IL Magazine + 101 Travel Secrets FREE!
Subscribe now for Instant Access about subscribing to International Living Magazine
David Hirabayashi first came to Costa Rica to visit friends who had moved there. "When they told me they were retiring and moving to Costa Rica, I thought they had a screw loose," he says. But when he visited them, he was astonished at the lifestyle on offer. That visit convinced him to move to Costa Rica too. He wanted to be in the mountains...
That successful American dream was killing me. So, my partner Michael and I decided to look elsewhere for our dream. A dream that would let us slow down and enjoy life. When our friends learned of our intent to retire early, outside the U.S., they looked at us askance and wanted to know why we would ever want to leave a life of success in the "good ol' US of A."
I basically embody the American Dream. I come from a poor family amid a broken home—but I was the valedictorian of my class. I was the first person in the family to ever go to college, working two jobs to pay for my undergraduate education. Then came medical school. Then private practice...
It was the Great Navigator himself, Christopher Columbus who discovered Costa Rica. The year was 1502, and Columbus was making his fourth and final voyage to the New World. For the next 320 years, Costa Rica, the “Rich Coast” was a Spanish colony...
Going to the feria is a great way to pick up fresh produce at good prices, but sometimes you need something that the feria doesn’t have. This is where a grocery store comes in. There are a few differences between grocery stores in Costa Rica and the U.S. so let's take a look at them...
Honestly, there aren’t many places as vacation-perfect as Costa Rica. In only 45 minutes we can be on top of the highest volcano in the country—Volcán Irazú—so high that on a clear day you can see both the Pacific Ocean to the west and the Caribbean Sea to the east.
As a physician I can unreservedly say that one of the gravest problems constantly pursuing Americans—one of the major assassins of health—can be cured by living in Costa Rica. Yes, cured.I’m not talking about heart disease or asthma or cancer. I’m not referring to high blood pressure, high cholesterol...
Cruising is a great way to vacation, relax, and be pampered, all while enjoying a huge floating hotel, but not only that, compared to conventional travel, cruising also allows you to visit several places in a short period of time.My husband, Michael, and I recently took a 15-day cruise through the Caribbean...
After years working as a doctor in his native Texas, IL Central Valley Correspondent John Michael Arthur “retired” to the bucolic bliss of Costa Rica’s lush Orosi Valley.
We've had a number of enquiries over the last year regarding connectivity in Costa Rica, internet, cell reception, that sort of thing. Of course, people who want to move overseas want to know if the internet will be good enough to video chat...