2. “The world is a book and those who do not travel read only one page.” – St. Augustine

3. “There are no foreign lands. It is the traveler only who is foreign.” – Robert Louis Stevenson

4. “The use of traveling is to regulate imagination by reality, and instead of thinking how things may be, to see them as they are.” – Samuel Johnson

5. “All the pathos and irony of leaving one’s youth behind is thus implicit in every joyous moment of travel: one knows that the first joy can never be recovered, and the wise traveler learns not to repeat successes but tries new places all the time.” – Paul Fussell

6. “Our battered suitcases were piled on the sidewalk again; we had longer ways to go. But no matter, the road is life.” – Jack Kerouac

7. “He who does not travel does not know the value of men.” – Moorish proverb

8. “People travel to faraway places to watch, in fascination, the kind of people they ignore at home.” – Dagobert D. Runes

9. “A journey is like marriage. The certain way to be wrong is to think you control it.” – John Steinbeck

10. “No one realizes how beautiful it is to travel until he comes home and rests his head on his old, familiar pillow.” – Lin Yutang

11. “Your true traveler finds boredom rather agreeable than painful. It is the symbol of his liberty-his excessive freedom. He accepts his boredom, when it comes, not merely philosophically, but almost with pleasure.” – Aldous Huxley

12. “All travel has its advantages. If the passenger visits better countries, he may learn to improve his own. And if fortune carries him to worse, he may learn to enjoy it.” – Samuel Johnson

13. “For my part, I travel not to go anywhere, but to go. I travel for travel’s sake. The great affair is to move.” – Robert Louis Stevenson

14. “Traveling is a brutality. It forces you to trust strangers and to lose sight of all that familiar comfort of home and friends. You are constantly off balance. Nothing is yours except the essential things – air, sleep, dreams, the sea, the sky – all things tending towards the eternal or what we imagine of it.” – Cesare Pavese

15. “One’s destination is never a place, but a new way of seeing things.” – Henry Miller

16. “A traveler without observation is a bird without wings.” – Moslih Eddin Saadi

17. “When we get out of the glass bottle of our ego and when we escape like the squirrels in the cage of our personality and get into the forest again, we shall shiver with cold and fright. But things will happen to us so that we don’t know ourselves. Cool, unlying life will rush in.” – D. H. Lawrence

18. “To awaken quite alone in a strange town is one of the pleasantest sensations in the world.” – Freya Stark

19. “Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn’t do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines, sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.” –Mark Twain

20. “Travel is more than the seeing of sights; it is a change that goes on, deep and permanent, in the ideas of living.” – Miriam Beard

21. “All journeys have secret destinations of which the traveler is unaware.” –Martin Buber

22. “We live in a wonderful world that is full of beauty, charm and adventure. There is no end to the adventures we can have if only we seek them with our eyes open.” – Jawaharial Nehru

23. “Tourists don’t know where they’ve been, travelers don’t know where they’re going.” – Paul Theroux

24. “To my mind, the greatest reward and luxury of travel is to be able to experience everyday things as if for the first time, to be in a position in which almost nothing is so familiar it is taken for granted.” – Bill Bryson

25. “Do not follow where the path may lead. Go instead where there is no path and leave a trail” – Ralph Waldo Emerson

26. “Two roads diverged in a wood and I – I took the one less traveled by.” –Robert Frost

27. “A journey of a thousand miles must begin with a single step.” – Lao Tzu

28. “There is no moment of delight in any pilgrimage like the beginning of it.” –Charles Dudley Warner

29. “A good traveler has no fixed plans and is not intent on arriving.” – Lao Tzu

30. “If you reject the food, ignore the customs, fear the religion and avoid the people, you might better stay at home.” – James Michener

31. “The journey not the arrival matters.” – T. S. Eliot

32. “A journey is best measured in friends, rather than miles.” – Tim Cahill

33. “I have found out that there ain’t no surer way to find out whether you like people or hate them than to travel with them.” – Mark Twain

34. “Once you have traveled, the voyage never ends, but is played out over and over again in the quiestest chambers. The mind can never break off from the journey.” – Pat Conroy

35. “Not all those who wander are lost.” – J. R. R. Tolkien

36. “Like all great travelers, I have seen more than I remember, and remember more than I have seen.” – Benjamin Disraeli

