Weather issue in October

Hello, I need your help. I booked my flights with miles with Spirit Airlines and cannot change them. I plan to land in Panama early September and depart from Costa Rica end of October crossing both countries by bus. I meant to do well but I made a mistake not checking the weather prior to book and consequently reverse my plans. I have just finished reading LP Panama travel guide and started with CR one where I learned that the weather in CR in October won't be on my side. A lot of activities and some locations would be closed due to the heavy rain. In Panama, I plan to start visiting the center of the country and head to the south prior to go back and visit the north prior to cross to Costa Rica where I should be in October and depart from there. If I would decide to change my itinerary in the reverse mod, without changing my flights, I would have to go back to CR to depart and this would be a waste of time as Panama/Costa Rica/Panama/Costa Rica. Have you been In CR in such month? Would I miss a lot with such bad weather? I do not plan to participate in rough hikes or climb volcanos. What do you think I should do? All suggestions would be appreciated. Thanks a million!

It won't make that much of a difference. Just keep what you have. Weather is an important part of your research when planning travel.

I have been to CR two times in Oct and it is wet, and mostly rainy. There are areas that are less rainy, the NW, near Tamarindo/Liberia, and also the caribe side, depending on rainy season, as each year its been different, and the last two very dry and hardly any rain.

But overall, the key park in the country is closed, Corcovado in the Osa, near Panama, and most hiking at volcanoes and elevated areas is a mess to say least. You will also have a lot of muddy run off from the rivers, ruining the beaches and waters along the coast as well, which is not pretty.

For outdoor activities, you will be impacted, but to what degree, nobody knows. Personally, I would not go in Oct...

Keep what you have that is unless you want to change the dates entirely. A complete change would probably cost you about the same as a partial one. I like to go between January and February when it is cold where I live. Throughout CA, September and October are generally the worst weather months.

I dont understand why you can't change a ticket with Spirit if using miles, every other airline, that is not an issue, though there may be a fee to deposit miles back in account.

You are going to experience a whole lot of rain, especially as you head through the Southern Zone of Costa Rica- thats why its a jungle out there!
The Carib (east) coast can be drier in September so starting there would be your best chance of getting some dry-ish weather. October is generally not a great month to be in CR although no two seasons are identical...

Hi again Friend, Spirit is a budget airline and not one of the best. I cannot change anything bought and paid. I almost sure I won' get my miles back let alone the cost I paid. Now yesterday I searched if I could rebook new fligths and not show up at the airport for my booked flights. Cancelling my 3 flights (1 fl/panama 2 panama/fl 3 costa rica/fl) would lose $88.20 and 15,000 miles. Booking new flights it would cost me $119.81 using 27,500 miles. I have those miles and the seats last night were available. Do you think it worth to cancel my previous flights and rebook from scratch due to the weather? I think with Spirit I won't be able to recover the miles. This evening, I am going to call them prior to do any change. Maybe I can get either some $ or miles back. Thanks again for your friendly advice. Do you wish me to keep you posted with the new development? Sure I will do. For this new situation and starting my trip with Costa Rica and ending with Panama, I won't need to buy an extra flight to exit Costa Rica. I will show them my return ticket from Panama. The bus ticket would be purchased in Costa Rica bus terminal or online. THANKS.
Last but not least thanks to all who commented on that matter trying to help me.

you are perfectly right! I made a serious mistake but I might reverse my trip starting from CR and ending with Panama. I plan to call Spirit and find out how much $ and miles I would spend additionally to do that trip the right way. Thanks a lot. I will all keep you posted with Spirit response.

O.K. thanks. I am to decide soon what to do listening to all of you. Since I travel with my miles the cost is not exorbitant and better to enjoy my trip the right way departing early september and returning end of october.

O.k. I got the message. I will keep you ALL posted with my itinerary and Spirit Airline response. Thanks again!

Well if thats the case, just leave it, you can't predict the weather anyway...

FYI- The cheapest time to fly to CR is Sept 15 to Nov 5, usually under $350...

I have a surprise for you I never and would not pay $350.00 for such trip. I just called Spirit Airlines and I won't be compensated for either of he 3 tickets I bought with my miles. Total: $88.20 and 7.500 miles. Yes this what I paid. If i would like to have back my miles (7.500) to my account I would have to pay $271.80 for those 3 tickets:
1. fort lauderdale / panama - $113.15 - 2,500 MILES
2. panama / fort lauderdale - $96.36 - 2,500 MILES
3. costa rica / fort lauderdale - 62.29 - 2,500 MILES
! won't get back $88.20. Spirit Airlines has a very strict cancellation policy. They make a living with those situations.
To make the story short, it is alway more economical for the passenger not to show up at the airport and book new tickets than to cancel them. Also it depends if the passenger has or not started the trip, Once it started, it has to be cancelled. It is not my case since I did not yet start my trip. In case the seats are cancelled by the passenger, the airline would benefit from the seats selling them to other passengers but it won't compensate the passengers who cancelled them. Not fair!
If I decide to cancel my trip and I won't show up at the airport I would lose $88.20 + 7,500 miles. If i wish to have my miles back, it would cost me $271.80. It is too expensive and cost more what I paid total to fly round trip to Panama and back from Costa Rica to Fort Lauderdale. This won't include the cost of $119.81 to book new tickets.
$208.01 ($88.20 + $119.81) with 35.000 miles if i wish to visit Costa Rica first and Panama second..
$88.20 and 7,500 miles if i wish to visit to Panama first and Costa Rica second.
Remember that you strongly recommended me to get a ticket out of Panama prior to show at the airport and I did it.
Consequently, for all the above, I decided to leave everything as it is and if I do not have a chance to see everything I wanted to see in CR due to the weather, I will be back to CR flying with my miles. Next time I will check the weather prior to go and not saving a couple of $ if I would land first in this or second in that airport. It was a bad and silly judgement. CR is not far away and I would go back in the dry season. I have miles but I won't like to waste them and I reverse my trip for the above cost. Thanks again for your input. Happy independence day!

I think that you made the right choice. As I said in post number one that you might as well keep what you have as the weather will not be that much different between countries. It will be more a matter of elevation and luck. I wouldn't try to analyze this too much. Just remember that rain is what brings life to the forest and the creatures. You will have your choice of lodging. Go with your original decision with lightness and joy. There is always a next time. Happy Trails!

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