
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   Pack the necessaries. Beyond clothing, footwear, and toiletries, you’ll also need to pack your prescription medicines and supplemental items, like a power converter. Most plugs in Costa Rica are dual prong, so if any of your devices have a 3-prong cord, you’ll need a converter. Bring comfortable, durable footwear for daily activities, and a pair of something slightly more comfortable (like flip-flops) for relaxing.

   • In addition to your prescription medication, you might also want to bring travelers’ diarrhea antibiotic and altitude sickness medication, especially if you have a weak stomach or are uneasy flying.
   • Bring spares for important medicinal supplies, like glasses, contact lenses, syringes (for diabetics), inhalers, epinephrine injectors, mosquito repellant, and a medical alert bracelet or necklace, just in case.
   • Costa Rica has an average temperature of 70 to 81°F (21.1 to 27.2°C), but it can be rainy at times and quite cool in the highlands. Remember raingear and light layers to cover all your bases.
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   Convert your home currency to CRC. CRC stands for the Costa Rican colón, which is the country’s national currency. Changing your currency over at the airport or the hotel you are staying can be quite pricey. Save yourself some money by exchanging your home currency with a local bank or moneychanger.

   • When using a moneychanger, it’s best to shop around. These businesses make their money from favorable exchange rates and service fees. Some moneychangers may be more economical than others.
   • Avoid making purchases with your debit card while abroad. If an error is made charging something to a debit account, it can take days (or longer) before the charge is removed. Furthermore, debit cards are common targets for thieves and fraudsters.
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Part 2

Part 2 of 3:

Enjoying Your Trip Safely

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   Explore the environment around you. When you’re traveling solo, you can do whatever you want. This can be overwhelming at first, but let your interests lead you in your exploration. You may even want to adjust your travel itinerary to make time for something that catches your attention, like a local festival, a natural feature, or a museum exhibit.

   • You can make the most out of a day at the beach by paying for individual surf lessons or, if you plan on staying for a length of time, a weekend surf camp.
   • Wildlife tours and national parks are a great way of getting to know the local flora and fauna of the country. Besides that, these places are usually great for pictures.
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   Utilize public transportation. Tourist buses are generally quicker and have multi-lingual staff, but local public transit is half the price or less. Buses are the most common form of public transportation and can get you most places without a hitch.

   • For extra freedom or to visit sites that are off the beaten path, consider renting a car. However, you may have difficulty finding an automatic transmission, so you might want to practice driving stick shift before you leave for your trip.
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   Get outside your comfort zone. Unless you want a photo album full of selfies, you’re going to have to reach out to strangers to have pictures taken of you. To prevent the possible theft of your phone or an expensive camera, you may want to purchase a cheap digital camera or a disposable camera to hand to strangers for picture taking.

   • Even though it may feel outside of the norm, reach out to locals and fellow travelers at eating establishments, cafes, and bars. You might be surprised at how often you find a new friend with whom you can share a new experience.
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   Make friends through group activities. Guided tours, like a bike tour or a hiking tour, will give you plenty of opportunities to get to know your fellow travelers. You can use this same tactic when visiting famous sites, like Tortuguero National Park, La Paz Waterfall Gardens (which includes an aviary, hummingbird and butterfly gardens, and more), and Poas Volcano (or any one of the many volcanoes).

   • You may be able to find a traveler meetup online or online listings on classifieds (like Craigslist) from other solo travelers looking for companionship.
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   Use your alone time to relax. Since you’re traveling alone, it’s likely there are going to be moments when you’re all by yourself. Use this time to relax and unwind. Bring a book or a digital book reader so you can dip into your favorite novel when you’ve got a spare minute. You might also:

   • Bring a handheld game, like a Gameboy DS or PSP, so you can spend time that would otherwise be spent sitting (like while in transit) setting new high scores.
   • Bring a notebook and some pens. Being somewhere completely out of the ordinary can be inspiring. You never know when you’ll have a thought you want to jot down or a sketch you want to make.
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   Keep your wits about you in less affluent areas. While it is not automatically true that people without money are more likely to steal, those who are desperate can sometimes do desperate things. If you find yourself in a less affluent, rundown, or dangerous looking part of town:

   • Do not pause to get your bearings while walking. Act as though you are calm and know exactly where you’re headed.
   • Hail a taxi or find a visible, public place where you can either ask for help or call for a taxi to pick you up.
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   Avoid suspicious food and water to prevent sickness. Some visitors to Costa Rica won’t have any problem drinking water straight from the tap or eating food from street side food vendors. However, you could catch Hepatitis A, typhoid, or travelers' diarrhea from any source. Especially likely culprits include tap water, street side food vendors, and less hygienic appearing restaurants. You may only want to drink bottled water or water that has been boiled first.

   • Your doctor may be willing to prescribe general antibiotics before you leave to help fight gastrointestinal distress, should it occur.
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   Stay hydrated. While you’re enjoying yourself sightseeing and making new friends (and maybe enjoying an alcoholic beverage or two), it’s easy to become dehydrated. These activities on top of the relatively high daily temperature can lead to heat exhaustion.

   • Keep a bottle of water or a thermos in a travel backpack or on your person at all times. This way, you'll have water whenever you're thirsty.
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Part 3

Part 3 of 3:

Preserving Your Memories

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   Write a blog about your experiences. Blogs are a fun way of involving friends and family, both those you see daily and those who live faraway, in your travel adventures. If you have a suitable travel laptop or tablet, these can be useful tools for you to record your experiences.

   • You might want to record a few significant things at the end of every evening or the beginning of every morning, then complete and upload this info to your blog after you’ve returned.
   • If you’re not comfortable traveling with technology abroad, you can use a notebook to jot down notes and then use these later in your blog.
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   Keep a journal while traveling. A pen and paper journal is a cheap and safe way of recording your travels. Not to mention, you’ll be able to tape physical items into your journal that you might want to use in the future for a scrapbook or to make a memento of your trip.

   • You don’t need anything fancy for your journaling. Bring a couple of extra pens, just in case one stops working or gets lost.
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   Make a scrapbook of your experiences. This is an especially great idea if you’ve collected souvenirs, newspaper or informational pamphlet cuttings, programs, tickets, and similar items over the course of your trip. These can be easily added to scrapbook pages to create a visually appealing record of your solo trip to Costa Rica.

   • A scrapbook like this would make a great coffee table book. This way, friends and family visiting your home can peruse your journeys when they have free time.
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Expert Q&A

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• Question

  Is Costa Rica safe for solo travel?

  

  Angela Rice
  Luxury Travel Specialist

  Angela Rice is a Luxury Travel Specialist and Co-Founder of Boutique Travel Advisors, a luxury travel advising business in Phoenix, Arizona. Angela specializes in consulting and curating highly customized and unique travel itineraries for clients seeking luxury, group, and multi-generational family travel. Angela studied at Arizona State University and The University of Iowa Tippie College of Business. She has prior consulting experience in accounting and business, which helps her run her business behind the scenes. Angela has been featured in The Washington Post, Reader's Digest, Travel Weekly, USA Today, Travel Market Report, Phoenix Magazine, and MSN. She is also a frequent guest on WBBM News Radio 105.9 FM's Travel Tuesday show.

  

  Angela Rice

  Luxury Travel Specialist

  Expert Answer

  Yes, but you should still always share your location with your hotel and someone back home, so your whereabouts are known to others.

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Tips

• Variations in voltage and power outages are frequent in Costa Rica. This can sometimes ruin your chargers, so you may want to pack a few extra.
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