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Below you’ll find the travel gear Bill and I actually use, love, and recommend. You can use any of these links to start shopping.

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Clothes & Shoes

The Baleaf long Pants are my absolute favorite travel pants – lots of pockets, quick drying, water resistant
Kean’s Sandals – rugged and durable with a sturdy sole. They come in tons of colors and configurations. I chose a closed-toe style for hiking.

A colorful pair of sandals sits on a wooden table.

Water shoes – Great for hot springs, beaches, boating, snorkeling and jet skiing.

Lightweight rain jacket – I prefer a breathable one with a hood that packs down small.

Woman in purple jacket and black pants uses the binoculars to look for birds in the trees.

Columbia Benton Springs Fleece Hoodie – nice and warm, long enough to cover my butt and it has a hood

Bill and Kari are dressed warmly as they stand in front of the icy Perito Merino Glacier in Argentina.

Sun Protection & Comfort

Sun hat – I love mine because it folds up small and protects me from the sun.

Owala stainless steel water bottles – we just bought these for Greece and they were fantastic. Insulated to keep water cold for up to 24 hours, I also like the FreeSip straw that lets me drink without tipping the whole water bottle up and the lid that locked to keep it clean.

An insulated Owala water bottle with a covered FreeSip lid sits ready to carry on a day of sightseeing. Keeping water cold made this bottle especially useful during long days exploring Greece in the heat.

Portable Neck Fan – for keeping cool on hot days
Umbrella for Sun Protection – Bill used this in Greece to keep the hot sun off of him while we wandered the islands.
Travel Neck Pillow – Bill’s Favorite

Backpacks

The High Sierra Swoop SG Backpack – I absolutely love this backpack! There are lots of pockets and compartments to keep things organized, even a laptop sleeve.

The padded straps are super comfortable, even when it’s packed full. I’ve carried it through many an airport!

On shorter trips, it can be my carry-on luggage, and on longer trips, it’s my personal item that goes under the seat.

We also have a lightweight 35L Foldable Backpack that we use for day trips, hiking and birdwatching. It has lots of pockets for keeping things organized for day-trips.

This small dark gray backpack holds water bottles, bug spray, umbrellas and sandwiches for our hike.

Duffle Bags

For our African Safari, Bill used the Eagle Creek “No Matter What^TM Duffel LARGE (110 L, 30” x 15” x 14”).

I used the royal blue: Everest Sporty Gear Bag (56 L, 25” x 12” x 12”) But next time I go on safari, I might use this smaller version: Everest Crossover Duffel Bag

Luggage Accessories

Bill likes the LeanTravel Compression Packing Cubes for their sturdy construction.
BAGSMART Compression Packing Cubes – This 6 piece set keeps my items organized and saves me a ton of space in my luggage.
We also use smaller clear toiletry bags for things like medicine, cooking spices and charging cables.
Luggage Scale – make sure your luggage is within weight limits before flying.

pink and gray packing cube is compressed to take up less room in the suitcase.

Cameras and Accessories

128 GB SD Cards – One of these storage cards lasts me for up to 6 months, even with as many photos as I take

Card Reader – Every night, I back up the photos off my SD card to my laptop. That way, if my camera got damaged, fell down a cliff or was stolen, I’d still have all my images.

Square black device with a SD card inserted and a cable with several different attachments for connecting to your computer.

Camera Strap – The extra padding on this camera strap makes it very comfortable around my neck. Even better, the zippered pockets hold additional batteries. So I don’t need to carry any more beyond that when I’m out shooting all day.

Rainsleeve Plastic Protector – This “camera raincoat” keeps my camera safe from both rain and dust, while I can keep shooting.

a Clear Plastic bag covers my black Canon camera to protect it from rain and dust.

Waterproof phone pouch – Critical for waterfall hikes and sudden downpours. This one comes in a two-pack with a lanyard and it floats! It’s also the one I use for snorkeling to get underwater videos.

Two black cases with a lanyard lay on the table. These are for keeping your phone dry in wet conditions.

Computers & Media

Kari’s Laptop – I love my Acer Swift 3 laptop – Super Thin and lightweight, it doesn’t take up much room in my backpack.

Bill’s Laptop – Bill uses his Macbook Air to check his email, watch movies and track our expenses.
Firestick – We use the Amazon Firestick to plug into the HDMI port of the TVs at our accommodations. Then we can watch our streaming services without having to log in and out on the TV directly.
Travel Plug Adapter Kit – Bill uses the Ceptics Travel Power Strip and I have the Ceptics Universal Travel Adapter Kit. Each has two electrical outlets, at least one USB port (mine has two) and 6 different international plugs.

My preferred travel adapter kit with 2 outlets, 2 USB ports, 6 plugs and a little black velvet bag to put everything in. I'd put this as number two on my list of what to pack for Costa Rica, right after my camera which is number one on the list. — Kari’s Ceptics Universal Travel Adapter Kit

Airalo eSim

I always use Airalo eSims when we travel internationally because I don’t have an international plan option on my cell phone carrier. I can buy country specific esims, or regional ones that cover multiple countries. Then you don’t have to get a new eSim every time you switch to a new country. Learn more here

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Other Travel Resources

For booking Tours and Travel, these are our favorite resources:

PLAN YOUR TRIP WITH OUR
FAVORITE TOOLS

– Best Lodging site: Booking.com
– Book Day Tours here: Viator.com
– Rent Cars here: DiscoverCars.com

More Travel Planning Tools & Resources

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Many of the Destination Guides contain country-specific travel tips, packing lists, budget tips, things to do and where to stay.