37. “Perhaps travel cannot prevent bigotry, but by demonstrating that all peoples cry, laugh, eat, worry, and die, it can introduce the idea that if we try and understand each other, we may even become friends.” – Maya Angelou

38. “Too often travel, instead of broadening the mind, merely lengthens the conversation.” – Elizabeth Drew

39. “Wandering re-establishes the original harmony which once existed between man and the universe.” – Anatole France

40. “Travel and change of place impart new vigor to the mind.” – Seneca

41. “What you’ve done becomes the judge of what you’re going to do – especially in other people’s minds. When you’re traveling, you are what you are right there and then. People don’t have your past to hold against you. No yesterdays on the road.” – William Least Heat Moon

42. “I soon realized that no journey carries one far unless, as it extends into the world around us, it goes an equal distance into the world within.” – Lillian Smith

43. “To travel is to discover that everyone is wrong about other countries.” –Aldous Huxley

44. “Travel does what good novelists also do to the life of everyday, placing it like a picture in a frame or a gem in its setting, so that the intrinsic qualities are made more clear. Travel does this with the very stuff that everyday life is made of, giving to it the sharp contour and meaning of art.” – Freya Stark

45. “The first condition of understanding a foreign country is to smell it.” –Rudyard Kipling

46. “Travel is glamorous only in retrospect.” – Paul Theroux

47. “The whole object of travel is not to set foot on foreign land; it is at last to set foot on one’s own country as a foreign land.” – G. K. Chesterton

48. “When you travel, remember that a foreign country is not designed to make you comfortable. It is designed to make its own people comfortable.” – Clifton Fadiman

49. “A wise traveler never despises his own country.” – Carlo Goldoni

50. “Adventure is a path. Real adventure – self-determined, self-motivated, often risky – forces you to have firsthand encounters with the world. The world the way it is, not the way you imagine it. Your body will collide with the earth and you will bear witness. In this way you will be compelled to grapple with the limitless kindness and bottomless cruelty of humankind – and perhaps realize that you yourself are capable of both. This will change you. Nothing will ever again be black-and-white.” – Mark Jenkins

Original article credit: Matador Network – http://matadornetwork.com/bnt/50-most-inspiring-travel-quotes-of-all-time/

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Herradura de Rivas is a tiny village nestled in the shadowed valley of Mount Chirripo. The mountain is claimed to be the tallest summit in Central America at 12,033′ feet above sea-level. The village residents are almost all family of one another and this lends itself to fantastic immersion experience in one of the most remote locations in Costa Rica. Chirripo National Park is just a stones throw away.

Herradura de Rivas is the preferred starting location for climbers and hikers who want to get to the top of Mt. Chirripo by a path less traveled – the back way up Chirripo which requires an extra day as opposed to the more common front side route of San Gerardo de Rivas.

The areas around Herradura offer up a plate-full for those seeking a more natural experience including mountain trout fishing, thermal hot springs and of course the experience of climbing/hiking the tallest peak of Central America…Mount Chirripo.

Marino Ballena National Park is one of the best kept secrets of Costa Rica’s southern region. Famous primarily for the migration of the humpback whale, the area has plenty to offer.

Situated in what is quickly becoming known as the Southern Zone, the Marino Ballena National Park has become a hotspot for adventure. For it is here you can take in a whale watching tour in the morning and by the afternoon you could be swimming in a waterfall overlooking the majesty of Mother Nature’s creation…the Whale’s Tail.

The Whale’s Tail is a natural formation where two beaches converge to form what appears to be the perfect rendition of the tail of a humpback whale. When the tide is low one can walk to far end of the tail and enjoy the views from all around including lush rain forested mountains and of course the blue waters of the Pacific with beaches lined with palm trees.

Really is a sight to behold.

Mal Pais is a tiny seaside village located in the Nicoya Peninsula in Northern Costa Rica. Reachable via the ferry from Puntarenas or by land over the Puente Amistad – a gift from Taiwan to Costa Rica, Mal Pais is renowned for its surf.

Each year surf enthusiasts come to the region to experience a world-class break and consistent year-round surf conditions.

Common amongst long-boarders it’s not uncommon to find shorties ripping up the surf with their acrobatics. Developments around Mal Pais and Santa Teresa remains quite sparse leaving the area still quite quaint. Perfect for the surfers who want a more “authentic experience”.

