Reader Reviews of Living Abroad in Costa Rica

The 'Go-To' Guide
A very fine book. Jam-packed with up-to-date information an expat simply must know, it is also very useful for the seasoned traveler looking to deepen their experience, and will provide reassuring confidence for the first time visitor. This effort is no mere compilation of sources, it does not read as though written by committee, no click and paste here. Clearly a labor of love, written with a focussed vision, its literary merits add to the book's charm. A rare combination of info, first-hand experience and intelligence. The 'go-to' guide.
--K. Payton (Central Coast, California)

A fun-to-read travel guide
This is a brilliantly written travel guide that is genuinely fun to read. You won't find the tedious lists of restaurants, hotels, and attractions that are typical of other books. Rather, this book gives the unvarnished truth about the important issues for people wanting to stay for the long haul: how to get health care, where you might find work, how to fit in with Costa Rican culture, how to find a home off the beaten path, where to take Spanish classes.
Erin has a great style and an acute sense of humor. If you're interested in an extended stay in Costa Rica, or even if you're just planning a vacation and you want to get to know the country like a local, this book is a must-read.
-- Zach A. Thomas (San Marcos, Texas)

A find
This book is such a precious find for anybody considering a prolonged stay in Costa Rica. This is the third book about Costa Rica that I purchased, but the first one that held my interest for more than a few pages. I found myself using a highlighter and bookmarking page after page of useful tips, information, and advice!
--Judith Fernandez (Cranston, RI)

Not trying to sell you something
I bought this book based on the [Amazon] reviews, and I am not disappointed. I sat down with a highlighter in hand, and within a few days had gotten through the entire book. It covers many topics and is well laid out and easy to read.
Some of the other books I've purchased are merely the author trying to SELL you their services, their tours, their other books etc...but this one was simply presenting information.
I've recently passed it onto someone else looking at the 'big move' and his first comment back to me was "now I see why you've gotten so fired up about Costa Rica after reading this book
--Kristin (Illinois)

Thinking of making the move
Though we are still thinking about whether to make the move, the book was very insightful and practical in helping make the decision.
The author paints a beautiful picture of the country and also talks about some of the unknowns that we were wondering about to include medical facilities, transportation, cultural aspects, and budgets.
--B. Helm

Very informative and interesting
Very much what I was looking for! a great book to start out your adventures, ahead of time. Answers questions, and brings to mind many more! Thank you.
--Cowleyjags (Austin, Texas USA)

Great Introduction to Living in Costa Rica!
As the author of a travel guidebook to Costa Rica (Explore Costa Rica, Fifth Edition), I know many of the people Erin interviewed for her book. Erin has no real estate sales to push and does not lead retirement tours, so she can tell it like it is. And she does. Erin has obviously done her homework, and it shows! This is required background reading for anyone contemplating moving to Costa Rica. (And it is useful for short-term visitors as well).
--Harry S. Pariser (San Francisco, CA)

Good Information
"Living Abroad in Costa Rica" is packed full of useful information. Also, there are real life examples of people who made the move down there. This book is a must have.
--Darris C. Sweet (Las Vegas, NV USA)

Easy to read and very entertaining
If you are thinking of moving or retiring to Costa Rica, this book is a great place to start whether you have been to Costa Rica before, or know nothing at all.
The best thing that I liked about the book besides the great information is that it does what a book is supposed to do... Take you away from whatever is going on in the world while you are reading it and transport you somewhere else, in this case Costa Rica.
I have shared this book with a number of friends, and they all say the same thing, the book is an easy read, informative, entertaining. I have studied a great deal about Costa Rica, and this book highlights all the important information that I have found in numerous other disparate sources. In short, a great one stop shop for useful information on living in Costa Rica. I have examined numerous travel books on Costa Rica, but this one ranks the highest of what I have found so far.
--V. Bishop (Austin, TX)

