Traveling to Central America!

[Yaaamiii]

Soooo, my SO and I, along with his parents, his brother, and his brothers girlfriend, are all traveling to Central America in mid December! My SO, his parents, and I, will be going together 4 days ahead of the brother and his girlfriend due to work and such. So in total I'll be there for a week, and I'm not quite sure what to pack or what will/will not go through customs!

I know I can look online, but I wanna make sure I'm not missing anything (I'm kinda OCD sometimes...), and my SO has been to Central America, but he forgets things easily so I don't wanna let anything important slip!

Any travel tips would be greatly appreciated, as the last time I went through customs I was very little. We plan on doing a lot of outdoor activities, so of course a bathing suit and tennis shoes are a must!

[lucybelle]

Where in Central America? There's no way to see "Central America" in just a week. You can maybe see two or three cities in one country in a week.

Customs is a fly by. They don't even check your bags most of the time. As long and you're not carrying drugs or weapons you should be fine. For some CA countries (Panama, Costa Rica) there are some regulations on immigration. I'll expand when you tell me which country you plan on visiting.

Things to bring- December is cold and windy in CR, so I assume it's similar in the other countries. You'll definitely want at least a sweatshirt and maybe a scarf. And of course a rain jacket or good umbrella. If you plan on going to the beach bring bug spray. If you plan on going to the mountains/volcanoes, bring warm clothes. Even though it's central america, the volcanoes get pretty chilly at the top.

You also need to book whatever hotel/hostel you want NOW. Christmas/New Years and Semana Santa are the most traveled time and hotels books out months in advance.

Have fun!

[Yaaamiii]

Nicaragua . Sorry! To be honest, I'm not sure why I assumed that wouldn't matter lol. But obviously it does. I assumed Nicaragua would be hot all the time! I definitely planned on wearing shorts when going up the mountains. I'm pretty sure we have that planned.

I think I'm most nervous about customs. I'm not scared, but I'm anxious to see how it's done. I've been told you have to fill out paperwork and such =O.

[lucybelle]

Ah yes! Nicaragua is an anomaly. It's hot there all the time! Seriously, Nicaragua is the hottest place I've ever been. But I've only been to the southern parts. So if you're in the south or near the beaches, it'll be hot. I still expect it to be pants-weather on the volcanoes (if you plan on hiking them), even if only to get less bug bites.

If you go to northern Nicaragua, towards Honduras, it is much cooler! Honduras is actually chilly at night, so I'd expect northern Nicaragua to be the same. I'm sure you can look up weather predictions a week before for the city you plan on visiting and prepare like that.

Customs is NO BIG DEAL. Seriously. Don't freak about customs. Sure they make you fill out a paper, but it's in English (although I think you also speak Spanish) and asks for like your name and whether or not you're bringing in drugs, drug money, etc. I've never flown into Nicaragua, but via bus they do briefly check your bags. I'd be more prepared to have a strip search when leaving the country back to the USA. In El Salvador, I saw airport people opening boxes and squeezing toothpaste bottles to make sure nothing else was inside.

Also, again not sure about via air, you'll probably have to pay an entry and exit tax. It's cheap and you can pay in USD as long as the bills are in perfect condition- no heavy folds or rips. You can pay for just about everything in USD as long as they are in perfect condition.

Have fun!

[Deleted]

Ah yes! Nicaragua is an anomaly. It's hot there all the time! Seriously, Nicaragua is the hottest place I've ever been. But I've only been to the southern parts. So if you're in the south or near the beaches, it'll be hot. I still expect it to be pants-weather on the volcanoes (if you plan on hiking them), even if only to get less bug bites.

I second lucybelle! Shorts can seem like a good idea because of the heat, but if you wear pants, your legs won't get as scratched up and less skin is exposed. If you ever sit down, you also won't have to worry about getting dirty.

[conejita_hada]

Yes, bring a pair of jeans or two. It sounds like CA ranges a lot in dress. In Guatemala, everyone wears jeans all of the time. Jeans aren't too hot to walk around in and, aside from the volcanoes where they are essential, there is a potential to help you blend in more. I was less approached in Guatemala as a tourist when I wore jeans and a nice top everyday with flats because even though I can't blend in for anything, it made me look like I wasn't a tourist. I don't know normal dress in Nicaragua though.

Have fun! Sounds like an awesome trip.

[I&A]

I would definitely recommend to take with you a pair of jeans and a light jacket, I know it can be very hot, but in december somedays can get cold (not very cold) maybe 12 degrees or something like that. Don't forget to take the common drugs such as aspirine, something for stomachache, because latin food can be very different and you may get sick the first days just because your stomach is not used no this food, not because is something wrong with the food
Sunglasses!
Don't forget to drink more water that you are used to.. maybe 2 or 2.5 liters per day

[Yaaamiii]

lucybelle: To be honest, I think we're planning on traveling around the country (at least around the middle of it lol) because of family all over. I have various pairs of jeans, some much thicker than others, so I guess I'll bring the thinnest jeans so I don't get too hot :P. I get hot quite easily . I am bilingual, so I guess even if they gave me the paper in Spanish I'd be ok xD. Plus his parents will be with me, and he and his parents have done it before. You're right, I don't know why I freaked about it.

Deleted: Yea, I'll probably end up wearing my jeans to the mountains and such. I probably will get scratched up and stuff, so I guess the jeans can save me a bit from that .

I&A: Thanks! I plan on taking meds, but it's actually more for my SO . He gets headaches and such quite often, but in case I need them, they'll be there. Also, I'm very used to Latin food as I'm Hispanic but I definitely know what you're saying, and I unfortunately have a very weak stomach ;(. I can't handle any meats unless it's chicken....what a terrible Argentinean I am ._. And I will definitely be doing my best to drink a ton of water @_@. I drink 8-10 cups a day already.

I've read online that most people in Nicaragua drink from bottled water. Anyone know if there's any truth to this?

[lucybelle]

Drink bottled water. Locals may drink from the tap, because they're used to it. You should drink from bottles.

Remember that even though cities might be geographically close, travel is very slow. Since you're only there for a week I'd plan for just 2 or 3 cities. Are you flying into Managua? Maybe check out Granada, Masaya, and Managua? In Granada you can take a boat tour on Lake Nicaragua and go to the little islands that have a whole bunch of monkeys!

[Yaaamiii]

Yea we are! And okay XD I've read posts online about drinking bottled water, but all the posts I ever find were made years ago, so that's why I always come on here to make sure. I don't think we're going further than 2 hours driving to anywhere. My SO is born in the US but of Nicaraguan parents, so most all of his family lives there and after 4.5 years, this is the first time I'm meeting them so I'm a little nervous ... I have to check the itinerary we've been working on, but I'm pretty sure those are the exact cities we'd like to stop by jaja!

Edit: Except Masaya, I think we only planned on driving through there :0. But again, not entirely sure.

Edit2: I've also been told the crime rates are low but I also know what Latin American countries are like =o...jmm.