What To Bring

• Laptop or netbook – if you need to transfer documents for high speed access in the city, bring flash drive with you so you can transfer documents to the local computers in the city

• Bandanna or hair bands – especially work exchangers who work in the kitchen, it is required

• Bug spray – there are very few mosquitos, but once in a while it is needed, especially if you travel to the coastal or jungle parts of Ecuador. Lemon and eucalyptus oils are good natural choices

• Spending money for day trips, excursions and shopping for souvenirs

• Ear plugs and sleep mask – for ensuring a quiet rest if you’re in shared accommodations

• Day pack, backpack, or shoulder bag – for carrying around your notebook, raincoat, umbrella, water, or whatever else you might want to take from your room

• Musical instrument – we have lots of spontaneous music by the campfires, so bring your guitar, drum, flute or other musical instruments if you want to have some campfire fun! We also have talent nights sometimes where people  share their songs and poetry. (We have a couple of inexpensive guitars you can play, but if you are attached to your favorite guitar, feel free to bring it! We also have some a drumset, bass, keyboards and percussion instruments if you want to play them. Enjoy!)
  

• $500 for medical emergencies – no insurance will work here from your home country

ATM, Credit Cards, Travelers Checks and CASH

• Your ATM card might not work here, so make sure you have enough money until you get it clear with your bank that it is you trying to withdraw money. Telling your bank ahead of time that you are coming to Ecuador and will be using your ATM card doesn’t always work and you might have to work out some glitches with your bank.
• Travelers checks don’t cash that easily without a 20-day wait if you can even find a place to cash them. It takes depositing them in an account to clear them, and it will be work to open a bank account just for that, if you even can if you’re not a resident of Ecuador.
• Credit cards don’t work in many places and have high overseas fees if they do work. Ecuador is mostly cash based, so don’t count on always being able to use cards.
• Cash is King in Ecuador! You will need to have cash with you (called effectivo in Spanish). It is still a very cash driven society in this country.
• Bring some small bills with you because large bills above $10’s are hard to change. Do NOT bring $50’s or $100’s with you unless you are staying for a long time and need to bring a lot (you are limited to $10,000 at the airport), as they are hard to turn into smaller bills unless you are a customer at a bank. The banks are reluctant to accept $50’s and $100’s unless there is an account holder they can hold responsible if the bills turn out to be counterfeit. There has been trouble with that in Ecuador. If you have to bring large bills though, make sure they are crisp and clean, practically new.