What are some ideas for protecting your cash in Costa Rica?

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Benjamin Franklin once said, "The man with the most sense is the man with common sense." In other words, use common sense; donâ€™t flash a wad of money, especially when in a crowed marketplace; you would be asking for trouble. And avoid the shaky parts of town and never walk down some alley no matter which part of town you are in.

Many of my friends travel with money belts and there is a variety you can buy online (keyword: money belts). The friends that surf always have some sort of small waterproof bag they carry with them with about 2 US $20s in them. And everyone always puts their money in the hotelâ€™s room safe along with their Passports and other important papers, like airline tickets. Credit and debit cards are good, but you do get changed a conversation rate and sometime a service charge that can be as high as $10 a transaction, it all depends on the card. I find that travelers checks 'somewhat' helpful, but it can cost you to cash them and not everybody takes them.

When going out, just carry what you think you need, and always divided it, one wad in one pocket and another in another pocket and when the one wad is gone, use the other. And when you exchange money, try and avoid getting the huge bills (like the 100,000+ colon bill) or if you do, break it down into smaller bills when going out.

A girl I know carries a small over the shoulder purse and puts a few bills in that and has a â€˜stylish wrap around' that she sewed in a pocket where she carries a few extra bills in.

In general, Costa Rica is pretty safe country

Kristina L

When I go I sometimes bring a lot of cash also. So many places give discounts for paying cash, so that's what I do. Plus, if I use my debit card, my bank charges me a fee for "currency conversion" everytime I use it.

Every hotel that I stay at has had a safe. We keep our original passports and all extra money in it. Every morning, we just remove enough cash for the day. We also carry a credit or debit card in cash of emergency or unexpected shopping frenzy.

The crime isn't horrible in Costa Rica, but there is a lot of petty theft. So you'll want to use common sense - the same as you would anywhere else.

Enjoy!

Matt

I send a lot of students to learn Spanish and surf in Costa Rica through: http://www.spanishabroad.com/tamarindo.htm and I always recommend using a debit card. Visa works at the most atms. I wouldn't carry a lot of cash on you. I wouldn't say cash is horrible, but if someone sees you pulling out a big wad then they may be enticed to take it from you.

A debit card allows you to withdraw smaller amounts and if you lose or have the card stolen then it is easy to have it cancelled. You can bring a back up credit card and just keep it at your accommodations at all times. When I was in Hawaii I found a plastic case with a water tight seal that I could wear around my neck when snorkeling so I could keep my cash and debit card with me.

I found Costa Rica to be relatively safe, but you definitely don't want to leave your valuables on the beach. Most theft is going to happen if someone sees you have something of value and if you leave it on the beach it could be gone by the time you notice or by the time you can get back inland to salvage it.

Susan B. Anthony

idk maybe leave it with a friend or family member but if ur alone idk how u would take it surfing.

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tellme

take what u need for the day and leave the rest in the hotel room's safe!

mycostarica@ymail.com

If I were you I would take half of what you think is necessary, and take a credit card, there are a LOT of atms and they take visa everywhere.

About stashing the cash, try shelling out a little more for a more decent hotel and get a safe. If that is not an option, I would maybe use a waterproof waist or wrist bag.

My Advise would be do NOT carry a lot of cash in Costa Rica or other central american country, this could leave you vulnerable to attacks.

If you want more surfing in Costa Rica Info check out the sources

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