Packing Smart
What to Bring Suggestions
The eternal battle of all experienced travelers is to travel as light as possible without leaving at home the essentials that make your trip as seamless as possible. There is nothing worse than running around in a foreign country looking for a special battery or medicine, or realizing you brought the wrong clothes. So packing smart usually means covering the essentials, bringing the right clothing and equipment and pulling it all off without lugging around extra or bulky bags. No small feat, but some travelers really have it down to a science, while most of us struggle to find the balance. The list below is far from exhaustive and conversely many of these items you might decide to go without, but the intent is to get the packing juices flowing, bounce some ideas and have a base to work off of. We welcome specific questions that apply to your particular itinerary on equipment and clothes. You might also have a look at our Travel Tips page which covers some of the other travel basics not related to packing such as cell phones, money, immunizations, weather, safety, tipping, etc…
WHAT TO BRING - packing list
Fabric
Rain poncho or lightweight rain jacket
Medium weight fleece
Long pants (100% cotton) and/or dresses
Short sleeve shirts (100% cotton) and/or blouses
Tee-shirts, shorts and bathing suit
Hiking shoes that breath well, dry fast, lightweight with good traction
Sandals that you can get wet and don't fall off easily
Strong hat that won't blow off in the wind
Sunglasses that protect eyes from wind
Lightweight day pack
Glass
Camera (if film 400 ASA)
Extra camera batteries
Lightweight Binoculars
Health
Drink bottle to refill
Sunscreen
Chapstick
Portable hand wash
Insect repellent
Anti-itch cream
Any special medicines
Cash
Mixture of bigger (to exchange for colones) and small US notes
Credit and debit cards (Traveler's checks are a pain)
Gifts to children
Notebooks
Pens and pencils
Coloring books and crayons
Cultural interaction
Photographs of family and/or children
Photographs of your home town or state
Baggage limits for internal flights
2 bags per person max - one checked and one carry on
Carry-on bag must be small
Max total baggage weight per person is 25 US pounds
Extra baggage can be stored in our office while travelling
Must Bring
Passport
Curiosity
Sense of humor
