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LAST MINUTE REMINDERS
(or How to Avoid Hearing Those Fateful Words, “See? What did I tell you?!”)
Identify yourself and your stuff!
- Remember that you need a copy of the first page of your passport in each piece of your luggage. (That’s right, you can never have enough copies of the wonderfully becoming passport photo floating around!)
- Keep your tickets and passport together. (A driver’s license and a smile don’t carry much weight overseas).
- Put a luggage tag on each of your bags. Do not include your home address. Use a church or business address.
- Add a brightly colored ribbon or yarn to each bag. All team members should use the same color whenever possible.
- If you are given an “extra” supply bag to take, you are responsible for getting it to the ministry site. Treat it as if it is your own. Bring an extra luggage tag and ribbon or yarn to mark it as yours. Make a note of what the extra bag looks like so you’ll be ready whenever you have to identify it.
- Bring a belt-bag or money-belt to keep your stuff close by. It’s easier to keep up with your stuff if it’s attached to you. (It’s pretty hard to remember which stall you left your stuff in, even if you can remember which airport it was!)
- In busy airports and on mass transportation, be very careful to keep your backpack and wallet in front of you to prevent being a target for pickpockets. They thrive on crowded areas and naïve people.
- Prescription medicines should be either in their original container with YOUR NAME on the label or with a copy of this information from your pharmacy. (This thwarts the customs agent who’s looking for that “big international drug bust”.)
- Please notify your team leader BEFORE YOU LEAVE about any medical conditions you may have that could be a factor on the trip, including things such as “limited ability to climb stairs”, etc. (Then maybe your team leader won’t assign you to a classroom on the 4th floor of a
building).
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Luggage does get lost (although rarely). These hints have saved lots of misery for those unfortunate ones whose
luggage went into the twilight zone.
- Pack a jumbo ziploc bag with a change of clothing for your carry-on bag. (You know, your lucky boxers, Mickey Mouse socks, and extra propeller for your hat.)
- If possible, pack another jumbo ziploc bag for cross packing in someone else’s suitcase. Put your name on the bag and then exchange this bag with someone else either before the trip or at the airport. Make sure that you exchange bags with someone going to the same ministry site! (It’s okay, they’ll promise not to look at or go through your stuff. But just in case, cut the sizes off all your tags.)
- Pack another ziploc bag with all items that you consider essential (medicines, extra glasses, hygiene items) and then place them in your carry-on bag.
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These are other good ideas that were born of experience!
- Don’t drink the WATER!
- You will not need to bring any more than $200 in cash unless you plan to do some major buying. Your own money will be needed for meals during our in-transit days for any snacks, post cards, stamps, excursions or souvenirs, etc. Many people get by on less than half that amount.
- Do not bring traveler's checks. These are not easy to cash in most of the places we travel. (But if you get desperate, I’ll cash them for you anytime for $.50 on the dollar.) Some places will take credit cards. (Except the place that has just the thing you need to take to Uncle Ned for the anniversary of his new teeth.)
- Bring your cash in new or like-new 10’s and 20’s.
- Be sure to bring a good pair of walking shoes! (No Jody, flip-flops don’t count!)
- Consider leaving one outfit (or more) and/or towels at the host church. (Honey, have you seen my lime leisure suit?)
- Bring a pocket folder and some paper or a spiral notebook. (You never know when someone might say something profound that you’ll want to remember. It doesn’t happen often, though.)
- DO NOT DRINK THE TAP WATER UNLESS IT HAS BEEN BOILED (as in coffee, tea) no matter who tells you it’s okay. Don’t brush your teeth with it or open your mouth in the shower. (There are no jokes about this one. This will put you out of the running faster than a bad hair cut on a beauty queen. Take our word for it. Just don’t take any chances).
- It is a good idea to bring a small water bottle in your carry-on and a larger one in your suitcase. The air travel is very dehydrating and the bus ride could be hot. (It’s not a pretty sight to see a refined Baptist lady pleading with her hard-hearted husband over the last ounce of water in the bottle.) Avoid caffeine on the plane to help with jet lag.
- You may want to take preventative antibiotics if you tend to catch everything that goes around. Some people with sensitive stomachs find that taking a Pepto-Bismol caplet each day helps with stomach upsets.
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