Update–I received my itinerary today.  You can see my day-to-day itinerary here.

Eek!  I cannot believe I am within 3 weeks of leaving for Guatemala!  I have been planing this trip for months; I will be spending a few days by myself, then meeting up with a school group and spending over two weeks with them on a study abroad course.  In total,  I will be in Guatemala for 18 days, which is by far the longest trip I have ever taken.

I have no idea what to expect.  Not only do I not know the group itinerary yet (as a planner, this is REALLY killing me), I also cannot grasp the concept of their weather.  My mind keeps telling me that I am headed to Central America, meaning it’s going to be hot.  In reality, I am going to be in the highlands of Guatemala the entire time, so it will be comfortable during the day and may be cold at night.  I will be landing in Guatemala City, heading to Antigua, and then staying for an extended period of time in San Lucas Toliman, a city on Lake Atitlan.  The country is very conservative in its dress, and of course I want to respect the indigenous culture.  Guatemala–the land of eternal spring–is throwing me a packing curve ball.

Again, I don’t know what I will be doing yet (do I sound bitter?), but I am trying to pack clothes than can be worn in active situations as well as places where I need to look presentable.  I want to be comfortable, but I also don’t want to look like a wreck.  I want everything to be quick drying (nothing is worse than something molding in your suitcase), and I want everything to be versatile enough to be worn multiple ways.  If that is not enough, I am only planning on taking my backpacking backpack, which is a 60L Black Diamond pack.  In it, I need to fit all my clothes in three packing cubes, my toiletries, my electronics, a day pack, and anything else I might need.

Here is my list so far, let me know what you think!

Clothes:

• 5 quick-drying tee shirts.
• 2 long sleeve shirts
• 2 nice shirts
• 3 tank tops
• 2 pairs of jeans
• 1 maxi skirt
• 1 dress
• 1 pair of athletic shorts
• 1 pair of leggings
• 1 pair of yoga pants (the leggings and the yoga pants can double as pajamas)
• 12 pairs of travel underwear (not pictures because I didn’t feel like you needed to see my underwear…)
• 5 pairs of socks (also not pictured strictly because I couldn’t a single pair.  I guess I’ll have to work on that)
• 2 bathing suits
• 1 swimming shirt (mandatory for my program)
• 1 sweater
• 1 fleece zip-up jacket
• 1 cardigan
• 2 over-shirts (flannel and denim)
• 1 rain jacket
• 1 pair of sneakers
• 1 pair of flip flops
• 1 pair of walking sandals

Electronics:

• My cell phone and charger (although I won’t be able to use it unless I have wifi, I am too attached to leave it home).
• My DSLR camera and charger
• My laptop and charger

Toiletries:

• Makeup
• My hair straightener (I know it’s dumb, but it’s humid down there!)
• Sunscreen
• Bug spray and wipes with Deet (I know it is bad for the environment, but my doctor specifically recommended Deet because the mosquitoes, even in the highlands, can carry Zika)
• First Aid Pack

Extras:

• The Moon Travel Guide to Guatemala
• Sawyer Mini Water Filter and reusable water bottle
• Headlamp
• Ukoala Bag (I seriously love this thing)
• Collapse-able day pack
• A copy of my passport