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Costa Rica

Must Pack List for an Adventure Filled Trip to Costa Rica

written by Parita 2 Comments

I thought I’d start my Costa Rica posts with one about my personal must pack list.  Personally, this was a unique trip for me because our days were filled with so many adventures/excursions.  Let’s put it this way – you’re not packing for just the beach!

Let me provide some context about our trip.  We were in Costa Rica for 6 nights total – mainly in Arenal and Manuel Antonio.  Over the course of four of those days, we participated in five different excursions (I’ll share more detail in my other posts).  As you can imagine, shopping and packing for this trip was interesting.

Costa Rica

With that being said, here is my must pack list for an adventure filled trip to Costa Rica…

1. Water shoes – These bad boys saved my feet/toes multiple times as the hot springs and beaches can be quite rocky.  We also wore our water shoes during the waterfall rapelling and white water rafting excursions, and they were the perfect footwear.  Highly recommend!

2. Hiking boots – I was super skeptical about this purchase, but looking back, I’m so glad both Vishnu and I splurged on good quality hiking boots.  If you’re planning to do any kind of hiking in Costa Rica, I recommend a solid pair of boots.  I almost rolled my ankle twice!  We also wore our boots in place of sneakers for all other excursions.  We bought ours at a local REI.  I recommend getting fitted if you’re new to this just like you would for running shoes.  The last thing you need on an eight mile hike through the Costa Rican rainforest is an uncomfortable pair of shoes.

3. Rain jacket – Even if you’re travelling during the dry season (which we did), I still highly recommend bringing a good quality rain jacket with you.  It drizzled during our zip lining excursion, and while our jackets didn’t necessarily keep us warm, they did keep us dry which was as good as it got at the time!

4. Bug spray – A strong, good quality bug spray is a must!  Those Costa Rican mosquitos aren’t messing around.  For those of you who follow me on Instagram Stories or have been reading MIS for a while, you know my favorite natural spray is Bug Off by Me and a Tree Skincare.  This stuff has travelled with me to India, Panama, Florida, and now Costa Rica.  Not only is it safe to use, it really does keep the bugs away.  I didn’t get a single mosquito bite during this trip (or any of the others)!  And an added bonus – it smells amazing!

5. SPF – Don’t forget a good quality SPF for face and body.  Personally, I like using something different on my face because of how sensitive my skin is.  I can’t recommend the Drunk Elephant SPF enough.  I use the tinted kind and LOVE it.

6. Hat – This may seem like a ‘maybe/maybe not’ kind of item, but it’s a must because that sun isn’t messing around.  All five of us wore our hats daily.

7. First aid kit – So technically, we didn’t have to open our first aid kid during this trip.  However, I still recommend bringing one, especially if your trip is excursion heavy.  I scraped my knee pretty bad during the waterfall rapelling (at the VERY end while we’re walking to lunch…ugh!), and I’m so thankful someone else in our wider excursion group had a water resistant band aid.  Rafting would’ve been very painful otherwise.

8. Sunglasses – Be sure to bring a CHEAP pair of sunglasses with you.  Keep the good stuff at home!

9. Pants/hiking pants – While it may seem counterintuitive to pack pants for a HOT Costa Rican vacation, hear me out!  A good, comfortable pair of pants/hiking pants will protect your legs from scraps, bugs, etc.  The boys wore actual hiking pants (I got these for Vishnu, and he raved about them such great fit/quality for the price), while my sister and I got away with workout leggings.

10. Water bottles – Obviously, bottled water is sold everywhere in Costa Rica.  But you’ll appreciate having a liter (or more) bottle of your own after a few hours in the sun.  I got two of these bottles for me and Vishnu and feel that they served the purpose, not only when we were out and about, but also when we were just hanging out at our Airbnbs.  A little tip – instead of buying small individual bottles, buy a (or more!) 6 liter jugs.  Life saver!

Obviously, we packed other things like nice dinner outfits, bathing suits, flip flops, etc.  But the 10 items above are the ones you really need!

No portion of this post is sponsored.  However, affiliate links are included. There is no extra cost to you, but I do receive a small commission on anything you buy through my links.  Thank you for reading and supporting My Inner Shakti!

Written on April 3, 2018 Related:Travel, Uncategorized

Make two lists when packing to save a lot of money

A Simple Packing Tip That Could Save You A LOT of Money

written by Parita 10 Comments

I’m going to share a stupidly simple tip that could end up saving you a lot of money.

But first a little background…

Once upon a time, I went to Vegas for Roshni’s bachelorette party.  We ate, we drank, we gambled, and then we came home.  As I was unpacking, I realized that I left a brand new pair of pants, a pair of jeans, and the t-shirt we had made for the weekend in my hotel room.  Uh oh!  The jeans were found and sent back to me, but the pants and the t-shirt were gone.

You’d think I learned my lesson but no…

Fast forward to September.  I was in Chicago for the month because Vishnu was up there for his rotations.  This was also the month I had a week long work trip to London scheduled.

Anyway, as I’m sitting in my friend’s condo watching TV, it suddenly dawns on me that my passport is in the top drawer of our dresser…IN MIAMI!   To make a very long story short, my friend Rohit saved my life.  I mailed him our keys so that he could get into our apartment, get my passport, and send it back to me.  Mind you, all of this happened within days.  It was pretty crazzzzzzy!

And there have probably been a few more times since then where I’ve almost forgotten something (either when packing or repacking) and remembered at the last minute.

So recently, Vishnu stepped in and made a strong suggestion.  He asked me to make as detailed of a list as possible when packing and then duplicate that list on another piece of paper.

packing lists
Note: I know what some of you may be thinking.  Making lists is not a new thing…most people already do that.  And I completely agree.  The thing is I used to make lists too, and I still forgot stuff.  But two very detailed lists?!  Now that’s something.  And it’s actually helping me remember!

I should use one list when I’m packing, and the other list should be tucked away in my suitcase/purse only to be taken out when repacking.

This, he says, should help me avoid what he calls the “oops I forgot” syndrome.  Everything I need to take with me gets packed, AND all my stuff is guaranteed to come back.

Yet another way I am helping us (and hopefully you!) save some big $$$! 🙂

Have a wonderful weekend!

Written on June 26, 2015 Related:random, Saving money, Travel

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