Travel in groups - There is safety in numbers. Even if it is a family of two kids and two adults it is much safer to stick together as one. An example of traveling in numbers is the incident where a 70-year old ex-military gentleman killed a 20-year old mugger on a Costa Rican tour bus. When patronizing a bar, avoid requests of a local wanting to
Driving - If you are driving a rental car, ensure it is a 4×4 vehicle and the doors are always locked whether parked or driving. Park in well lit areas close to main roads. When stopped at stoplights, ensure one vehicle length distance from you and the car in front of you. To not stop and look at maps in areas that seem unsafe. Drive like a Costa Rican and not a tourist in order to not stand out. If you see an erratic driver you can report them to Policia de Transito. The roads in Costa Rica are in much poorer conditions than that of the US, UK or Canada. Many potholes are in the roads and coupled with rainstorms this can be extremely dangerous. Drive with caution.
Food Safety - Their have been reported cases of red tides in Costa Rica before. Red tide causes seafood to be naturally poisoned via rare algae blooms. Some shellfish could be consumed without knowledge of it being poisoned from red-tide algae blooms and therefore eating shellfish is discouraged if you want to ensure not to get sick during your trip. Unlike Mexico, you can drink the water out of the tap in Costa Rica and you will not get sick. If you prefer bottle water the super markets sell Evian and the local bottled water brand ‘Crystal’.
Money - Avoid taking out large sums of money at the banks or ATMs. To many Costa Ricans and their foreign immigrants living in Costa Rica $100 or $200 dollars is a lot of money. The largest denomination of money in Costa Rica is worth $20, there is a reason why the Costa Rican government has it that way. Try to pay with the local currency of Colones to avoid people looking at how much money you have. Don’t leave your wallet in the car, at the beach, or anywhere else unattended. Costa Rica is a 3rd world country and all the locals are aware that gringos carry many valuable items with them.
Taxis - Avoid taking the Pirata taxi cabs. A way to tell which cabs are ‘pirata’ taxis is that most piratas don’t drive the red taxis with the yellow triangle cab number on the side. They will also not have la maria on the inside of the cab which is the digital meter that tells the fare you have to pay. Some legitimate taxis will try and charge you more as well. Pay attention to what the final fare in when you get to your destination and pay that price. If the taxi says it is more, pay the price on the meter and step out of the car. If any taxi driver says that the meter is broken when you get in and say “ponga la maria por favor” then don’t use that taxi. Get another taxi.
Drugs - Drugs and crime go hand and hand. Don’t consume drugs in Costa Rica. At the very least you may get ripped off. The extreme side to associating yourself with drugs in Costa Rica can be robbery and or death. You never know what drug you really may be getting and you are setting yourself up for the whole village or town to know you have consumed drugs putting yourself in a position to be scrutinized at the very least or arrested, blackmailed or robbed at the the very most.
Passport - Passport Security is extremely important. When you arrive in Costa Rica and you are getting your passport stamped by the Costa Rican Customs Officials known as Aduanas; there are little yellow passport safety information papers you can pick up on the counter, take one of these and keep it with you. On this paper it states while traveling outside of your hotel room you can carry a copy of your passport and not the actual passport. This is highly recommended as you will avoid losing or getting your passport stolen, as well as calling attention to yourself when someone sees your passport. If you do for some reason lose your passport, you can get an expedited passport at the US Embassy. This costs roughly $100 and takes 10 business days to arrive. You will need to apply for a lost passport at the US Embassy building in Rhormoser (San José).
Police - Police in Costa Rica are Called “Fuerza Pulica”. There are other police which fill different roles, but La Fuerza Publica are the police that you will encounter usually if you have done something wrong or have been accused of doing something wrong. The other police organizations are OIJ which is the evuilant of the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Policia Transito which are similar to State Highway Patrol. If you do find yourself charged or arrested, seek legal advice immediately and try to contact your embassy.
