Chelsea talking
I’m heading to Costa Rica next week for our November surf & yoga retreat and have been thinking a lot about packing for my trip. Mastering “the packing” of a surf trip can be tricky business! How do you know what to bring & not to over pack! Even still I usually come home thinking that I could have packed lighter ( but its so hard with so many cute bikinis!!) So I would like to share with you my go to Costa Rica surf & yoga trip essentials.
BIKINIS
Bikinis are always the first thing i think about when getting ready for my trip. It’s just hard to choose which ones to bring! Lol. My number one rule when buying suits is they have to be comfortable, cute and stay on while surfing. I normally pack twice as many tops than bottoms because I use them for yoga tops too! on this trip I'm bringing 4 surf bikinis, 1 lounging bikini and 1 long sleeve one piece suit. The long sleeve one piece suits are the best for keeping it all in and not getting terribly sun burnt for those mid day surf sessions! It is baking hot in the middle of the day in Costa Rica so its nice to stay covered.
Healthy & Reef Safe Sunscreen
Spending most of my time outdoors sunscreen plays a huge part in my everyday life and over the years I have really learned a lot about what kind of sunscreens we should be using. Our skin is the largest organ on our bodies and we should be lathering it up with yummy chemical free & reef safe sunscreens! It's estimated that each year 14,000 tons of sunscreen lotions end up in the coral reefs, causing coral bleaching and harming marine life. Many popular sunscreens sold world wide contain ingredients that aren’t only toxic to the environment, but also toxic to people, like Oxybenzone which is a chemical most commonly found in these sunscreens and a huge contributor to killing reefs around the world. We need to do our part to treat our oceans & our bodies kindly. Avasol and Raw Elements are a couple sunscreens that I love, work great and smell delicious!
SARONGS
For me sarongs are just the best! they pack small and can be used for almost everything ( beach towel, shade maker, skirt, dress) the list goes on! If I had to I'm pretty sure i could survive my whole trip just wearing the sarong. If you don’t have one already there are lots of cute ones to be found here, so no worries!
Actual CLOTHING
Usually i pack a cute dress ( the long one in the picture is my favorite handmade by Ranifly ) Yoga pants, couple tank tops and comfy shorts. Anything light and flowy are the best for here in November.
DIVA CUP
Ok so here we are at the “diva cup” conversation! Haha! I do have to admit it was pretty hard for Coco & Marjie to get me on board with this whole diva cup idea….But yes they were absolutely right I love it ( especially for surfing )!! They are easy to travel with and no more worrying about anything hanging out from your bikini!!!! Not to mention not adding to the huge amount of single use waste in this world! If your feeling up to it I highly recommend giving this product a go!
HYDRO FLASK
There is good drinking water here in Playa Grande so i always bring my refillable water bottle! It keeps your water ( or margaritas ) ice cold which is key in these hot places!! And as always trying to use less single use plastics to keep the oceans clean and animals safe! Playa Grande is a National Park for the leather back turtles, we have to do our part to keep these beautiful creatures coming back here year after year to nest! Defiantly a MUST bring.
OTHER THINGS
Leave in conditioner & water proof mascara to keep from looking too salted!!! And I always bring oil of oregano to keep any sickness or infection away ( this is always my number 1 go to ) along with the trustee Ibuprofen for any minor injuries/pains… Also if you are sensitive to bug bites i recommend bringing some benadryl.
Thanks for reading and i hope this can help some of you ladies pack for a surf trip feeling a little more prepared and STOKED! If you have any awesome travel packing tips please leave a comment! I would love to hear about them.