So those are the top 3 Costa Rica vacation spots you likely won’t find in any tour guide book. For more information on vacation destinations around the country, contact us toll free at 1-800-906-4278. Relax…we got this!

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Their yearly Top 10 list is sourced by surveying over 1,000 “brides to be” who are making plans to marry abroad in 2015.

What they uncovered was interesting in that the rest of the Central and South American nations did not make the list with the exception of Costa Rica citing weak interest for destination weddings in nations such as Nicaragua, Panama, Honduras and others.

“Adventurous couples love it for its surfing, volcano hiking, and ziplining—activities that their wedding guests will certainly want to test out. Not all areas are easily accessible, so keep that in mind when looking for venues.”, commented the travel site.

Seizing the #9 spot was Costa Rica and along with Mexico, we the only two latin American nations to make the Top 10 list. A few other destinations that were honored were Anguilla, the Bahamas, Las Vegas, Italy, Jamaica, Hawaii and the Florida Keys.

At CRV we’ve seen a noticeable rise in interest with respect to adventure vacation packages as Costa Rica boosts awareness via viral marketing campaigns like the following…

On average over 70% of all Costa Rica vacation packages sold have some sort of adventure element to their itinerary and as the country becomes more popular as a wedding destination we can only assume that these numbers will continue to rise through 2015.

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Sandra Wood, senior organizer of the group says that she wants to give the kids another opportunity to experience this incredible location while not straining their pockets. Costa Rica is considered by many to be the best bang for your buck as it can be extremely affordable.

Ever couple years the department plans a trip to another country with the last event being in Spain.

“It’s important to take kids to see another culture, so they can see how other people live differently than us,” Wood said. “Costa Rica is really interesting because it is friendly to tourism. They have nice places, running water, but it’s almost a developing country. When we get off the beaten path, the roads aren’t like our highways. We’ll find there are a lot of differences from our culture.” stated Sandra Wood.

Costa Rica has quickly become a popular destination for both schools and churches who routinely arrange missionary excursions to gain both the cultural experience and the fulfilling feeling of help others who are in need. Many people often forget that although Costa Rica is a top tourist destination that it is also very poor. This is the side many do not get to see while staying in posh hotels and resorts.

On a lighter note however, although poverty here is common, Costa Rica has been awarded the happiest place to live on Earth. In fact, the country has been deemed a Blue Zone where people live longer, happier lives. Worth noting…there are only 5 Blue Zones in the world.

The journey is set to begin for the students of Maryville in 2016 and social media is already beginning to light up with students excitedly talking about their upcoming adventure.

Follow us on Twitter at: https://twitter.com/CostaVacations
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The rainy season — or as some like to butter it — the green season, is when everything is in full bloom and the lush rainforests of the country come to life in full splendor. Running from May through until late October, the rainy season is not the most popular time of year for tourists for obvious reasons.

On the other hand the rainy season can also be the favored time of year for those who want to experience the tropical rain forest in her most glorious moment. Depending on what part of the country you’re visiting, typically the rains roll in during the evening and normally do not last long. With the exception of October when the rains are at their strongest.

The high season — aka dry season — is for obvious reasons, the most popular season for tourists coming to the country. This time of the year runs from November through until April. Different regions of the country have different climates with a plethora of micro-climates throughout the countryside. However there are a few rules you can take to the bank when considering a trip to Costa Rica.

If you are planning on spending the lion’s share of your vacation at the beach…then you won’t need much. The lighter the clothing the better in this case. However if you do plan on visiting volcanoes or cloud forests like Monteverde, you’d be well advised to bring a change of warmer clothing. Cloud forests in particular can get chilly at night time particularly so pack a long sleeve or hoodie and you’ll be fine.

So in summary…the highest rainfall is measured in October and it gradually gains momentum starting in May onward. During June there is typically a “mini summer” for two weeks but that’s a crap shoot.

While those of you in North America are preparing for winter, we’re already starting to plan our summer months and the incredible influx of tourists that routinely come each year at this time. The moment the leaves change…travelers start to shop for cheap flights.

Until we see you again…PURA VIDA!

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Here in Costa Rica there are a plethora of online English news sites however when it comes right down to it, there are only three of them that have earned the title of being in our Top 3 English Language Costa Rica Newspapers list.

