If you go to the search engines and insert “Costa Rica,” you will literally see thousands of sites listed. Many of them are for tours, real estate, general information or about anything you can think of that is related to the country.

If you are thinking of living or retiring here then you will make a more specific search and another long list of sites will pop up. I have noticed that over the last eight years hundreds of new sites and blogs have appeared on line. The majority are written by newcomers in the forms of blogs and feature a good deal of information about their lives here. Some clever expats have even made videos about their experiences here.

While a lot of this information is really helpful, potential residents should learn to distinguish between so-called webs that people do for a hobby to keep busy and those sites which contain information written by the the local experts. ALWAYS CONSIDER THE SOURCE!

I am sometimes amazed by the amount of erroneous information that is listed on the hobby sites, news groups and even sites put up by those who consider themselves experts. It takes years and years of living here and mastery of the language and culture to really understand how things work in Costa Rica. Everyone has the right to share their experiences but should be careful about the accuracy of the information they disseminate. Unfortunately, most people considered themselves authorities just because they make the move. I see people who have only lived here a few months giving out information to others who are thinking of making the move and it scares me.

The bottom line is to “consider the source” of any information your read and be sure the person who is writing it has a high level of expertise and lived here for at least ten years. Follow this advice and you are on your way to having a successful life in Costa Rica. I always make make this clear on my monthly relocation/retirement tours.