What you should know before you gooo!

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In the fall of 2012, Jackie and I ventured out of country together for the first time. We had no idea what the heck we were doing but we literally "faked it until we made it," and it all worked out. We chose to travel to Costa Rica because we heard that it was beautiful. There was a mixture of nature, hiking, animals, and beaches. That's all we needed to hear and we were ready to go! Now the first trip, we definitely did NOT pack light. I think in total we brought two big rolling suitcases, backpacks, and purses. We barely made it within the weight requirements for the airline! If I could go back and tell my younger self some advice about traveling, this is what I would tell past Andrea.

1. Invest in a good backpack or suitcase. The debate will continue on about whether you should buy a nice pack or suitcase. For the last 4 years I have used an Osprey 65 L back pack, and I have been very happy with this. I can grab it, put it on my back, and go. We also do a lot of hiking and camping, so I can then transfer some of my belongings into my smaller pack and then use my Osprey pack for the camping trip. I also invested in a back pack cover so when we are going from airport to airport my pack and be protected in it. I've seen other travelers who have a rolling suitcase who love it just as much as I love my pack. So ultimately it's up to you!

2. A towel. I have a camping towel, but decided to buy an actual bath towel and I have not regretted it. There's nothing like having the luxury of drying yourself off with a real towel.

3. Flip flops. This is crucial when using public showers and just being able to slip on shoes and go.

4. Utilize apps. Now a day traveling is so affordable and with the technology at hand it makes it even easier. Here are some of the apps we use quite frequently: Air B N B, Hostel World, Uber, Trip Adviser. I also have used an app called "Trail Wallet," and my mind has been blown! This trip I wanted to track every purchase I made. In South America, I wrote everything down in a journal but then I was told by a travel mate about Trail Wallet and I will never go back to writing stuff down again. It allows you to categorize all of your purchases and it breaks it down day by day as well as formatting it into a pie graph for the entire trip. You can see where all your money goes as well as breaking it down into local currency too. It is phenomenal. GET IT. "Venmo" is another app too. This makes it easier than ever to pay each other back right out of your bank account. A lot of the time we will cover the hostel or a restaurant bill for all of us and we are in debt to each other and Venmo allows us to pay each other back ASAP!

5. Podcasts. On long plane rides or bus rides podcasts have been life for us! When we have access to wifi we download a bunch of podcasts and then listen to them when we have down time. Some of our favorite podcasts are: "Serial", "Stranglers," "The Conspiracy Guys," "Up and Vanished," "Guys We F****d," "Stuff You Missed in History Class," and "TEDTalks."

6. Invest in good packing cubes. Packing cubes allow you to separate your clothes and throw them into your suitcase and go! They keep things a bit more organized and easier to access. They are one of my favorite things. I got mine off of Amazon and it's been the best purchase yet!

7. Buy a decent camera. I'm not saying go out and spend $1,000's of dollars on one but get a good quality one. You may only be in these places once and you want to be able to capture the moments to remember them forever! I've had the same Sony camera since Costa Rica circa 2012. I suggest you do your research and talk to other travelers on what kind of camera they have.

8. Buy extra batteries for your cameras and invest in battery packs for your phone. There will be time where you will be in such a remote place that electricity is not an option. Having extra batteries that you can charge for your camera makes it easy to keep capturing those once in a lifetime moments when your battery runs out. Also investing in a good battery pack to charge your cell phone is a great idea too! I have a mophie that allows me to charge my phone and two other USB devices. It's been great and I highly recommend it!

9. Reliable shoes/hiking boots. When traveling you tend to walk A LOT. Not only is walking a cheaper way to get around a city but it's also good for you too! Having shoes that can accommodate all the miles you will walk is crucial. It can really make or break a walking tour or hiking trip. Right now I have Vasquez hiking boots and I LOVE them. Find shoes and boots that are good for you. Try them out first and break them in! That way while you're still at home, if you don't like them you can return them for something else! Also get good socks! This is make or break for warm feet. Invest in your feet hardcore!

10. Lush bars. Carrying bottles of shampoo can take up extra space in your bag for something else and make it heavy. Lush bars have been a god send. They are little bars of magic that last for 3-4 months! I just recently used my first Lush Bar up and am now on my second bar. Sometimes I only use the bar with no conditioner and my hair is still shiny and soft! They are definitely worth the investment!

11. Extra prescriptions. While you're home and covered by insurance talk to your providers about obtaining a prescription for long term travel. For instance, I needed to make sure I had enough Epi pens for the trip as well as contacts. Also, I've discovered that in most countries a lot of prescriptions are available at a very low cost too!

12. A hat and headphones. Having a hat is crucial! Also head phones, when you're on a long plane ride or something having headphones so you can zone out the world is good to have! When I get home I may invest in some noise canceling head phones. Just a side thought!

13. Baby wipes and dryer sheets have been SO amazing. Baby wipes are good to have in countries where the bathrooms don't have toilet paper and also the days you don't have access to a shower. Baby wipe baths have been very common on this trip and have been life savers. There are days where you are so gross that being able to wipe down after a day in the dirt makes the whole sleep better. Dryer sheets are handy too because you can put them in your dirty laundry as well as clean to keep your bag smelling fresh!

14. Tampons are not readily available in some countries and if they are they are expensive and not as good as quality as to back home. We made sure to pack extras and have others who were meeting us along the way bring more.

15. Laundry bag to put your dirty clothes in. I bought mine on Amazon and it has come in so useful this trip. Yes, you can use plastic bags but when you go days without doing laundry plastic bags fill up quick. Having a laundry bag makes it easy to put your dirty clothes away and just pick it up and turn in for laundry!

16. Flashlight and hand sanitizer. When camping it's always good to have a good flashlight and/or headlamp. Especially in the morning when you are breaking down your tent before the light comes up having a headlamp to light up the dark is crucial. Also not having access to a sink to wash your hands it's also great to carry hand sanitizer with you.

These are just some of the tips I would tell my younger self as well as be fearless in the pursuit of going after you want. I hope this helps all you guys who are thinking about traveling whether it be long term or two weeks! I think everyone could benefit from this list and if you have any other tips please share them in the comments below! Happy packing guys! :)