Scouting Service Onboarding • Your Pura Vida

Welcome to Your Pura Vida’s Explorer Program! Our personal survey is based on our experience moving to Costa Rica, extensive research, and discussions with successful and unsuccessful expats. Our goal is to help you understand all that is important to you and determine if Costa Rica is the right fit for your life. We want to provide a realistic picture, not an idealized vacation version.

No answer in this survey is wrong. Research shows that answering challenging questions is the best way to move forward with confidence. Even if you’re just starting, you may be surprised how many questions you can easily answer.

Please note:

Several questions are asked more than once. We do this as each is in a different context and your answers may change.
If at any time you do not feel comfortable answering a question just move to the next. The more you answer, the better we can understand your situation.
All of these answers are private and confidential. No information is shared or used for any other purpose. If you’d like to convey sensitive information over the phone, please let us know.

Our focus is to help you discover what would make a move to Costa Rica the right next move for you. Ready to start? Hit next.

Let’s start with the basics

First Name

Last Name

Phone

Tell us about yourself

Where do you currently reside?

Country

City

State

Citizenship

What languages do you speak and at what level of proficiency?

Language	Proficiency

How old are you?

Tell us about your family

What is your current housing situation?

Do you rent or own where you live?

Name	Age	Relationship	Languages Spoken & Proficiency

What type of school do your children attend?

What else should we know about your family?

Let’s talk about your work

What type of work do you do?

What type of work does your spouse/partner/significant other do?

Would you be working remotely if you moved out of the country?

Yes

Would you need to find a new position to be able to move?

Yes

Would you retire before moving?

Yes

Tell us about your internet needs

What percentage of your day is spent on…

General internet (email, web browsing, etc.)

Video Calls

High bandwidth applications (large file transfers)

Now let’s talk about your dream of moving abroad

What is motivating your idea of moving to Costa Rica?

What factors are important in this dream?

Is this a “now” or “someday” dream?

Is this a family goal or is this your personal goal?

I have…

What about your current location are you ready to leave behind?

What will you most miss if you move?

Have you looked at moving abroad before? If so, where? What stopped you?

Have you lived abroad before? Where? What did you like? Not like?

Now let’s talk specifically about Costa Rica

Have you been to Costa Rica before?

Yes

Tell us about each prior trip. Where did you go? How much time did you spend? What months were you there?

What are the traits that draw you most to Costa Rica?

Where have you not been in the country that interests you? And why?

What are the elements that make you uncomfortable in Costa Rica?

What else do we need to know about your thoughts on Costa Rica?

Let’s dig in a little bit more about you and what makes you tick personally

What weather makes you happiest? Saddest?

Do you consider yourself an introvert or an extrovert?

Do you feel lonely when not surrounded by close friends and family?

Do you have any phobias/fears?

How open are you to change?

Is religion or spirituality important to you?

Yes

Do you actively participate in a house of worship?

Yes

Tell us a little bit about your faith and how often you practice

Would finding a house of worship in Costa Rica be important to you?

Yes

How would you describe yourself:

Let’s dig in a little bit more about you and what makes you tick in your environment

What is your happy place?

Are there specific places that make you happiest?

Describe your home

Are you looking to try something totally different or have an experience closer to what you have today?

Do you like to be in nature?

What is your tolerance for “roughing it”?

Let’s dig in a little bit more about you and what makes you tick in your daily life

What is your type of grocery shopping?

How do you bank?

What is your workout routine?

How important is connectivity to media you’re used to (ex: cable, social media, streaming services, movies, etc.)

How important to you are promptness and time management?

Looking at your email inbox, are you the type of person who:

Do you volunteer? If so, what field? Would you want to find a similar opportunity in Costa Rica?

Now let’s talk about life specific to Costa Rica

Do you already have friends in Costa Rica? If so, where do they live?

How important are the following:

	Important	Neutral	Not Important
Distance to the grocery store and shopping
Distance to medical care
Distance to school
Distance to airport
Distance to work
Distance to beach
Distance to mountains
Distance to friends

What activities are you interested in:

	Important	Neutral	Not Important
Driving locally
Driving throughout the country
Exploring new places
Cooking
Shopping
Working Out
Dining Out
Joining a Club or Organization
Bars/Clubs
Theater/Cultural Events
Museums/Galleries
Antiques
Local Culture
English-language activities
Local Immersion
Hiking
Biking (mountain)
Biking (road)
Ziplining
Kayaking (ocean)
Kayaking (river/lake)
Rafting
Scuba
Snorkel
Surfing
Fishing (freshwater)
Fishing (salt water)
Birding
Yoga
Spiritual Retreats
City life
Rural life
Suburban life
Religion/House of Worship

What worries you about living in Costa Rica?

How often do you envision traveling to/from your current location to Costa Rica?

How far would you travel to do your weekly shopping?

What are your “deal breaker” issues, the things that you would never compromise on?

Would your pets be coming with you to Costa Rica?

Yes

When you think of the community you live in, what is important to you?

How flexible are you with change, with lack of promptness?

Do you have any health issues that would need to be addressed in Costa Rica?

Do you have any special needs or considerations? (think dietary, accessibility, banking, etc.)

How important is access to healthcare, medicines, and pharmacies?

In banking, do you want to…

Would you want to find a fitness community?

Would you be interested in joining local organizations or classes? If yes, what ones?

And finally, let’s talk about details specific to moving.

Where are you in the process?

What research have you done so far?

Have you narrowed in on a place to live? If so, where?

How long do you think you’ll live in Costa Rica?

Will you have income once you move? or will you be living off of savings? Off of retirement funds?

Do you want financial planning assistance in the relocation process?

What is your approximate budget for a home? (either to purchase or to rent)

What is your budget for transportation (car, motorcycle)?

What is your budget for monthly life (utilities, food, clothing, travel, etc.)?

Does your current bank have the ability to wire transfer to Costa Rica?

Would you like to bring your home items (furniture, cars, etc.) or are you looking for a fresh start?

Is there anything you absolutely must bring with you?

Do you have a Costa Rica visa or residency?

Congrats! You’ve taken the first step to see if Costa Rica is the right fit for you. We will review and email you a general summary of where to begin your research.

If you’re interested in digging further, our team is ready to dive into all the areas that are important to you and your family, and help you discover your Costa Rica – not just beach vs. city vs. mountains and broad regions, we help you identify the perfect vibe, the right city, neighborhoods that give you the best sense of community, schools that might be the perfect fit, shopping, and dining suggestions that seem to fit your personality, and so much more! And introduce you to key contacts along the way. Our focus is to help you discover what would make a move to Costa Rica the right next move for you.