Should I Rent a GPS From the Car Rental Company in Costa Rica?

Answer: it depends where you're coming from. Dun, dun, dunnnnnnn.

Here's the thing! If you are *not* coming from the States, then chances are good that you'll already have an unlocked smartphone—and that means you can just buy a Costa Rican chip, pop it into your phone, and have Wifi all the way. Hooray! THIS IS OBVIOUSLY THE BEST. You can Instastory to your heart's desire, look up important stuff on the fly (like where to get the coldest beer in town), AND not get lost, all at the same time. In this case, you really don't need a GPS.

On the other hand, if you're coming from the U.S., chances are good that your smartphone is locked. (For example, my U.S. iPhone is through Verizon, and will only work on Verizon networks.) This means that you can't just buy a chip and pop it into your phone—the only way you'll be able to use it is by connecting to WIFI. That said, WIFI is totttttalllllyyyyyy available everywhere (or at least most places), so you don't have to worry too much! There's free WIFI in the airport, and free wifi in almost every restaurant you stop at, these days. But...it won't be in your rental car. And you might still get lost.

In that case? I do advise getting a GPS…unless! (Because there's always an "unless!") Unless you're willing to pay for international roaming, in which case, you get in that car and you go, friend! You won't need a GPS because you'll be able to use your phone like normal—including Apple Maps and Google Maps and Waze. And surprise? Depending on which cell phone provider you use, this may not be as expensive as you think. In fact, Verizon now has something called TravelPass, and if you activate it, they only charge you $10 a day, and only on the days that you use it abroad. So for a week-long trip, you're talking $70 to be able to be connected non-stop, the whole time, just like normal. Totally worth it.

In short? If you've got a smart phone and you're able to connect, ditch the GPS and put that money toward a hotel upgrade, instead. :)