Everything indicates that remote work is here to stay. Different studies show that more than 40% of workers consider changing jobs if their current position does not allow them to do so. And a good part of that percentage is composed of parents who find it easier to spend more time at home, and a group of people with a lifestyle that has been gaining momentum in recent years, the digital nomads.
Although there are many definitions of the term digital nomad, the most common and the one we will use on this occasion, is the one that says that it is a person who performs his occupation by digital means and remotely, which allows him to be constantly traveling without stopping working. And it was precisely in this way that I was able to meet and travel almost all over Costa Rica. It was a pending that I had since the first day I started working at Cecropia, and after 4 years of working here, it was time.
Several months in advance I bought the tickets, and although I had to change the date of my trip initially due to the measures imposed by the COVID, in the end I was able to take my flight from Bogota to San Jose. From there, starting my trip that was initially for 2 weeks, ended up being a whole experience that extended up to 6 weeks.
Costa Rica is a country that has a lot to offer, and everything at a relatively close distance. You can go from mountains with absolute cold, to be on the beach in a matter of a couple of hours by roads, which, in my opinion, are pretty good in general.
On my first day I visited the Irazú volcano, the highest active volcano in Costa Rica, from where you can see both coasts, the Caribbean Sea and the Pacific.
A few days later I headed to Golfito in the south pacific, visiting different beaches on the way there and back. The amount of wildlife I was able to see in this region of the country was incredible. Red-eyed frogs, snakes, poison dart frogs and white-faced monkeys were in plain sight near the beaches or by hiking in the forests. Even in the whale marine park, I took a boat tour to see the whales, an unparalleled experience.
I was also able to visit Guanacaste, a province that is full of spectacular beaches like Flamingo or Conchal beach, with many activities for tourists. Most of the tourist places in this area are very focused precisely to digital nomads, with a variety of hotels and apartments with good places for coworking, very comfortable and with good internet connections, for very good prices.
On the other side of the country I visited the province of Limón, where as in Guanacaste, tourism is focused on foreigners who, while enjoying the country, may need to be connected to their jobs. In this region I visited beaches that could well be on postcards.
There I could also enjoy the flora and fauna of the country, and it has different economic tours that allow you to have very good memories.
That's talking about the places, because the food is another topic that has no bad point. I tried typical dishes of the country and of everything I ate, there was not a single dish that I did not like, so much so that most of the souvenirs I brought back were several bottles of Lizano sauce and chocolates.
I was able to do all this and more while continuing to work from wherever I was, with a good internet connection, attending my "daily status" and closing my assigned tickets. And although I am sure that my colleagues in Costa Rica know and are proud of everything I talk about here, my invitation is for everyone reading this to take advantage of the option that the digital era gives us and give themselves the opportunity to get to know new places inside and outside their countries.
I would especially like to thank Maribel, Mike, Allan, Krys and Priscilla for hosting me in their homes, Angela for being my Colombian advisor in Costa Rica, and last but not least, Eleu, Naty and Jesus for taking the time to meet me and giving me special memories of their country.
Pura Vida.
