Travel logistics:

Flights are as follows:

• Copa 489 22 June Dulles/Panama City 06:43a/10:42a
• Copa 829 22 June Panama City/Quito 11:550a/01:40p
• Copa 828 1 July Quito/Panama City 04:11p/05:56p
• Copa 488 1 July Panama City/Dulles 07:06p/12:47a

Departure rendezvous: Dulles Airport at 4:00 AM on 6/22/08 (fun!)

Travel checklist:

Medications:

• If you think you might possibly need medications, keep them on your person and let us know where, exactly, they are and how you administer them.

Immunizations: DC recommends the following vaccines (as appropriate for age):

• Hepatitis A or immune globulin (IG)
• Typhoid, particularly if you are visiting developing countries in this region.
• As needed, booster doses for tetanus-diphtheria and measles. Contact the international travel clinic of the UMD student health center for details and updates.

Money:

• Spending Money: The US dollar is legal tender in Ecuador. Ecuadorians are VERY PICKY about the condition of bills. You must bring new crisp untorn notes. (Rule of thumb: If a Metro fare card machine won't take it, neither will an Ecuadorian.) You will be responsible for purchasing meals during the two days that we are in Quito; you may also need to buy one or two breakfasts/lunches. You will need money for incidental expenses, snacks, tips, and souvenirs. Students in the past have spent between $250-$350.
• Ecuadorian departure tax: A departure tax of $31.00 must be paid when you leave the airport. Be sure to reserve this amount in exact change..
• Food: during the cruise, food will be provided. Students with special dietary requirements should notify the University of Maryland organizers asap.

What to bring:

Please pack light!!! You can bring ONE bag to check and one to carry on.

Required items:

• Passport and/or US legal residency documentation.
• Health Insurance information
• Medivac insurance information
• Personal toiletry/medical items (aspirin/ibuprofen/ motion sickness medication/ Immodium recommended)
• Towel & face cloth
• Hardback Journal
• Light rain poncho
• Hiking backpack
• Sunblock/ sunglasses
• Extra glasses or contacts
• Copies of passport, insurance cards, and note indicating locations of medications for tour organizers. (NOTE: As an ultimate backup, leave copies of important documents with someone back home, too.)

Clothing: The Galápagos are generally semiarid to arid. Daytime highs will generally be in the low 80s. Evenings will be cool. Vegetation can be thorny. In some locations we may encounter mist or light rain.

• Light jacket or sweater.
• short and long sleeve t-shirts
• short and long pants.
• Enough socks/underwear for 10 days
• Two pairs of shoes (rec: hiking boots or walking shoes and Tevas or wading shoes)
• Swimming suits (We will probably be swimming every day, so you may want to bring two.)

Optional but recommended:

• Camera, film, batteries (Oh, God, yes!)
• Disposable underwater cameras
• Binoculars.
• Canteen/water bottle
• Hat with visor
• Wet Wipes/Antibacterial cleanser
• Field Guides
• Hand Lens
• Flashlight
• Diving mask and snorkel. (These should be provided by the tour operators, but if you have ones you're comfortable with, you will be happier. If you've a powerful lens prescription you can have them ground into the mask glass. Alternately, take an old pair of glasses, remove the ear-pieces, and jam the lenses into the mask. This actually works.)
• Ear plugs (Some roommates definitely snore).
• Vitamins, prophylactic antibiotics such as Cipro.