www.CostaRicaTicas.com

There is a school of thought in some travel circles that the BEST time to visit some countries is when things appear at their WORST. The thinking is that perceptions of dangers and instability usually greatly outstrip the reality, particular amongst the more timid and sheltered US travelers. Often whatever unrest or violence is there is localized and doesn't directly affect tourists or the places they're likely to go. Because so many travellers stay away, those that do venture to go find fewer crowds and much better deals than they'd otherwise encounter.

Obviously, that might not apply so well to countries that are REALLY basket cases like Iraq, Haiti or the Congo or places like Egypt or Bali where tourists have been specifically targetted. And, of course, if you see a large political protest demonstration going on it would be a really good idea to vacate the immediate area. However, in most places most tourists go through without any trouble at all.

Spanky mentioned Thailand and that might be a good example of this. Another one is probably Mexico where most of the violence is between drug gang members along the border (and perhaps those who live in their neighborhoods and get caught in the cross-fire). Tourist areas like Cancun, Cabo and even the Zona Norte in TJ are heavily police patrolled because the government doesn't want to lose the tourist dollars (in much the same way the tourist oriented Cartagena in Colombia is more heavily protected than the surrounding countryside). Naturally in places like TJ, Mexico City and especially Nuevo Laredo, you're not going to wander around at night in unknown neighborhoods, but by practicing some basic common sense one can probably still have a safe, enjoyable and much more affordable holiday than one would have had when all the other tourists were still going there.

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Back on topic, closely related to this poll question is how much we budget per TRIP. Say the average trip is 7 days, the average hotel room is $60/nt. Add another $25/day for food and drink. Thats $600 per trip just for room and board. You could use frequent flier miles to get there that might have been used for going someplace else but that still has some value and most guys wind up paying something for at least some of their trips. Now we're talking close to $1000 per trip just for the non-mongering costs. Perhaps you have a regular amiga(s) who gives you freebies, but we all know we all pay in one way or another, whether its a gringa wife (most expensive CPF), a mistress or a hooker. Something is going to spent on those chica amigas, meals, drinks, gambling money, shopping, "financial aid", etc, plus those guys are probably gonna go for some variety even if its just a daily tico MP session. I would think $1500 for an average 7 day trip is not a bad estimate and it would not at all be unusual for guys to spend much more. I probably spend about $2K per trip, I spend less per day but I stay longer than 7 days. And most guys seem to take at least 3-4 trips per year. Some guys do shorter stays but make even more than 4 trips. So it doesn't at all surprise me that the common answer is coming out to over $6K (3 trips x $2K or 4 X $1500). I'd be curious to see how these budget estimates correlate with number of trips taken (or days spent in CR) and I'm betting the two are closely related. Another question I'd be curious about is do guys who spend more time in CR spend less per day to be able to afford it (obviously guys who live in CR fall under entirely different rules).

25k is roughly what Ive calculated. Inclusive of hotels and airline tickets.

Si...hablo mucho mentiras....
just checking to see if everyone is awake,,,

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Blue Devil

Pura Vida...enjoying life to the fullest...