1. We didn't bring our Macbook laptop

-We ended up spending a lot of money and a lot of time in dreary internet cafes as we worked on our travel blog. If we had our lap top, we could have done our writing at our often scenically located campsites. The Macbook in particular would have been useful because the ease of working with pictures on Iphoto.

2. We brought a tent

-Every inch of space in the van counts on a trip like this and we ended up carting our tent to Panama and back and never opening it. Unless you know for sure you are going to do overnight hikes - which not a lot of roadtrippers do - a tent is not necessary. Cheap hotels are a plentiful everywhere.

3. We didn't bring our bikes

-Many of the best campsites are located a ways out of town, or a ways from the key attractions. In order to avoid repeatedly setting up your van (popping the top, rolling out the awning, turning the swivel chair, etc.) and tearing it down every time you need to head into town to buy groceries, bring your bikes.

4. We brought a large, portable propane tank

-We brought the propane tank to fire up our Coleman Fold-and-Go stove. However, we ended up doing almost all of our cooking on the van's built-in stove, as it was far more convenient than the portable stove (the interior of the van has lights, we had screens which kept out the bugs, the van has counter space, etc.). This meant that we hauled around a heavy and awkwardly shaped tank that we rarely used.

5. We didn't bring enough country specific guidebooks

- Regional guidebooks, Like the Rough Guide to Central America, do not have many city maps. Country specific guidebooks tend to have more. A good city map is, of course, invaluable when you drive into a new destination for the first time.