Perhaps this term is new to you. When you think of tourism and Costa Rica the first things that come to mind are: river rafting, surfing, sport fishing, bird watching, hiking, golf, horseback riding, tropical beaches, rain forests and volcanoes.

Medical tourism is a relatively new industry which has been evolving in Costa Rica. For years Costa Rica has been known as a mecca for cosmetic surgery. The country has many highly trained plastic surgeons who charge a fraction of the cost of what your would pay in the States. People have been flocking to Costa Rica and have literally found the “Fountain of Youth” thanks to the country’s skilled doctors. Some even referred to Costa Rica as the Beverly Hills of the south because of its flourishing cosmetic surgery industry.

Cosmetic dentistry is another draw. Foreigners come here to have implants and other expensive procedures to save money. I have talked to many visitors who have had work done here and they are very pleased with the results and above all the affordability.

In the not too distant future I have to have to have an arthroscopic procedure done on my knees. During my youth I participated in many sports and my knees paid the price. On a recent visit to my orthopedic surgeon’s office (Dr. Oscar Oeding at the Clínica Bíblica) I talked to him about medical tourism. He told me that a growing number of his clients come here for knee and hip replacements because of the lower cost and the country’s excellent doctors. He went on to say that the field of medical tourism is expanding by leaps and bounds and that the private hospitals are actively promoting these services to attract more people form abroad.

In addition to medical tourism one of the prime reasons people choose Costa Rica for retirement is to save money on their medical medical expenses and take advantage of the high-quality medical care offered here.  I pay less than $2,000 a year for private medical coverage for my family and have been very please with the care I have received over the years. My family physician, Dr. John Longworth at the Clínica Bíblica Hospital, always takes his time to talk to me and do a thorough examination. This is quite a contrast to the HMO’s in the Sates that often seem like production lines with doctors under constant pressure to see many patients during the day.

I have been operated on twice and can personally vouch for the high-quality of medical care which is available in Costa Rica.

This is one of the most frequently asked questions by people who take my Costa Rica retirement tours. The answer is, “Very few.” Everyday more and more products from the U.S., Canada, Mexico and Europe are available in Costa Rica. PriceSmart (like Costco), Hipermás (owned by Wal-Mart) and many of the other large stores and U.S. style malls here are filled with products from abroad.

When I first came to Costa Rica over 25 years ago, there were very few of the “goodies” from home. Each time I went to the States I would stuff my suitcase with items I couldn’t find here. But now all of that has changed.

However, if there are some things you really crave which you can’t find here, you can always resort to the Internet. It is easy to do on-line shopping from Costa Rica especially if you are a member of one of the private mail services like Aerocasillas or Jet Box. Both of these companies enable you to order a product on-line and then have it shipped here.

I use Aerocasillas and visit their office a couple of times a week. Every time I go there I see piles of boxes of items their clients have ordered from the States — everything from vitamins to large automobile parts and flat-screen televisions. You do have to pay duty on all of these items, but this doesn’t stop Costa Ricans and foreigners from using this handy service.  The good news is that every six months you have the right to import electronics like cameras or ipods using  your $500 tax exception.

What this means is that during your retirement and living in Costa Rica you don’t have to deprive yourself of some of the essentials from your home country. This really makes living here as easy and comfortable as ever.

This is a question that almost all of the participants on my Costa Rica retirement tours ask me and is a major concern for cost-conscious people.   The answer is yes,  when you you compare gas prices with those of the  United States. When you compare the prices with what people pay in Europe, gasoline prices are a bargain here.

The good part is that you really do not need a car for your retirement years in Costa Rica. Costa Rica’s buses are a bargain. Bus fares have to be kept low so that the Costa Ricans who don’t have automobiles can afford this mode of transportation to get back and forth to work. You can go anyplace in the country for under $10.

Taxis are also affordable when compared to the United States, Canada or Europe.

If you absolutely can’t live without an automobile you don’t have to buy an expensive new car. Used cars are plentiful. Near the town of Grecia 55 used car lots dot the road. I point them out to the folks on my monthly retirement tours when we visit this area.

Here is a simple formula you can use to figure out the cost of gasoline per gallon in Costa Rica. Take the price of a liter, divide it by the exchange rate and then multiply it by 3.8 and you will be able to figure out the price of gasoline of diesel per gallon.

I recently read some erroneous and unsubstantiated information about the local real estate market which was published on one of the local Internet news groups. It really hit a nerve because I am in the process of writing a 400-page comprehensive guide about the Costa Rican real estate scene. A few of these news groups do have value and occasionally provide objective  information from reliable sources about Costa Rica’s economy (see my description at the bottom of this article extracted from my bestselling retirement guidebook, “The New Golden Door to Retirement and Living in Costa Rica”).

