I just finished reading "Unraveling the Mysteries of Moving to Costa Rica" by Arden Rembert Brink. This book is full of information and experience. It takes you all the way through her information gathering to make the decision to move and the move its self. I feel I know so much more than I did a week ago. At least I know a lot about what I will be facing.
The number one thing I can see that will slow me up is money! It's not the money once you get there it's the money to get there. It will cost around $15,000 to move my house and car.
You might ask, why would you move all your belongings? They do have most of these things in Costa Rica, but they are expensive. Food and housing are very inexpensive. All the goodies that go in your house are not. Most items you will pay double what you pay in the States.
The packing for the move is not all that bad. You just have to pack everything very well and wrap your furniture in moving blankets then shrink wrap. I've moved sooooo many times I am an expert at packing. The shipping company delivers the container to your home. You can load it or hire someone to do it. Every thing has to be loaded in tightly floor to ceiling. Once all your belongings are on your car is then loaded. The shipping company comes back, picks up the container, trucks it to the port, and is then loaded on a ship headed for Costa Rica. It's more involved than I described it, but that is the general idea.
You do have to have an inventory of boxes (not the items in them), and they all have to be numbered so customs will be able to match the number with your list.
I can handle all this. My key word for the day is save save save!
Cheers,
Claudia