Kicking off our list we have the infamous AM Costa Rica. Established in 2001 by Jay Brodell, it has always been an online ONLY news publication.

This web site has become quite popular for a number of reasons including its eccentric owner and chief editor Jay Brodell. It has become common-place for articles appearing in this publication to serve a self-serving agenda of its owner in an attempt to maintain top billing as the best online English news source in the country.

As a result the news publication has become know for it’s leftist views against development throughout the country despite accepting ad revenue from the many developer and real estate agencies advertising all over their web site.

Ultimately if you’re looking for the local rag-mag of Costa Rica…pick up a computer, tablet or your phone…oh wait…their primitive web design does not support mobile viewing. So I guess you won’t be reading AM Costa Rica while sipping cocktails on the beach.

Site: www.amcostarica.com

#2 on our list is Inside Costa Rica. Although suffering through recent hardships with regards to finances, this online English news source still remains a reliable source for up to date, original news and events within the country.

Currently boasting over 38,000 monthly readers, Inside Costa Rica has blossomed in to a formidable competitor to the “other” online newspapers. Unlike others though, ICR offers up regional news also from throughout Central and South America.

The 1st edition of the online publication was launched to the public on November 17th, 2002 and in 2012 was acquired by a group of investors for which it is currently still operating under. The senior editor and partner of ICR is Timothy Williams who’s shifted the direction of the publication from its previous path — translate original Spanish language news to English and re-purpose — to providing real up to date unique material from a team of on the ground reporters from around the country.

Site: www.insidecostarica.com

Topping our list is the world renowned Tico Times – the forefather of English language newspapers in the country. In fact it is the only one on this list that, until recently, actually had a print publication.

Founded in 1956 by Elisabeth Dyer, the Tico Times began as a student newspaper out of Lincoln School in the capital of San Jose in the Central Valley. The publication thrived through until 2007 when it would fall victim to the housing bubble here in Costa Rica and would quickly find a huge cut in advertising revenue as advertisers – largely real estate oriented – would rapidly come and go.

September 2012 was a historic day for the Tico Times where it announced that they would no longer have a print publication and as a result would be forced to layoff 16 volunteers in the print department of the once thriving newspaper.

However in January of 2014 the Tico Times would see a revitalization of sorts with the recent incarnation of the now ONLINE ONLY news publication which is what can be seen today.

With a much leaner operation in place it appears the newly revised version is being well received. Sure locals miss the idea of a picking up a copy and browser all the expat stories and left wing opinions on developments around the country but for the most part it appears people are welcoming the change.

Site: www.ticotimes.net

So there you have it, our Top 3 English Language Costa Rica Newspapers. We hope you enjoyed our review and hope to see you soon in paradise. Pura Vida!

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What is the price to pay for the Costa Rica exit tax?

Although this sort of tax might be something you’re not use to, here’s a little explanation as to what’s going on.

Throughout the world there are a majority of international airports that charge a departure tax (aka exit tax) however as a traveler you may not be aware of it. This is because many airlines are permitted to include it in the purchase of the airline ticket. However in Costa Rica this is not the case — here you are required to pay the exit tax in person.

It gets weirder…

Not only do you have to pay this tax in person but if you don’t happen to have the $29 US dollars in cash (or equivalent in Costa Rican colones) and have to use a credit card, official collection counters will charge you an additional $10. When asked why this is like this, the response we got was that they treat the transaction like a cash advance when using a credit card. For your convenience there is a couple onsite ATM bank machines for quick access to cash.

While paying the tax you will also be required to present a valid passport upon which you will then receive the official voucher verifying that you’ve paid your departure tax.

Where do you pay the exit tax?

Once you enter the international airport in San Jose (SJO), you will head to the right where you will find a queue to line up in front of counters clearly marked “Departure Tax”. Depending on the time of year you are traveling you may want to plan ahead a little given during peak season (December through April) you can find yourself waiting over 30 mins. And don’t forget that this is mandatory before you head to your airline counter because they will give you a form you’ll have to present when checking in with your chosen airline. And a friendly tip: have a pen handy as there not readily available in the airport and it’s common to see travelers running around frantic to find a pen.