Very informative, very well written
Having read most every book available about living in Costa Rica, I find that this book is the most accurate, informative and useful of any that I have read. The author discusses mail service, schools, health care alternatives and other things that no other book mentions. This is a very useful tool for someone considering moving to Costa Rica or has already done so and needs a little help.
--A. Passman (Costa Rica)

Van Rheenen provides competent, balanced description.
Most authors have a difficult time summarizing information but this seems to be the strong suit of Van Rheenen's writing. Instead of dictating what to do, the author outlines the many possibilities for living in Costa Rica. The author does a superb job of presenting the best side of the country she calls home, while carefully documenting the potential downsides and difficulties of living in Costa Rica.
Best of all, the reader isn't forced to rely on or wonder about the authors' personal credentials in order to establish the validity of the information. Profiles of people from all over the world who have relocated to Costa Rica and made it their home provide the best, most convincing, real time, real world examples of how re-locating can be done. The profiles do not showcase either wealthy retirees with big nest eggs or beach bums who slummed their way to paradise on a dime. These are people who are actually making a living, making money and living well--even if not getting rich--in Costa Rica. Their stories also include the difficulties they have had on their road to financial stability in a foreign country.
If you're like me, just toying with the idea of living in Costa Rica but definitely want to travel there, this book still provides an excellent guide. Over half its pages are filled with general descriptions of what to see in different areas without getting too bogged down with too many details.
--Justin M. Teerlinck

Buy this book and you won't lose your Camisa!
Comprehensive and for the most part unbiased. The author seems to lean toward a "no-frills" type lifestyle, but she makes no effort to sell you on her preferences. This book is absolutely packed with great information.
--KC "Cudlow" (Seattle)

No hype
I’ve found the book very beneficial of what to expect if one decides to relocate to Costa Rica. The author seems to have done her homework in talking to locals as well as expats.
--S. Waskilewicz (Downeast Maine)

And I wasn't even looking to relocate
I wasn't planning on moving out of the country and I've never been to Costa Rica. But I took a look at a friend's copy of this book, and found myself thinking, Why the heck not? Costa Rica sounds like an amazing place, a peaceful paradise where they spend more on health care than on the military (they don't have a military, so that's not surprising). Reading this book is like talking with your sharpest, most adventurous friend, the girl who's gotten dusty going down every dirt road so that you might be able to travel the (semi)paved one.
Now that I'm into the idea I've paged through a few other "live overseas" books, and Van Rheenen's seems to be the real deal. Substantial, for one thing, with lots of information and (even better) a genuine point of view. The author pulls no punches talking about how it is to be a foreign woman alone in a Latin country, and doesn't sugar-coat the frustrations of finding a job or dealing with government bureaucracies. My friend had a couple of other Move to Costa Rica books, but they seemed to be by older guys advising older guys on how to retire cheaply and hook up with lovely young ladies.
--Margaret Wrinkle

A Superb Travel and Living Guide to Costa Rica
Having traveled to Costa Rica several times over the last 15 years - for both pleasure and business - the idea of making The Move, of leaving yourself behind, is a reoccurring thought and increasingly dear to my heart.
In planning another trip this spring I came across Ms. Van Rheenen's splendid "Living Abroad in Costa Rica" doing a search on Amazon. Frankly, I expected one more of those endless travel book-of-lists, where one looks up a town or region only to find suspect hotel snap shots and questionable restaurant reviews.
Instead I found a wealth of very detailed information, thorough, logically laid out and well packaged. Further, the authors personal commentary is both insightful and often very funny. For example, her observation that the availability of single cigarettes at street kiosks allows you to "pretend you're not really a smoker" or in her discussion of the healthcare system; a fellow who had opted back into the state system and "was trying to schedule his operation within the next decade." Unlike most travel books, "Living Abroad in Costa Rica" is well worth reading cover to cover.
-- R. Colman (Texas)

I appreciate this book
Living Abroad in Costa Rica is a generally informative book re: culture, how to gain residency, lifestyles, weather conditions and many other bits of necessary information to assist in becoming a new contributor in the life of Tico culture.
Isaac S. Nyden (Vallejo, Ca.)