You’ll first need to confirm the travel visa requirements and import restructions on items you’re allowed to bring with you when travelling from your country to enter Ecuador.
expatsecuador.com/visas/ecuador-visa-requirements/
Many flights stop in the US, so you may also want to check if they have any restrictions as a transit destination; Usually not, but you may find US customs will have their own import restrictions, particularily from Asian and African nations, due to the problem with illegal shipping of poorly prepared and packaged food items, plant products, and restricted animals / animal parts… all of which pose both a health risk to people (Covid, etc.), but also endanger the flora and fauna in Ecuador… not to mention the destruction of flora and fauna being removed from those countries of origin. There are more direct flights to Ecuador, avoiding the US, if you travel through Spain. Again, check on their import and visa / security restrictions.
It is also recommended (and may be required for residents of some countries) to obtain inocculations / vaccines for the risks common to the area of Ecuador you will be visiting:
https://wwwnc.cdc.gov/travel/destinatio … ne/ecuador
You should also be prepared to pay ALL your own expenses, for: travel, food, accomodations, emergency/ travel medical policy. Be prepared for the weather and the altitude, and pack clothing, sunscreen, doctor-prescribed medicines (with doctors note; consult someone at an Ecuadorian embassy… some drugs, medicines, natural health / plant / animal products are NOT ALLOWED).
After arriving in Ecuador, if you are not required to be approved for a travel visa, you may be automatically granted a 90 day tourist visa which is digitally linked to your passport, with an option to apply (in person at a visa office) for an additional 90 days after the first tourist visa has expired.
If you decide you wish to stay in Ecuador longer than your travel / tourist visa allows, you can consider several temporary residency visas, each with their own requirements, benefits and faults:
-Retirement Visa (Jubilado)
-Investors Visa (Inversionista)
-Professional Visa (Profesional)
-Rentista Visa
-Dependent Visa incl Marriage (Amparo)
These are also explained in the first link above.
