Planning
What to pack for a long volunteering stay: the bag you'll be glad of
It isn't a travel bag: it's a work bag. What gets used daily, what you won't find there and what always turns out to be surplus.
Irene Salazar 5 min Photo by Andrea Huls Pareja on Unsplash On a volunteering placement you don't do tourism: you work. That changes the whole bag, and anyone who packs it as though for a holiday ends up buying boots in the village during the first week.
What gets used every day
- Work clothes that can get dirty and dry fast.
- Closed, sturdy footwear, and flip-flops for the shared shower.
- Work gloves, which are almost never surplus and almost never there.
- A reusable bottle and, depending on the destination, a filter or purification tablets.
- A head torch, essential when the power goes.
- A power bank and a multi-socket, which in a common room with two sockets makes you popular.
Health and first aid
A basic kit with your things, not generic ones: the medication you take, with a doctor's letter, and what you know you need. Add insect repellent at the right concentration for the destination, sun protection and something for your stomach.
And the vaccinations, in good time: some need several doses weeks apart.
What's always surplus
| Gets packed | And then |
|---|---|
| Too many clothes | You wash by hand and three changes are enough |
| Assorted electronic gadgets | They charge badly and break |
| Generic gifts for the community | Better to ask first what's needed |
| A wheeled suitcase | On dirt and gravel nothing rolls |
What you're glad to have and nobody lists
A notebook and a pen, because you're jotting things down all day. Photos of your home and family, which open more conversations than any language. And something small from where you're from to share on a cooking day, usually the best afternoon of the month.
And as for the phone, what to sort beforehand is in internet on a rural volunteering placement.
Frequently asked questions
What clothes should I take volunteering?
Work clothes that can get dirty and dry fast, closed sturdy footwear and flip-flops for the shower. Three changes are enough if you wash by hand.
What goes in the first aid kit?
Your medication with a doctor's letter, repellent suited to the destination, sun protection and something for your stomach. Vaccinations, weeks in advance.
What's always surplus?
Too many clothes, assorted electronics, generic gifts and the wheeled suitcase, which doesn't roll on dirt and gravel.
Should I bring donations?
Ask the project first what's needed there. They almost always prefer specific materials to generic donations.
