www.CostaRicaTicas.com

I'd go along with this. Usually the airline check-in lines are very short and/or fast as some others have said, but I have seen some truly horrendous ones extending all the way out the doors on more than one occasion, so you never know about that. HOWEVER, I have NEVER seen a bad line for the departure tax stamps often you can walk right up to the counter or if not only have 2-3 people ahead of you and the whole process takes less than 3-4 minutes. Even when there are a bunch of people ahead of you in line, that line always moves very quickly and it has never taken me longer than 5-10 minutes if even that.

There is a lot of talk about purchasing your departure stamp ahead of time and I suppose IF you're playing it very tight by arriving only 30 minutes before your flight is supposed to board as Chilimike and others seem to be recommending, then you'll want to shave off every minute you can and prepurchasing your departure stamp would be an absolute must. AND IF you have a very early flight like Bruce does, you'll probably figure saving 5-10 minutes (again at most) not having to purchase the departure stamps the morning of your departure means an extra 5-10 minutes before you have to get out of bed. HOWEVER, IF you accept the advice of others that you should play it safe and allow if not a full 2 hours then something a lot closer to that than just 30 minutes, then prepurchasing your departure stamp most likely won't make any difference at all in the end.

Sure it can't hurt to prepurchase your departure stamp (unless you lose it), but if you're allowing a reasonable safety margin in your departure plans anyway it really makes hardly any difference. I've never really understood all the discussion about this particular option.

....and if you get that paper work "ahead of time", there is no point in NOT filling out the forms before you leave for the airport.

_________________
"Actual happiness always looks pretty squalid in comparison with the over-compensations for misery. And, of course, stability isn't nearly so spectacular as instability. And being contented has none of the glamour of a good fight against misfortune, none of the picturesqueness of a struggle with temptation, or a fatal overthrow by passion or doubt. Happiness is never grand."
- Aldous Huxley, Brave New World, Ch. 16

The best time to head out for the airport is about an hour before your flight, head over to NF, and get a 1/2 hour with a chica...Stroll out of NF about 15 min before your flight, and then...

Say "Phuck it, I think I'll stay another night!"

QBF