Busily preparing for my and Alisma's Europe trip in September but took a few minutes to book a flight to Costa Rica with Val. What?
My 50th birthday is in February. I wanted to do something a bit special, which to me means being out of the country. I knew I was going to be broke after Europe so I was thinking something short and cheap that some of my friends could join in. A long weekend in Las Vegas was high on the list. But Val was not keen on Vegas having been there many times and others were wishywashy on their ability to come (jobs, money, kids, spouses - I need less-functioning friends). So Val and I went rogue and found super cheap tickets to Costa Rica. $432 return! RETURN! That is as cheap as 4 days in Vegas. Of course, that doesn't count on the ground costs but Val and I can do a cheap vacation with proper motivation (see note about post-Europe poverty). Apparently, on the ground costs in Vegas are not low.
Plus, bonuses for Costa Rica, I can keep my Spanish going and Val and I travel well together. We have gone to Thailand and Ecuador in the past, not to mention living in a Boler trailer for six months. across three countries.
Downside to this trip is the flight. That lovely cheap price is because we are flying United, arguably the worst airline in the US, with TWO American layovers. Yikes. When I googled to see how United is rated, there were so many articles about how bad it is, I don't know which to link to. This is the most recent. This one was fun too, not as recent but I like Nomadic Matt.
Beyond googling United, all I have done to prepare for this trip is to order my birdbook. And, of course, create this blog. Hopefully Val has time to find out something about the country. I don't even know what their currency is or what the exchange rate looks like. Now that I think of it, I really hope they don't use US dollars. Oh well, I guess i will find out at the exchange box at the airport arrivals area.
We are going for almost three weeks (Feb 4-24) but 2+ of those days are travel.
My 50th birthday is in February. I wanted to do something a bit special, which to me means being out of the country. I knew I was going to be broke after Europe so I was thinking something short and cheap that some of my friends could join in. A long weekend in Las Vegas was high on the list. But Val was not keen on Vegas having been there many times and others were wishywashy on their ability to come (jobs, money, kids, spouses - I need less-functioning friends). So Val and I went rogue and found super cheap tickets to Costa Rica. $432 return! RETURN! That is as cheap as 4 days in Vegas. Of course, that doesn't count on the ground costs but Val and I can do a cheap vacation with proper motivation (see note about post-Europe poverty). Apparently, on the ground costs in Vegas are not low. Plus, bonuses for Costa Rica, I can keep my Spanish going and Val and I travel well together. We have gone to Thailand and Ecuador in the past, not to mention living in a Boler trailer for six months. across three countries.
Downside to this trip is the flight. That lovely cheap price is because we are flying United, arguably the worst airline in the US, with TWO American layovers. Yikes. When I googled to see how United is rated, there were so many articles about how bad it is, I don't know which to link to. This is the most recent. This one was fun too, not as recent but I like Nomadic Matt.Beyond googling United, all I have done to prepare for this trip is to order my birdbook. And, of course, create this blog. Hopefully Val has time to find out something about the country. I don't even know what their currency is or what the exchange rate looks like. Now that I think of it, I really hope they don't use US dollars. Oh well, I guess i will find out at the exchange box at the airport arrivals area.
We are going for almost three weeks (Feb 4-24) but 2+ of those days are travel.
