Once your trip to Costa Rica is planned, what should you pack—especially if you’re hoping to have an environmentally sustainable trip without wasting money and space? Here are some of our top tips based on many years of experience here at El Colectivo 506, traveling to, from, and around Costa Rica—and some compiled from our Entrepreneurs 506 WhatsApp community as well.
Tips 506: Traveling in Costa Rica in a financially sustainable way
Your reusables will save you time and money—and help the planet
Two absolute essential items for any Costa Rican trip that will make a difference to the environment, but also your bottom line:
- A reusable water bottle: Drinking water is safe throughout the country, so a water bottle is essential both to save you money on bottled water, and to prevent the environmental impact of all those plastic bottles. Recycling bins are increasingly common, but you can’t always count on finding one.
- One or more reusable shopping bags: This will make a difference to the environment but also to your bottom line, since Costa Rica’s single-use plastic ban means that you often have to pay for shopping bags at the supermarket and other locations. Come prepared! The ban also applies to drinking straws, so if you have young kids or just love straws and dislike the sustainable varieties, it might be worth packing a few reusable ones.
Tips 506: How to plan a trip to Costa Rica with a positive impact
Elija con cuidado sus productos de cuidado personal
Choose your personal care products carefully
When we gave this topic an article all its own, one member of Entrepreneurs 506, Melissa Rodríguez of natural products company Chipko.cr, helped us consider the impact of the contents of our toiletry bag on the economies and ecosystems we visit.
When visiting Costa Rica, choose your personal care products wisely
Prepare for changing weather
Yes, the dry season or summer takes place from December-April, and the rainy season or winter takes place from May-November—but there are a worlds of variation within those ranges and among Costa Rica’s many microclimates.
- Prepare for different conditions within a single day: Daniel Flores, of https://www.facebook.com/ROKBIT, reminded us in our Entrepreneurs 506 chat that “there are many weather changes here, so come prepared for sun and cold.” A packable rain jacket and a little umbrella are worth their weight in gold, and if you’re spending any time in the highlands, make sure you have at least one warm layer.
- Buy rubber boots locally, and leave them behind: Years ago, our co-founder Pip Kelley, owner of Casitas Tenorio B&B and Farm in Bijagua, told us she’d seen lots of visitors lugging heavy hiking boots that weren’t really needed. She explained that unless you’re truly scaling a mountain during your trip, simple galoshes or botas de hule, which can often be borrowed or purchased cheaply in a local shop, will serve just as well for walks in Costa Rica’s heaviest rainstorms or muddiest days. And if you did buy them locally, you can donate them to the hotel before you go. They’ll help another guest or, even better, find a home in the community.
Come bearing gifts…
Speaking of donations, here are some additional thoughts. An inexpensive but thoughtful item might just generate one of the most meaningful memories of your trip and a chance to connect with a host or guide.
- A simple toy: Francisco Brenes, another member of Entrepreneurs 506 and a coach at BBetter, said: “There’s nothing a child will appreciate more than a toy. If you bring just one—one that doesn’t require batteries—you can give it to a rural school or someone you meet during your stay. You’ll create a memory forever.”
- School supplies: The school year starts in early February in Costa Rica, so you can also ask your hotel or homestay what might be appreciated in the local community. (When your hotel owner has a ready answer to this question, that’s a good sign about the hotel’s integration with its community!)
…And take gifts home with you!
The fun part: buy a locally crafted and sourced souvenir! In a piece we dedicated to this topic, Galit Flasterstein—CEO and co-founder of Local Keeps, an online store of Costa Rican products—told us to look for the label in souvenir shops. The lack of a label might suggest the product was mass-produced outside of the country. Read much more about ideas for finding locally sourced gifts here:
Tips 506: How to buy souvenirs that benefit small businesses and communities