However their is a positive to this…

One of the finer benefits to booking your Costa Rica vacations with CRV is that, for a minimal fee of $5, our travel experts can include payment of your departure tax in to your vacation package both saving you time and money. Your departure voucher will be waiting for you in your welcome package at the airport upon arrival.

So there you have it, sure it might sound like a bit of hassle to remember all that but you know what? That’s why we’d love to take care of it for you. Ask your travel expert about the departure tax next time you book your next Costa Rica vacation with CRV.

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As of yesterday our web development team has moved our site from only having transaction pages on the site being encrypted (IE: forms & payment) to a complete shift to the entire site experience being encrypted.

In your address bar of your browser you will notice a green pad-lock indicating that your safely browsing our site. So now you can rest assured knowing that all interactions with Costa Rica Vacations (CRV) will be secured from prying eyes. With the world seemingly on edge about security issues when browsing the internet, we felt it would be best for us to protect our site visitors by providing a secure connection via SSL certification throughout.

So what does this all mean for you? Simply put it means that while visiting the #1 online resource for custom vacation packages to Costa Rica, that you can browse comfortably knowing that CRV has taken that extra step to protect you and your personal information.

Next time you are thinking about booking a vacation to Costa Rica, double check that you’re not surfing around a site without encryption and therefore leaving your personal information vulnerable.

Remember…with Costa Rica Vacations (CRV) your security is our priority.

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Slothes – this loveable creature has become the signature critter for Costa Rica and in some regards become famous — thanks to the country’s tourism agency and their Million Dollar Gift of Happiness campaign which had a three-fingered sloth as their mascot.

There are two species of sloths in Costa Rica. The Bradypus variegatus which is more commonly known as the 3-toed sloth and the Choloepus horrmanni or the 2-toed sloth.

These slow moving residents of the Costa Rican rain forests are a necessary part of this biological intense environment. The sloth is not so much an animal as it is a walking ecosystem. Some of the organisms that you can expect to find exclusively on a slot are a species of moth that lives nowhere else but in the sloth’s fleece and a dedicated species of algae that grows in special channels in the sloth’s grooved hairs.

Sloths here are strictly vegetarian and picky ones at that. Sloths are particularly vulnerable [due to their slow nature] when on the ground and it is said that the only reason a 3-toed sloth will descend from the canopy, is to defecate. It is not uncommon to spot sloths attempting to cross roads — naturally this leaves the sloth open to attack from predators but also from being struck by vehicles. Due to their exclusive eco-system onboard, it can be dangerous when handling them so it is recommended that you use extreme caution when handling the creatures. It has been said that often you will find scorpions living amongst the hairs of the sloths particularly under their armpits.

The two-toed sloth is less common to encounter here due to the fact that it can live 99% of its life in the trees and does not find it necessary to descend to the jungle floor in order to defecate.

With their adorable appearance, it’s easy to see how this lovable creature could become so popular. Our travel experts here at CRV find sloths to be one of the top requests from vacationers looking at visiting the country.

Our agents can always assist you with booking your tour and vacation packages however should you be looking for the best information on the sloths of this country, visit The Sloth Sanctuary – http://www.slothsanctuary.com

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Costa Rica beachfront weddings[/caption]Over the past few years the business of Costa Rica weddings has really began to take off. Almost every hotel now is offering wedding packages. From getting married atop a volcano to the most common beachfront wedding, the business of weddings is big and it doesn’t look like it’s going to slow down anytime soon.

On June 27th, Yahoo! ran an article on the Top 10 wedding destinations around the world. (read the article here)

It was no surprise to us here at CRV that our beloved Costa Rica would appear on this list.

A wedding here is unlike anywhere else in the world – it’s more of an adventure than anything else. With the availability of a wide-range of adrenaline activities to be had, our country has become a hotbed for honeymooners and those looking for a little “spice” in their wedding.

At CRV we pride ourselves in our history of putting together some of the best wedding packages for our guest. Whether your preference is a beachfront wedding under the palm trees or if getting married under the shadow of the mighty Arenal volcano tickles your fancy, we can arrange everything. And by everything we mean EVERYTHING.

We have event planners with years of experience in planning (from afar) some of the most memorable and breathtaking weddings imaginable. Who knows…many we can even arrange special guest appearances from the local wildlife like monkeys, parrots, iguanas, dolphins and more.

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