The Final Countdown

Hey Everyone!

The three of us are frantically dotting the I's and crossing the T's in preparation of our upcoming trip. Its so crazy to think of the journey we have been on thus far. Planning, fundraising, networking... lots of work has gone in to making this possible.

A huge shout out again to all of our local sponsors (check out our sponsor page, shop out those stores!) as well as to our family and friends who have put up with our crazy antics, come to steak nights, listened to us talk endlessly about the trip and of course donated financially as well. Thank you so much!

We thought that for our final blog post before getting to Granada, we would do a little "What did they bring" special. All three of us decided to go the backpack route. Doesn't leave a lot of extra room for luxuries! (I predict Christa being the worst at this. I went to St. Louis with her for 3 days, and I thought she was moving there)

Elora

So, I think that out of the group I am probably the most OCD when it comes to making lists, packing, preparing etc. I also think that the planning stages are an exciting part of the trip as well and I wouldn't put it past myself to forget bringing something essential like clean underwear. So, being over prepared is just my thing.

Before we get to the stuff, I think I should mention that I put a lot of thought into which backpack I was going to purchase for the trip. I do hopefully intend on using it for some backcountry camping experiences in the future as well as for future travels.

So, I ended up going with the North Face Terra 65. It is a 65L hiking backpack. Unfortunately, due to the length of my torso, I couldn't pick up any female specific bags. But, the fit is comfy. It has 2 front pockets, 2 hip pockets, lid storage and access from the top and bottom.

I've done some little hikes around town with the bag weighed down and it seems to do the trick. It's a sturdy bag and I am hoping to take it on many adventures in the futures!!

Also, if you are interested, I am taking my forest green Herschel Backpack as my day pack. I might pick up a small shoulder purse while I am there but for now, I intend on just taking the backpack everywhere.

Here are all the goodies I need to fit into my bags! Below is my complete packing list! Let me know if I missed anything important!

* 1 long sleeve shirt
* 2 t-shirts
* 5 tank tops
* 2 pairs of shorts
* 1 full length legging
* 2 3/4 length legging
* 2 dresses
* 1 towel
* 5 socks (various types)
* 5 pairs of underwear
*2 Sports bras
*1 bra
*Rain Jacket
*Water Bottle
*Sunscreen
*Bug Spray
*First Aid Bag (bandaids, tensors, gauze, creams, advil, prescriptions etc)
*Contacts/Personal bag (contact solution, hair stuff, toothpaste/toothbrush etc)
*Make-up bag (Mascara, eye-liner, lipstick and lots of elastics and bobby pins. But lets face it, make-up will not be staying on my face very long there)
*Charging cords(in little skull purse)
*Travel Journal (has addresses and names and whatnot also a place for me to write cool things down)
*Spanish phrase book
*Floppy hat
*Sunglasses and glasses
*Laptop
*ipad (for reading)
*Dollarama bag has pencils and Canada tattoos for the kids
*2 Buffs
*Shoes - Solomon Hikers, water shoes, Birkenstocks
*Passport/Documents + photocopies
*Moneybelt

I believe that is it! Did I miss anything super important?! Let me know!

Karen

     I am definitely a more laid back traveller than Elora. I leave most things until the last minute and don't think to seriously about all the 'what ifs' that could happen. I think its important to have a certain aspect of the unknown when travelling. Not to say that I haven't taken all the precautions of traveling to a central american country, because I certainly have. However, I am ready for the experience and the learning that goes along with it. I expect tough times and I expect fun times! 

   As for my backpack, I purchased an Osprey Viva 65 L. I tried several packs on and did a lot of research about which pack would be the best for me. I have backpacked in the past and I find that a good backpack is important but how you pack and what you pack really determines how comfortable you are going to be. 

    I also purchased an Osprey Questa 27L Day Pack to use as a carry on as well as a day pack during our long hikes to work. I've taken it on several walks, motorcycle rides and small hikes and so far its pretty great! 



   Now for packing, its a tough decision but I'm trying to bring as little as I think I can get by with. Take a look and if i've missed anything important, let me know! 

