Can we play too?

[Sands]

For the last several years my wife and I have lived in beautiful Costa Rica, but we now have the travelin' fiberglass itch! We're currently putting our property up for sale and as soon as it sells we will be returning to the states to spend a few (or many) years seeing the sights, full time Rving. We are in the plan stage right now! We'll be starting from scratch; buying both an rv and a tow vehicle. We've spent a good deal of time tent & van camping, as well as some time on small (20' or so) boats; we like small footprint living. We have slightly offset sleep schedules, so current thinking is that the bed in the back and small dinette in the front is the ideal layout for us, although most any model would be workable. We are flexible!

Right now I'd say our first choice would be the Escape 17b (only drawback is used ones are scarce as hen's teeth and the loooooong wait for a new one); second choice would be the Scamp Deluxe A, or the 19' (more likely to find a used Scamp, and half the wait for a new one). We might end up ordering an Escape and purchasing something used to get started in until said Escape is finished. Probably wouldn't lose much money on resale of the used trailer in only one year, and we could get started making FGRV memories immediately, while waiting for our 'dream trailer' to finish hatching.

For your amusement and my edification I'll be posting various uninformed questions in other sections, but I'll throw this one out as a warm up: I take warfarin ('coumadin', for an artificial heart valve), is anyone out there using one of the home test units and reporting to your doctor from the road via phone? If so, how is it working?

From what I've seen so far, this is a GREAT community and a fantastic resource for information: thanks to all who make it so!

[Mike Magee]

Sands, welcome! I have a question of my own... I'm curious about property values in Costa Rica. What do you have there, and what are you asking? We've heard that Cost Rica is a nice place to live with a good health care system.

I am an Escape fan, too.

[Jim Bennett]

[QUOTE=Sands;539729]F We might end up ordering an Escape and purchasing something used to get started in until said Escape is finished. [/QUOT

I think this is a great plan. Unless you have travelled a lot in a trailer the size you are looking at, I would even suggest holding off on ordering the Escape, and try what you buy to see what does, or does not, work good for you. This might help with model choice, as well as option choices too. Have you checked things out at the Escape forum?

Escape Trailer Owners Community

[Sands]

As with anyplace, property values vary a great deal depending on location/property amenities. I have 25 acres and a 1600 square foot home in the Lake Arenal area (North Central Costa Rica) for sale at $295k. There are million dollar properties for sale here and there are older, smaller houses on small lots that one can still find for $60k. All depends on your budget/wants in terms of location, size, and amenities.

Health care here is socialized (once you become a resident) with all the advantages and disadvantages that implies. You may have to wait in line for procedures, but they will cost a fraction of what they would in the States. I went through open heart surgery here for a faulty aortic valve. The hospitals are old and a bit shabby by U.S. standards, with no such thing as a private room. On the plus side there are world class doctors (trained in the U.S. and or Europe), state of the art operating equipment, and results hard to argue with: I walked out of the hospital 5 days after my operation and never looked back. The cost (as a permanent resident) was $0. Monthly payment for my wife and I for this coverage is $63.

Costa Rica is a wonderful country full of beautiful scenery and warm, welcoming people. We are leaving because we have an itch for a different adventure, not from any dislike of Costa Rica! If you'd like more info feel free to pm me!

[Sands]

Hi Jim;
I've been to the Escape Forum and perused the Escape web site, downloaded their videos and layouts and photo's, etc. We've also done this with Scamp, Casita, Egg, etc. I think your advice is probably spot on...look before the leap!

[BatDude]

Hi Sands,

Be prepared for culture shock. We mad a similar move back to the U.S. after 25 years in Belize.

We have a 16' Scamp (new Oct 2014) and love it and have had great traveling experiences to see the U.S.A. so far.

Aside from culture shock after 3 years I still have not adjusted to the daily temperature shock of Michigan.

Yep mostly still blue form the cold.

[Jim Bennett]

Originally Posted by BatDude

Yep mostly still blue form the cold.

Conversely, 25 years in Belize would melt me.

[Sands]

I know what you mean BatDude: everything bigger, everything faster! The entire town we shop in would fit into one super WalMart with the garden section left over. While we'll be full time Rving, our permanent address and winter 'home' will be in S. Arizona, so for us it won't be the cold as much as the dry air.

[Sands]

No melting, Jim! At our property here in Costa Rica the coldest we've seen it in the last 10 years was 58, the warmest was 82. Most times it is within two degrees of 70, day or night, winter or summer. It does rain a lot though, so maybe that would melt you over time!

[Jim Bennett]

Originally Posted by Sands

No melting, Jim! At our property here in Costa Rica the coldest we've seen it in the last 10 years was 58, the warmest was 82. Most times it is within two degrees of 70, day or night, winter or summer. It does rain a lot though, so maybe that would melt you over time!

Actually, those temps are quite moderate, and I could handle them. Rain is no problem at all, I can deal with that. I have never been to Costa Rica, but it is in our plans for travel by plane.

[Mike Magee]

Those temps sound wonderful. I took a couple of mission trips to Peru during July month a few years back, and that is about how it was there also. What altitude is your place at?

I would suggest hanging onto your Costa Rica property for another year, until you've had some time to travel around here and see if you really want to keep at it. For one thing, many forecasters are saying that the USA could take some big hits economically and otherwise in the next couple of years. Costa Rica might be safer.

[MC1]

Hey there Sands. Do you currently own, or have you a tow vehicle in mind?

[Sands]

We are about 2500', Mike. We have another piece of undeveloped property and my brother lives down here as well, so we have options if everything goes belly up in the U.S.!

Hi Wayne; We will be purchasing a vehicle to pull our FGRV. Here we drive a crew cab 4x4 Nissan Navarra (basically a Frontier) with a 3.2l 4cyl diesel engine. We get 26-28 mpg in mixed driving and have pulled a 2000 lb boat up and down the mountains of Costa Rica while still getting mid 20's. Sadly Nissan does not import anything like this engine into the U.S., although they may soon. We will probably look for something similar, a mid-size crew cab truck but with a V6 gas engine.