Costa Rica competes with Belize for the reputation of most over-touristed and expensive Central American country. Travelers I met after my trip complained about the high costs and bumping into tourists everywhere they turned. I don't know how I managed it, but in my barely-planned, first-time-solo trip, I must have done something right. I hung out with locals in Manuel Antonio, enjoyed my solitude in Monteverde, and decompressed on the much-maligned Caribbean side.

Peeking out at Manuel Antonio's most beautiful beach

I started off my low-cost trip by springing on a SkyAuction...I had just missed a ticket from Miami to Costa Rica on Iberia for $79, but was pretty happy with the one I got for $112. Adding in a domestic voucher to get from New York to Miami, I saved enough money to make up for the THREE LEGS I endured.

Once in the country, I quickly realized there was very little worth buying. In cheaper countries a budget of $25/day covers souvenirs; in Costa Rica it wouldn't. However, with little that appealed to me in terms of native crafts or jewelry, I bought very minor trinkets and used coffee as my nicest gift—still quite cheap. With such simple souvenirs, I managed $25/day without ever depriving myself, staying in private rooms half the time. Realizing how much money I could have saved either by staying in dorms more often or having a travelling buddy to split costs with got me wondering: "how the hell are other tourists spending so much?"

Costa Rica is gorgeous and has much to offer those willing to get off the gringo trail. Because of my limited time, I visited the popular places anyway—but I was there during rainy season, so in addition to price drops there were open spaces everywhere. I didn't allow myself to be turned off by rainy season however, especially when the rain really enhanced the beauty of the cloudforests. Capped off the trip with a beautiful 5 days in the Caribbean, an area even natives avoid. Maintaining distance from other tourists turned out to be easier than expected.

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