Okay, I wish I had read something like this before I headed down to Costa Rica the first time!  I had traveled a lot and always without issues.  Of course, my travel was limited to the US, Canada, and the Bahamas many years ago - which of course is very similar to home.

I thought I was well prepared:  I had my passport, money, credit cards, hotel reservation, transportation, flight, bathing suit, toothbrush...  What else could I need for a 3 day trip?

I found out the second night in Costa Rica, when my husband got the first migraine that he has ever had since I have known him.

Let's step back a few days when I was packing.  I was looking at the medicine in the medicine cabinet, and thought to myself, "we won't need anything for just a 3 day trip, and if we do, we can stop at a pharmacy."  The error in my logic was thinking that Costa Rica was just like where I lived - 24 hour pharmacies.

So, back at our hotel room, my husband was in agony and we didn't have any pain medication.  It was a long night for both of us, but of course my husband suffered the most.  As morning neared, I kept going to the front desk to see if anyone could open the hotel gift shop so I could buy some aspirin.  When they finally did, they didn't have a bottle of aspirin, but 3 individually wrapped tablets.  They gave them to me.

My husband was finally able to get some rest once he took those 3 aspirin, but it was a huge lesson learned!  The next day, we stopped at one of the many well-stocked pharmacies in town and picked up some extra-strength Tylenol!

So, here are a few packing tips when you are headed to Costa Rica:

• Medicine - Pain medication, anti-diarrheal tablets, Tums, infant/kids medicine, prescription medicine, whatever you think you could possibly (even remotely) need and not be able to wait to get.  Learn from my experience.  If you don't want to bring it with you, buy it at the pharmacy on the first day you arrive in Costa Rica.  Remember - they don't have 24 hour pharmacies.
• Travel First Aid Kit - Why not take the next step and bring a travel first aid kit?  You never know when you might need a band aid!  Try Johnson & Johnson's Portable Travel First Aid Kit with Forty Items.
• Mosquito repellent - There are mosquitoes in Costa Rica, though not a lot on the Pacific coast.  I did get a couple of bites while I was there, but I didn't see a lot.  I grew up in Manitoba, Canada, which has a LOT of mosquitoes in the summers.  Try California Baby Bug Repellent Spray - if it's good for baby, it's good for you!
• Sunscreen - Okay, on another trip - though not to Costa Rica - I got a REALLY bad sunburn and it ruined the rest of my vacation.  Don't let that happen to you!!  And make sure you choose the correct sunscreens.  The higher the SPF, the better.  If you are going to be doing a lot of activities where you sweat or get in the water, make sure your sunscreen is waterproof.  And here is a tip from an avid surfer for those of you who are going to be doing a lot of water activities - use a stick-type sunscreen on your face.  It won't run in your eyes and it won't wash off as quickly.  This is also good for kids who keep wiping their face and smearing the sunscreen in their eyes.  Try some of these sunscreen products: Bull Frog Sunblock Surfer Formula Body Gel, SPF 36 (Pack of 2), Neutrogena Healthy Defense Oil-Free Sunblock Stick, SPF 30 (Pack of 3), California Baby SPF30+ Sunscreen Lotion, Water Resistant and Hypo-Allergenic (Pack of 2), and Fruit Of The Earth 100% Aloe Vera Gel in case you do get a little too much sun!

If you pack carefully, you'll come back with great stories of your stay in beautiful Costa Rica - not horror stories that could have been prevented with a little careful planning!

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