My Guidelines for What to Pack for Volunteer Travel for Women
IF YOU ARE DOING VOLUNTEER WORK, YOU MAY FIND THESE GUIDELINES HELPFUL…If you want to see the actual packing list of what I’m bring in insane detail, it has moved to another spot on this blog. Check on list at right and scroll down to entry made October 16, 2007: :” The Real Life Test….Packing List”
MY PACKING “GOLDEN RULES”:
#1. YOU’RE NOT IN PARIS FOR THE WEEKEND….
Talking to other women who travel or would like to all have one thing in common: we want to pack light, but we want to be stylish. My advice is to just get over that. No one is going to care what you are wearing, or how stylish you are, if you are helping them. You aren’t going to care either, because you’re going to be very busy teaching children/rebuilding a trail/helping disaster victims/building a house/shovelling manure…
It is VERY important that you be culturally appropriate! You may be seen as an outsider, or as someone who may be available sexually because you are different and traveling (even in agroup). You may see other tourists wearing strappy tank tops,shorts, etc. …but you should make an effort to dress in such a way that the women of the country you are in will welcome you. Respecting local culture and tastes will only enrich your volunteer experience. This doesn’t mean you should bring NO stappy tanks or fun things-but not many.
Generally in third world countries, women are more conservative. Ask the organization you are going to work with what they would suggest.
I’ve noticed that alot of packing lists either tend to be geared towards men-or are geared for someone who never plans on getting messy and who is wandering about cobbled streets somewhere in Europe. That person is not you.
If you are volunteering, pack appropriately to what you will be doing-working hard, getting your hands dirty,etc. You must be reasonably self reliant, able to clean your clothing yourself and with ease, and able to stay healthy. Have enough variety in her clothing to do many different kinds of tasks.
#2. PACK LIGHT;PACK CARRY-ON ONLY. PERIOD.
No matter what you bring, your clothes will probably be nicer than most people’s at your destination-don’t worry about dressing to impress, or having lots of outfits. It should all go together, it should all be reasonably conservative-nothing loud or tight. Think layers, lots of them.
The exception is if you are allowed to bring another suitcase plus your carry-on..this would not apply to short term(less than a year) volunteers. I am bring an additional bag to one country, but it will carry supplies for that charity(and some extra health supplies for me).
#3.YOUR SIZE MAKES A DIFFERENCE IN WHAT YOU PACK
You aren’t going to read that anywhere else-but it’s true. For some reason, alot of travel sites/and travel clothes! are geared towards smaller people-both in weight and size. If you are not a petite size person(in shoes,in clothes,in bras…whatever..), you will need to pay special attention to what you bring. You will have the added dilemma of having to take even less,because your stuff is just bigger!
If you are an average size to small,you will easily find clothes where you are going, so you can bring even less.
If you are not an average size, you may be able to have clothing made for you-in India,for example. Bring enough of whatever item you KNOW will be difficult to find your size in. What’s enough?Good question. Take how many you think you need and divide it in half. That’s enough!
If you are going to be volunteering for a long time, you may be able to have someone ship you more items as you
need them(If your size is hard to find where you are).
#4. LOOK FOR GOOD TRAVEL CLOTHES THAT WORK HARD
I’ve had a difficult time finding travel clothes that really WORK,and are more like a piece of gear that is truly useful. Adventure /sports stores have a nice selection-if you are a younger person,or a small sized person. I found most of their clothing too tight or too short for what I wanted.(but I am taller and bigger than average). You can find good brands that are more conservative and less fitted and trendy at such stores(like REI in the USA). Brands such as Columbia and Ex officio are good. I would stay away from trendy, low cut styles as you won’t wear them much and you won’t be able to afford the space in your pack.
I would also stay away from “travel knits” that seem to be marketed to an older group of women travelers(the not 20 year old group).These are just going to be too clingy for what you’re going to be doing. If you like that style, bring one top in that material as your “nice” top. Make sure one of your other shirts can be worn as a “jacket” over it.,or that it is a bit looser than you would normally wear.
Do not bring any cotton clothing, unless it is a poly blend. You will need clothes you can take care of easily, like poly or nylon. Bamboo is a nice quick drying material also.
I had excellent results with the following companies ONLINE:
Ex Officio
Macabi Skirt
Horny Toad
Athleta
Title Nine
Wintersilks
Travelsmith
LLbean
Tilley Endurables
Cabelas for women
Activa for Women
Rei outlet
Campmor outlet
Red rock outfitters
Columbia online(will link you to stores with the item you want)
Royal Robbins
I have also heard that the plus size company Junonia makes active-wear clothes that work well for travel.
#5. SHOULD YOU SPEND THE MONEY ON “TRAVEL CLOTHES”? PROBABLY, YES.
I think this depends not so much on preference,but more to what you’re going to be doing. If I was working in a place where my clothes would be in tatters quickly, I would use old clothes on my trip. The key would be that they would need to be easy to take care of. The key is that you bring things that will not take hours to dry and that can take the abuse you’re about to give them. Unfortunately, quality clothes cost money. I found some deals on sale at REI, CAMPMOR,etc.
Some people may not want to buy or spend alot of money on clothing for their trip. This is fine if you think you can replace things easily. Personally, I don’t want to bothered trying to find replacements as I travel, and I want things that are designed to be worn and washed, stuffed in a bag, and will last.They make amazing clothes now out of high performance fabrics that wash and dry quickly-think about the conditions you are travelling in, and be realistic. You can always buy things locally to spice it up a little!
#6. Use compression bags. These are the best packing tool for me-because they allow me to go carry on and bring the clothes I want. I use two bags from Eagle Creek(found at REI)..don’t use cheap compression bags. You will need two medium sized bags for the list below. You will shocked at what a difference using these will make in what you can fit in your carry-on.
#7. Your health is the most important thing to pack for-do your research carefully to make sure you are prepared, and bring enough of whatever supplies you will need, EVEN IF IT MEANS not bringing as many clothes,etc.
To see my actual packing list of what I am actually bringing, please go to the post on October 16th, 2007 titled “The Real Life Test…” on this blog. thanks!
Tags: 1, packing list
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