Smile sunscreen swimsuit surfboard spanish dictonary sandals

Most importantly sunblock, and an appetite for adventure. Check out the beaches and jungle, suck in the culture. It’s a wonderful place. Have a look here on what to bring: http://www.therealcostarica.com/travel_costa_rica/bring.html

SUNSCREEN. Lots of it in high SPF.

BUG SPRAY. You’ll be more focused on your volunteer work if you aren’t scratching. We actually had bug repelling wristbands. Search the internet for “BUG BAND” and see what’s out there. These things RULE. You don’t get slimy, it stays on, and it WORKS for a long time.

LMAO. I was going to leave an answer that was all “SUNSCREEN” in big bold caps, but clearly I’m not the only one to have gotten the mother of all sunburns while down there. ;)

The locals don’t go in the sun; we, as a general rule, are struck by the novelty and get our asses BURNED.

I can’t think of anything special that probably hasn’t already occurred to you to bring. Clothing is pretty obvious, SUNSCREEN has been covered, everything else is pretty self-evident as well. Have fun. :)

ipod. hat. books, not too many English language bookstores. Enjoy!

Don’t know which part of the country you are staying but I was surprised at how cold San Jose was at times, I was not prepared! I would say just remember a nice light jacket and a pair of pants, have fun, it’s a beautiful country!

I have a short list on my site that I made for visiting friends…

http://www.leadbased.com/costa_rica/Site/Packing.html

Let us know where you’re staying… either way, you’re going to want to get an umbrella almost as soon as you get there- you’ll be there for the rainy season! So, you’ll also want sunscreen and sunglasses. Another thing some people don’t know is that Costa Rican’s don’t wear a lot of sandals- it represents a lower status…just something I learned while there. You’re also going to want to keep room in your suitcase for things you bring back. If you have any other questions, let me know!

Make sure you have a hat that covers your ears. Mine blistered on the first day and peeled a few days later. You’re really close to the equator so sunscreen and clothes that cover are a good thing if you’re a whitey.

As for teaching English, I’d recommend bringing a CD with English children’s songs (itsy bitsy spider, etc.), a small bell or buzzer (to stop and start games) and an ESL teaching book with activity ideas in it. I recommend this because I’ve heard horror stories from friends who have arrived as part of a volunteer group and weren’t provided with any materials to help them teach. Games make teaching SO much easier. For some good suggestions on teaching materials check out this site: http://www.altaesl.com/index.cfm?affil=dave

Best of luck!

An important thing to do before leaving is to get your vaccinations. I highly suggest getting every one that your doctor would recomment for the areas you will be in. I’ve been twice, having gone from one coast to the other each time, and my best friend got extremely ill, and was hospitalized while we were there, so don’t take a chance. Besides that, depending on the age group you’ll be teaching, bring all sorts of fun things from here that they’d enjoy. We brought pencil cases, markers, crayons…as much as we could jam into lil spaces from our suitcases. They also absolutely love candies…you can shove those into all sorts of little spaces between your clothes and whatnot. You might want to take along a journal too…make sure you don’t forget any of the wonderful experiences that you’re about to have!! I’d also suggest bringing a good rain coat…they can get kind of hot though, so if you’re like me and are bound to melt out there, then maybe just a rain poncho thingy to wear over your clothes. Also..Costa Rica has a BUNCH of climates, so from one coast to the other, the seasons will chance. Some sides of the country could be experiencing “winter” when you’re there, while on the other side, it could be “summer”. For example, when we were on the Atlantic coast in a place called Cahuita this past January, it was considered winter. It was rainy, and we couldn’t get on the beach as much as we’d wanted (despite it being blistering hot). However, in San Jose, there was nothing but a beautiful summer sun.

Have an incredible trip! You’ll never want to eat a pineapple again where you live after you’ve eaten Costa Rican ones!!

Wow! That sounds like an awesome adventure. I would suggest lots of light, long sleeve T-shirts, so you don’t get burnt, but also are not too hot. Depending on what region you are going to be in, I would suggest lots of shorts, but in the cloud forest, it can get colder, so a pair of heavy pants, like Patagonia “walking pants.” Make sure you bring a rain/wind coat. The coast gets HOT and sleeping usually is even more hot. I took long PJ pants with me and ended up never using them- I spent a lot of time on the coast just in my swim suit or in shorts and a tank top. Hope you have a great time!

Summer is rainy season there so like everyday at 1 o’clock it’ll rain, sometimes pretty heavy so you can just soldier it or bring a raincoat. Also, I just think baby wipes are always helpful… many uses

umbrella, comfy shoes, bug spray, jacket & a small dictionary

Besides an umbrella/raincoat, bring good hiking shoes or boots since you’ll find plenty of mud during the rainy season. Bring two pairs if you can…If you’re going to be staying away from San Jose, which I hope you are because you’ll have a much better experience, you should bring as many personal care items as you’ll need for the two months. The local stores in some of the smaller towns just don’t have the selection that you might be used to. And yes, I agree with the bugspray/sunscreen recommendations. Besides that, bring clothes that will dry fast. You will get soaked, I promise you, but you will love the warm rain. Have a great time. Pura vida!
mario

WOW…Costa Rica is SOOOOOOO amazing!!! I absolutely loved it. I went there on a mission trip so we did voluteer work too. You need to bring a raincoat becaue it rains everyday at 1 o’clock. Uh bugspray. Toilet paper becaue in some places you have to buy the toilet paper. You probably should wait to buy phone cards till in country b/c U.S. ones sometimes don’t work. a camera..duh. Crucified0611 under the comments went with me to C.R.