Thinking about booking Adventures by Disney Costa Rica but you’re not sure what to pack? Helping you is my purpose in life. This adventure is a one week trip across Costa Rica, there are planes, private planes, boats and lots of hotel changes. I recommend traveling in a carry on, yes it can be done, let me show you how.
What to Pack
Two long sleeved t-shirts
Two short sleeved t-shirts
Two pair nylon running shorts (one for running-one for rafting)
Two pair long pants (wear one on the plane ride to Costa Rica)
Two swim suits (one bikini one for active water sports)
One cover up
One sundress for final night dinner
One pair athletic leggings (for zip lining and working out)
Sports bra and athletic tank top
Quick dry towel (suggest Frogtog) to wrap wet swimsuits in while transferring hotels
Two lightweight sweaters or sweatshirts (wear one on the line ride to Costa Rica)
Running shoes
Water shoes for rafting day-do not try to wear flip flops. If I had known, I would have ordered these Keens.
Flip flops – I like my Birkenstocks – they can do double duty – there are cute ones – really
Hat
Scarf – for making that same t-shirt and dress look like a different outfit – and for keeping warm on the plane
Works as a sundress and a cover up
It’s the rainforest, a rain jacket is a must have item. I wish I had brought one that was a little more waterproof, this is really a light running jacket. Also, when I wore it zip lining the cable grease got all over it and it took me five washes to get it out, I was afraid it was ruined. I would recommend a darker color and a real raincoat.
If this shot doesn’t make the case for Lululemon leggings while zip lining then I really can’t help you.
On the rafting day you’ll want to wear real water shoes and a shirt to protect you from the sun. Water shoes are a MUST when you carry the raft over rocks. We both wore flip flops, I broke mine three times and the guide looked at me at one point and said “You look drunk.” So, what am I trying to say? Wear real water shoes.
Here is a TV segment I did right after I returned from Costa Rica demonstrating how to pack in a carry on. I’m a big believer in packing cubes, they keep everything separated and make it easy to pack and unpack at every hotel change. Bring a bag just for dirty clothes so you can keep the smelly dirty stuff from what is still clean.
Looking for packing cubes? I like these that allow you to separate your dirty clothes from your clean clothes, this is especially important on a trip like this where you will be changing hotels with one suitcase and some wet and dirty clothes.
You can buy some at my Amazon store HERE
Medical Items:
Last but by no means least, make sure you pack a first aid kit for this trip. Disney will usually have what you need, but never count on anyone else. I always travel with:
- Advil – it’s surprisingly hard to find out of country
- Benadryl – after my daughter turned up with a severe jelly fish sting allergy in the middle of the night in Haiti, I have never left the house without Benadryl again
- Dramamine or Bonine – I prefer Bonine for me for motion sickness, they make a kids Dramamine, there are a lot of boats and small planes, better to have it and not need it than need it and not have it
- Cipro – The water in Costa Rica is fine to drink, but I always travel with Cipro just in case, getting sick is no fun
- Thermometer – Also hard to find, and how I realized that poor Keaton had a 102 degree fever
- Purell – Because, germs
- Band aids – Not just for injuries, also for blisters from lots of walking
A few things I would buy before I left:
Keens water shoes, these looked cute on Nicole and she didn’t look drunk while walking across the rocks:
Click HERE to order or click on photo.
We were hosted on this trip for the purpose of a review. I thought their packing list wasn’t as descriptive as it needed to be and hoped this might help anyone planning to take this trip.