* 2 T-shirts
* 5 Tank Tops
* 3 Shorts
* 1 Long Sleeve Shirt
* 2 Full Length Leggings
* 1 3/4 Length Leggings
* 2 pairs of light pants
* 2 Dresses
* 5 Undies
* 5 Socks
* 1 Sports Bra
* 2 Regular Bras
* 1 Towel
* 2 Water Bottles
* Rain Jacket
* Hat
* 60 SPF Sunscreen
* Lots of Bug Spray
* First Aid Type Things- Bandaids, Wrist Brace, Polysporn, Advil, Prescriptions, etc. 
* Contacts
* Glasses/ Sunglasses
* Bathroom Stuff - Toothbrush, Toothpaste, Hair Brush, Ponytails, Bobby pins, Mascara, Lotion, etc. 
* Ipad
* Phone
* E-reader
* Charging Cords
* Travel Journal 
* Buff
* Shoes- Solomon High Top Hikers, Birkenstocks, flipflops for the water
* Passport/Documents & Photocopies
* Money Belt

Christa

After a fair amount of procrastinating, I too have "finished" packing, though I'm already losing sleep over what I'm about to forget. Last year, Elora and I spent one week in St. Louis Missouri, an English speaking city with similar cultural norms, foods and traditions and I somehow remember panicking about that packing excursion as well. in 2008, I spent 3 months in Australia and anticipated bringing home a bunch of treasures and tried to pack as lightly as possible. I ended up packing one small suitcase inside a larger one on the trip there, and I remember frantically throwing things out at the airport when coming home, as I had overstuffed both suitcases to the point of having to pay loads extra to check my baggage.
I really have no idea what to expect once we arrive in a few days so I'm also trying to anticipate the "what if's". I'm a relatively high maintenance person during the school months, and my summers are generally spent taking advantage of not having to shower frequently and airbrush my makeup on. My initial plan was to not bring makeup at all on this trip, as I'll likely sweat it all off anyway, but rather than photoshopping all the photos when we get home, I think I'll just bite the bullet and bring the essentials.

The girls talked me into buying a hiking backpack at Sport Check which I found on sale a few months ago. Behold - My Northface Terra 55 Backpack

Isn't she something. I know nothing about this beauty other than the fact that she was on sale, as she was from the 2014 Spring line. My plan is to take this, and my regular school backpack as my carry-on/day pack, and hopefully all of my treasures will fit like a snug bug in a rug. I've been practicing with it, taking it on Pokemon Go hunts and such, and Elora has helped me figure out how it is actually supposed to fit. I'm skeptical, as I'm a huge suitcase kind of lady, myself, but I'm sure this will work just fine.
Most of what I'm taking with me I don't intend to actually bring home again so I just hope that whatever I decide to buy will fit in here. The clothes that I am taking have mostly come from Value Village in Yorkton

Here is my official pack list for Nicaragua 2016:

Clothing

• 1 x Saskatchewan Roughriders T-shirt (Go Green)
• 2 x Racerback tank tops
• 1 x Camisole top
• 1 x Sports Bra for working
• 1 x Sweater
• 1 x Sun Dress
• 5 x Underoos
• 1 x Swimsuit
• 5 x Socks
• 1 x Yoga Pants
• 1 x Leggings
• 3 x Shorts (One for working, one denim, one for sleeping)
• Hiking Boots (These take up SOOOO much room in my backpack, I'll likely just wear them)
• Birkenstocks
• Work Gloves

Toiletries/Other

• Toothbrush/Toothpaste/Floss Picks
• Cotton Pads
• Pre moistened makeup remover/facial cleansing cloths
• Dry Shampoo (Travel Size)
• Deodorant
• Bath and Body Works Mini Hand Sanitizers
• Lysol Wipes
• Face cloth, Hand towel, Bath towel (Old, Dollarama ones)
• 3 x Bug Spray (Deep Woods Off and Watkins Brand)
• 1 x Spray Sunscreen (SPF 60)
• 1 x Facial moisturizer with SPF 15
• Mini First-Aid Kit
• Pepto Bismol, prescription medication, Gravol, Sleep eeze, Tums, Aerius, Tylenol etc...
• Wrist and Knee Braces
• Locker mirror
• Lulu headband, hair elastics, bobby pins, hairbrush
• Tweezers
• Flashlight
• Clothespins (we won't be using the dryer)
• Mosquito Net hat (The girls really like this)

  

  I'm a Ziplock packer. It keeps me organized when packing/unpacking

• Rain Poncho
• Money Belt
• Ipad (charger)
• Phone charger
• External Battery charger (cords)
• Kobo (charger)
• Sunglasses
• Real Glasses (and cleaning cloth)
• Headphones
• Earplugs
• Sleep mask
• Water Bottle
• Travel fork/knife/spoon, collapsible cup
• Spanish phrase book
• Selfie Stick (bought especially for the occasion)
• Travel Pillow
• Journal

Now, the question remains. What am I missing? There are a few things that I still need to find room for and I'm struggling to get everything to fit. I have a couple of things that have been donated as well to the organization we're working with (toothbrushes, pencils, tattoos - thanks Sue) but I'm going to have to do some more rearranging I'm afraid. 

Wish me luck