For the past two days, I have been acting as a traveling agent of sorts for my parents. They suddenly decided to go on a 12 day trip to Punta Uva in Costa Rica. After purchasing the airfare on April 3rd, they realized that they did not plan very well on where to stay and how to get to where they are going. So, they contacted me to arrange for accommodation and transportation.
I have learnt a very important lesson from all of this : Do not travel last minute! It is just stupid and creates headaches....mostly on my part. While my parents were relaxing, getting hair cuts, and packing their luggage, I was busting my @#$@!!@(*)& calling Costa Rica and calling my parents back to relay the messages. Actually the lesson can be : Do not travel last minute! Unless you contact me :)
After 2 days of headaches (literally), 12 Tylenols later, I learnt quite a few interesting and useful things.
GET VOIP (Voice Over IP)
I can't recommend this enough. I was setup for VOIP a year ago, and I bought the unlimited worldwide package. This means I can call anywhere in the world (actually, it's only about 60 countries) and only pay $56.00 a month. This amount includes the cost of the 'landline' and the long distance charges. Aside from the odd calls I make to U.S, Fiji, and China, I have not really tasted the full value of the package....until NOW! Boy, was it ever great to call Costa Rica whenever and for however long I wanted! I would have never been able to set up the transportation and accommodation had I only relied on emails. My $56.00 a month is finally paying off.
Smaller VOIP companies sometimes offer great monthly packages. Some can be found for as low as $9.99 a month, which includes only local calls. This is still significantly less expensive than regular telephone lines from your phone provider. However, VOIP does have its moments:
- Random connection problems.
- No 911 calls (on some VOIP plans)
- When your modem is out, so is your phone. This can get very frustrating.
PUNTA UVA LOOKS GREAT
I am very envious of my parents' trip. Punta Uva looks like a great place to live. Their reason for going is to buy a summer home, and I don't think they could have picked a better place. It is on the Carribbean side of Costa Rica, and it even has a living coral reef not far from shore. There is a good community of foreign homeowners, so my parents can rely on them for some extra help. It is about 4 hours outside of San Jose, so it is remote from the hussle and bussle of the city and away from crimes.
GREAT BUSINESS IDEA
It was incredibly painful to look for a bus to take my parents from the airport to Punta Uva (4 hours away). My biggest concern is safety. Most people don't know that the airport is actually outside of San Jose, and the bus station is in the city. Everyone knows that San Jose is not exactly the safest place, so getting my parents onto the bus was a problem. In addition, they have to wave down the bus on a highway, and this frightened me. Then, I found A Safe Passage. A driver picks you up from the airport, takes you to the bus stop, waves down the bus for you, and helps you to load your luggage onto the bus. For my parents' destination, it costs $70 U.S. What a great idea for first time tourists on their own! Of couse $70.00 is actually a fortune there, but it's worth the safey. John was the person I contacted at A Safe Passage, and he answered all of my questions patiently. I called a total of 4 times, and he was great every time and told me to take my time with the questions. In this price, it also includes stops at the bank, market or if you want to eat at a Tico restaurant. Basically, he ensures that you are relaxed and safe once you get off the plane.
Because of their age, my parents opted for the private transfer, which is $185 U.S, and John will take them directly fromt he airport to Punta Uva. He will even bring refreshments and alcohol for the passengers! On the way, he will stop at points of interest so my parents can take pictures or have something to eat. He is like their personal tour guide.
If I were to go to Costa Rica, I would not need this service, as I am still young and fairly adventurous and can get through with my broken Spanish. For seniors or other tourists on their own, I think it is a great service. Also, I wonder if other countries have similar businesses. For example, going to China on your own can be daunting. What would you do and where would you go if you need to get somewhere right away after landing at the airport? Let's say that you have to go to the outskirts of Beijing directly, and don't want to miss your bus and stay overnight in Beijing, how do you know where the bus station is located or how to get there? If you are leaving last minute, how can you buy the bus tickets?
There is money to be made in capitalizing on people's fears :)
BOOK YOUR AIRPORT PARKING ONLINE
My parents need to park their car at the Seattle airport during the trip, and I did some research online to find the right lot. There are so many parking lots!! My conclusion is that it is always less expensive to book online. For example, one online reservation site quoted one parking lot at $64.00 for 12 days. When I called the same company, it became $80.00. When I asked them about the cheaper rate, they said that's done through a consolidated company and not through them. Go to Airport Parking Reseravation, and you can reserve parking at most airports in the U.S. You only pay a small portion to reserve and can pay the difference when you get therThe rates are significantly less expensive online. Trust me, I called virtually all of them in Seattle.
I was suprised to know that I can learn quite a bit under pressure. Everything can be a great learning opportunity, in spite of the headaches.
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My parents' first accommodation (2 days) : Pachamama, owned by Stepano and Patrizia, very nice Italian couple.
My parents' second accommodation (8 days): Casa Viva, owned by Dave and Jeanie, also very nice on the phone and helpful.
