International Living’s Bigger Better World delves into the stories behind the story. This week, we take you to the Pacific coast of northern Costa Rica with Senior Editors Suzan Haskins and Dan Prescher.
Suzan’s two-page round-up of their recent scouting trip to the lesser-visited shores of northern Guanacaste province appears in the November 2022 issue of International Living magazine: “Miles and miles and miles of the bluest-blue ocean, a smattering of small verdant islands off in the distance, beyond them the Santa Elena Peninsula and even farther, a hazy Nicaragua.”
Retracing the steps of their honeymoon some 17 years earlier, Dan and Suzan revisited Costa Rica with a wealth of international experience under their belts. Having lived overseas in Ecuador, Mexico, and Panama already, Costa Rica is the missing jigsaw piece in their expat life. Though they spent their time exploring, relaxing, and enjoying the jumping-fresh seafood…there’s no doubt that the couple were also scouting potential destinations for their own overseas retirement.
Costa Rica has been on the expat relocation radar for decades. It’s one of the most welcoming places on the planet, with a laidback atmosphere, low cost of living, stable government with excellent services…and unspoiled landscapes ranging from highland lakeside valleys to untracked rainforest to wild ocean coastlines. It’s also a hotspot for exotic wildlife—including a troop of friendly howler monkeys who made an appearance one warm evening “They joined us for happy hour,” as Suzan puts it.
Join Suzan and Dan as they talk through the details of what makes this hidden corner of Costa Rica so special, and why, as Dan puts it, ‘Within 20 minutes we were already breathing slower.’
READ THE MAGAZINE ARTICLE HERE
Our Host: Jim Santos is a freelance writer and voice over artist who spent 6 years living in Salinas, Ecuador on the shores of the Pacific Ocean, exploring that country and others in South America and Europe. He has written over 200 articles for the Wall Street Journal, Huffington Post, and International Living.
In addition to the popular “Living Abroad: Challenging the Myths of Expat Life“, “Hiking the Inca Trail to Machu Picchu” and “The Galápagos Islands: On Your Own and On a Budget” he is also the author of “Ecuador Scouting Trip Itineraries and Travel Guide: An International Living Report“. He has been a popular speaker at six International Living conferences held in Ecuador and the USA. More information can be found at https://jimsantosbooks.com/.