A typical beach in Costa Rica

Why am I moving to Costa Rica?

I get asked this question all the time.

People say, "You have the ideal life, traveling around in your RV. Why are you moving to Costa Rica?"

I've lived full-time in my motorhome for the last 12 years and thoroughly enjoyed it. I like the freedom it provides me, and I enjoy living in different places.

I stay high in the cool mountains of North Carolina during the summer months and near the beach in Florida or south Texas when it starts to get cold in the mountains, so why change anything?

Reasons why I'm moving to Costa Rica

• Perfect weather year-round: Costa Rica has six months of the dry season and six months of the rainy season (or what the tourist industry likes to call the green season). The temperature is about the same year-round. It's hot near the beaches and cool in the mountains. I stay up in the mountains at about 4,500 feet elevation when I'm there. The temperature is always in the 70s, 24 hours a day, year-round. I wear shorts and a tee shirt year round.

• Friendly people: For example, One time, I was in town walking down the sidewalk trying to figure out how to get somewhere. I saw a lady sitting on her front porch, so I asked her. After trying for a few minutes to tell me, she told her son to come outside, get in the pickup truck, and take me where I wanted to go. Another time, a lady was cutting my hair. Her husband came in, and the three of us started talking. They ended up inviting me to come to their house for Sunday dinner. I've never had a barber in the US who has invited me to their house for Sunday dinner.

• Low-cost fresh fruits and veggies year-round: For example, strawberries are picked fresh every day of the year.

• Low cost of living: I rent a nice two-bedroom house for $500 a month, and that includes Wi-Fi, electricity, and cable TV. Food can be expensive or cheap. If you buy things grown in Costa Rica, they're dirt cheap, but if you want items produced in the US, they're expensive. Clothes and electronics are expensive in Costa Rica.

• Slow-paced, simple life: One thing I really like is the laid-back lifestyle. Nobody gets in a hurry (which can be a problem until you get used to it).

• I can enjoy some of the best coffee in the world: Every direction I look, I can see coffee growing. I can call a local farmer and tell him what kind of coffee I want, and in a few minutes, he will show up at my door with a bag of coffee. It's just like ordering a pizza.

Some of the cons of living in Costa Rica

• One of the cons is that I have not heard any bluegrass or old-time music being played there. That's why I sold my banjo on eBay this week, but I will take my fiddle with me.

• The first time Mark Twain visited France, he said he was surprised that even the little kids spoke French. I've found a similar thing in Costa Rica. Even the little kids speak Spanish. If they can learn to speak Spanish, I can too. I'm working on it every day, and I'm making progress. I've been going to Costa Rica for a few months almost every year for the last 15 years, and I can get by without speaking Spanish, but life would be more enjoyable if I could talk to the locals more.

Bottom line: Live in a place that makes you happy. Living anywhere has pros and cons. No place is perfect, but I love living in Costa Rica, and living there makes me happy. That's the main reason I'm moving there.