What Are We Taking to Ecuador?

What Are We Taking to Ecuador?

Ahhhh, the million dollar question!  To be honest, we change the answer quite a bit – almost on a daily basis.

Most people moving to Ecuador only take the luggage they can get on a plane.  Others fill a large container and have it shipped to Ecuador.  There are pros and cons to each, but we are going the luggage route.

First, let’s look at what American Airlines says we may bring on board the plane.  The most we can take is a total of 10 pieces of checked baggage + 2 carry-ons + 2 personal items + Sonny Bunny’s carrier.   

Sonny is going in the cabin with us.  Technically, he should count as one of my carry-ons; however, since we’re paying $110 to have him with us, I’m NOT going to count that!  We’re in first class, and there always seems to be a lot of extra overhead bin space, so I’m not worried.  We’re flying on a 767-300ER for you fellow aviation nerds.  You know who you are.  You’re not fooling anyone!

Each checked piece is limited to 50 pounds AND certain size dimensions.  We’ll go over the 50lb limit on a few of the items; therefore, we will have to pay excess weight charges.  All told, we will probably be looking at about $600 in excess bag and excess weight fees. 

2 of these soft bags

4 of these footlockers

           

So, what are we taking?   We broke it down into two areas:  things we can’t get in Ecuador, and things we want to keep.  We’ll probably add and remove items to these lists as we get closer to departure.  Because we bought the entire household already in Ecuador, we are free to focus on the more “fun” things to take.

Things we can’t get in Ecuador:

Of course, we can find some/all of these in Ecuador; however, they are expensive or not the “latest & greatest” models found in the US.

        

•     High end European bed linens
•         Good quality bath and kitchen linens
•         New laptop computers
•         New tablets/iPads
•         Ooma home telephone system (more on this later)
•         Roku TV system (more on this later)
•         Special internet router (more on this later)
•         Vitamix
•         iPod sound bar
•         Apple-brand iPad/iPod chargers (“generic” models are dangerous!)  
•         Good quality food storage containers
•         Small items requested by other ex-pats (everyone becomes a “mule” at one point!)
•         Lots and lots and lots of clothes and shoes
•         Kitchenaid stand mixer and high end cookware (in storage to be brought down later)

Things we want to keep (or will need right away):

        

•     Items we've picked up on our travels through the years
•         Flash drives containing photos and important documents (wills, tax returns, etc.)
•         New cell phones that will work in the USA and Ecuador (more on these later)
•         Favorite kitchen gadgets (odd, I know, because we don’t cook!)
•         Sonny’s beds, favorite toys, and small supply of his current food & treats
•         Office supplies and ink cartridges for the printer/scanner/fax already in Ecuador
•         Small tool bag with household tools
•         Lots and lots and lots of clothes and shoes

We've tried to prioritize the things we THINK we will need right away. We’ve been to the stores and shops in Cuenca, so we have a pretty good idea of what is readily available there, what is better to bring with us, and lots of stuff in between. 

We will always bring stuff back to Ecuador on our return trips to the US.  The first round of which is already in storage in Tom’s mother’s basement.  No doubt, that list will grow quickly!

When you come to visit, we will also probably have a list of things for you to bring…………prepare yourselves!   Like I said, eventually, EVERYONE becomes a mule!