Traveling to Costa Rica

I have a friend living in Japan whose younger son has several life threatening allergies such as eggs and peanuts. She had a friend write on a card in Japanese what his allergies are so that when they go out to eat she can show the server. You may want to do that as a precaution in case of eating out and in case of emergency.

I would be happy to translate and type out phonetically how to say what his allergy is in Spanish, and how to ask if something contains it. They do speak a lot of English in Costa Rica though because the country's money comes mainly from tourism. I would probably be prepared in Spanish just in case though. You will find that they will love that you try to speak in their language also. My email address is ____@____.com if I can help you with your Spanish. Good luck, and have so much fun! I'm jealous! Ha! :P

Hi M.,
You will love Costa Rica, that's where I am from, although I been living here in the USA for 16 years now, but went back with my own children 3 years ago and besides the mosquitos, which are not as bad, there is not really much of a difference. Depending on the time of the year that you go the seasons are different, when it's summer here its winter/rainy season there. Most everyone speaks english now and those who don't will help you find someone, but the hotels and resorts require their employees to be fluent. When it comes to the allergies, i agree with the ladies that said to transalate the allergies into a notecard and keep it with you to be on the safe side. Most of the food overthere is fresh vegetables, rice and beans, plantain bananas, chichen, beef and fish. We don't use fancy sauces usually is all very fresh. If you want to let me know what allergies your son has, i can tell you which foods to avoid.

I hope you have alot of fun, you will love it. Be careful in the main cities, as in many small countries there are purse snatchers so keep your valuables in a safe place specially if you go to San Jose. Let me know if i can be of any help. My email is ____@____.com

Not sure how much you know about Costa Rica, but it accepts American dollars and many people speak English. As a cautionary step, I definitely agree with the idea of listing the allergies in Spanish (I believe that's their other main language) just in case you want to visit a more local establishment.

I haven't been to Costa Rica, but I have a child with a food allergy and agree that you should have something written up - not just the food allergies, but what needs to be done if there is an emergency (e.g. administer an epi-pen).

Make sure you have plenty of epi-pens with you. Also get something to carry them in if you're going when the weather is hot. We have used the Frigo (for insulin, but works for epi-pens too) to keep my daughter's epi-pens at a safe temperature level when we're outside for long periods of time in the heat.

I'd also recommend getting a map and marking the nearest hospital(s) just in case you need to get to one. I read a very tragic story recently about a 17 year old boy whose family went to Mexico for a high school graduation present. The parents didn't take his peanut allergy seriously because he had never had an anaphylactic reaction and they never carried epi-pens with them. On the first night in Mexico, they ate at a buffet and soon after the son started feeling funny, so the mom walked him back to the hotel room. He collapsed in the lobby. No one (the parents or hotel staff) knew what was happening, so he did not receive the necessary emergency medical attention in time.

Chances are nothing will happen, but I think having information translated and knowing where hospitals and/or how to get emergency help if needed (I'm not sure what you dial in Costa Rica to get an ambulance) would be useful. Maybe also pack a bag of safe food (e.g. Cheerios, depending on your son's allergy) to have on hand when you're unsure.