Unfortunately, about 70% of the material published by these groups is mindless banter and completely subjective. The inherent danger is that a lot of incorrect information is disseminated by people with zero expertise in any field related to Costa Rica other than their own short-sighted opinions and shallow understanding of the Latin American culture and economics. Just by making the move  many think they are qualified to dole out what they believe is correct advice. Unfortunately people seeking information before coming here look at these groups a prime source of data when doing their research.  Incorrect information about real estate and economic trends can lead to panic selling and buying, false rumors, wrong decisions by investors and future retirees, adversely affect people’s lives and ultimately have repercussions on the local market. Sadly, it can even dissuade people from buying their dream home out of false fear.

Granted some of the fallout from the slow market in the States has trickled down here but this certainly doesn’t justify the vast amounts of inaccurate information being put out by unqualified people on the web. Let us not overlook that there are still 70 million Baby Boomers in the U.S. alone many of whom will fuel the Costa Rican real estate market in coming years as they seek to retire abroad.

It is of paramount importance to not pay attention to the dilettantes who express their unfounded opinions on the Internet news groups just to  act like “big shots.” For the most reliable information seek out good lawyers, financial experts, experienced real estate professionals (with residency) and others who offer well-researched accurate information like I provide in my guidebooks and on my retirement tours.

Don’t get me wrong there is a positive side to these news groups which I talk about in the last chapter of my retirement guidebook, “The New Golden Door to retirement and Living in Costa Rica”. Here is what I say, “Over the last few years, online Costa Rican discussion groups have begun to flourish.  Joining one or more of these forums is way to see what issues residents of Costa Rica face on a daily basis and to keep up with a lot of what is happening in the local expatriate community.  Members can express their problems or concerns and  at times receive helpful feedback. However, be sure to check from a good source  to see if the information you are receiving is correct. Many residents contribute daily while others add something occasionally or just simply read what their fellow members have to say. Probably the main reason to follow these groups is that many friendships have been made online. Not a week goes by without numerous social activities being mentioned for the group’s members.”

This is question that is frequently raised by the participants on my monthly relocation/retirement tours. There has been a lot written about crime recently in numerous on-line blogs and newspapers. To compound matters a lot of people go on line to do their initial research about Costa Rica and come across a lot of this alarmist information. Unfortunately, much of this information tends to be exaggerated.  I have lived here almost 30 years and have never been a crime victim. Furthermore I wouldn’t be living here if I thought for one minute my personal safety was in jeopardy.

On the other hand, I have read about some foreigners who have been victimized several times. Most of these people fall prey to petty criminals because they don’t take the right precautions. In the last chapter of my bestselling guidebook about The New Golden Door to Retirement and Living in Costa Rica I talk about the measures residents can take to reduce their chances of becoming a crime victim.

Fortunately, most violent crime here involves revenge killings between small-time drug dealers and brawls in bars between drunks. Burglary is the most common crime in Costa Rica. NO society is crime free. Costa Rica has doubled its police force and is going to pass stricter laws in an effort to get a handle on the situation.  Although there has been an increase in crime here, Costa Rica is very safe when compared with some of the other countries in the region. None of the situations below exist here.

In Guatemala, El Salvador and Honduras there is a serious gang problem. There is a combined total of 70,000 violent gang members operating in those countries. To make matters worse the governments of these countries have not been able to get this situation under control.

Colombia has had a virtual civil war in some part of the country for several decades. Thousands of innocent people, who have been caught in the crossfire,  have died as a result.

In Venezuela crime, especially kidnappings, is rampant. I have talked to several Venezuelans who live in Costa Rica and almost all of them have a relative or know someone who has been abducted for money in their country.

Mexico is whole different ball game. In Mexico City one out of ten business was robbed last year. Kidnappings are also out of control.  I just saw a program on a Spanish TV station where they showed a MEXICAN kidnap victim who had his fingers cu off one by one until his relatives paid the ransome. Furthermore the number of murders (2,682) by organized crime in the first six months of 2008, has surpassed the total for all of 2007 (2,673)according to one of Mexico’s leading newspapers, El Universal. In the state of Chihuahua alone there have been 1,026 so far in 2008. Sinaloa, Baja Californis, Durango, Guerrero and Michoacán are other violent areas of the country.

Who in their right mind would want to live or in any of these places where violent crime is endemic and out of hand?

There has been a lot of hype recently about Panama being safer than Costa Rica. Don’t believe it. Panama does not report its crime statistics in an effort to protect its image and business interests.   Panama’s well-off classes have chosen to look the other way while pretending to ward off crime.  Laying head and neck on the ground, as ostriches, will not make the hazard fade away either.