Greetings from Costa Rica! I’ll be on the Caribbean side of the country for nine glorious days. I’m hoping my planning will ensure a smooth and fun trip. Here’s how I prepared for the vacation:
- Researched. I read the books gifted to us by my sister- and brother-in-law (above). This gave me a good idea of what to expect on our trip.
- Bought a backpack. I opted to not carry a purse and will instead use a backpack to hold essentials like my camera, snacks and insect repellent.
- Made copies of passports and printed our confirmations for all hotels, shuttles and activities, just in case.
- Called hotels to arrange transportation from the airport. We had to do this twice because our trip includes a flight within Costa Rica.
- Scheduled bill payments.
- Made boarding reservation and bought tick treatment for the dogs.
- Added an international phone plan (daily pass) from Verizon.
- Finished a freelance assignment and turned it in before departure.
- Wrote and scheduled blog posts.
- Exercised to feel better about myself while in a swimsuit for the first time in months.
- Asked friends to check in on our apartment.
Let me know how you prepare for trips in the comments, and wish me luck!

Marette Flora is the founder of Floradise blog and personalized gift shop. Marette is a passionate storyteller and creator. She attended the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism at Arizona State University and obtained a bachelor’s degree in journalism and mass communication.
She is passionate about creating helpful and meaningful things.