Please pack only 3 things to bring with you:
I. A purse or wallet or money belt
II. A lightweight backpack as your carry-on
III. One suitcase or duffle bag to check with the airline
I. Purse / Wallet / Money Belt
Purpose: For items that you always need to carry with you. Bring something that attaches to you so you won't set it down or forget it.
What to pack: - Passport
- Cash (no more than US$150 for souvenirs and miscellaneous)
- Student ID card (if you have one)
- Print out your airline e-tickets
- Contact information (a copy of the contact page from the AYS Participant Handbook)
- Medicine, Glasses, Etc. (items that you always need to have with you - 2 day supply) If you wear contacts, we suggest bringing an extra pair, just in case.
II. Lightweight Backpack for a Carry-on (maximum weight 18 lbs.)
Purpose: This will be your airplane carry-on and will go with you on excursions. Later, the backpack will also be used to take you lunch, water, and other supplies to the work site each day.
What to pack:
- Personal prescriptions (if applicable)
- Change of clothes (modest shorts, t-shirt, underwear)
- Camera
- Sunglasses
- Toiletries & personal hygiene items for two days (including anti-bacterial wet wipes, makeup, hairbrush, shampoo, conditioner, soap, deodorant, toothbrush and toothpaste, pocket size pouch of tissue - remember any liquids, aerosols & gels must be less than 3 oz. and in a 1 qt. zip lock bag)
- Durable Water bottle. You will be using it daily at the work site (fill it up once you have gone through airport security)
- (Optional) Snacks (gum may relieve plugged ears from altitude changes)
- (Optional) Small inflatable neck pillow for airplane
- (Optional) Sleep aids (i.e. eye covers, earplugs)
- (Optional) Good book or pocket guide
- (Optional) Compact travel games (i.e. cards)
- (Optional) Small calculator for currency exchange
- (Optional) An inexpensive durable watch with alarm
- (Optional) Cell phone or phone card (To call parents to let them know you met the group or arrived back in the US. Cell phones can't be used outside of the United States and are targets for theft)
III. One Suitcase or Duffle Bag* (maximum weight 50 lbs.)
What to pack:
Personal Medical Pouch:
- Sunscreen (at least 30 SPF, 3 oz maximum in carry-on) Put in checked luggage
- Insect Repellent (at least 30% DEET, 3 oz maximum in carry-on) Put in checked luggage
- Itch-balm plus or other hydro cortisone base cream
- Chapstick or Blistex type ointment (with sunscreen)
- Minor wound/blister care (i.e. band-aids & triple antibiotic cream)
- Pain reliever (i.e. ibuprofen)
- Traveler's diarrhea medication (i.e. Imodium)
- Upset stomach tablets (Pepto-Bismol or Tums)
- Cold or allergy medicine (i.e. Sudafed)
- (Optional) Throat lozenges or cough drops
Clothing: (Remember days in the 70's with possibly cool evenings) - White shirt, tie, and slacks or dress for church
- Girls may prefer to bring 1-2 additional skirts
- Light durable walking shoes (or sturdy tennis shoes)
- Work or hiking boots/shoes (tennis shoes are fine as work shoes, but expect them to get dirty)
- 10 pairs of socks
- Under clothing (10 day supply)
- 3 pair of casual comfortable pants and modest shorts (with the warmer temperatures, most prefer modest shorts, but bring at least 1 pair of pants)
- 2 pair of work pants that may get ruined
- 3 work shirts (one long-sleeve) that may get ruined
- 3 casual dress shirts
- Lightweight jacket or hoodie
- Modest swimming suit (one piece)
- Sleepwear
- Hat or bandana
- Flip-flops (waterproof to wear in the shower and on the beach)
Necessities: - Toiletries & personal hygiene items for the balance of the trip 9including makeup, hairbrush, shampoo, conditioner, soap, deodorant, toothbrush and toothpaste - an antiseptic cleanser can be a skin saver)
- Good work gloves, a must for each person!
- Small flashlight with new batteries
- Hammer
- Travel alarm (your watch can double if it has an alarm)
- Antibacterial wet wipes (80-100 wipes per person. Individual pouches are the most convenient. Put 5-10 in your backpack & the rest in your suitcase)
- Plastic bags: 1 or 2 large trash bags (to be used as a rain poncho), 1 or 2 kitchen size trash bags, assorted gal. and sandwich size sip lock bags. (These would be for dirty clothes, garbage, things that may leak, etc. Note: pack anything that may leak in one of these zip locks from the very beginning.
- Scriptures, pen/pencil
- Participant Handbook and pen for writing in your journal
- Camera charger or extra set of batteries (if you are worried about having enough memory, be sure to bring extra. There will likely be no opportunity to buy SD or memory cards)
- Happy attitude
Optional: - Pillowcase (and optional small camping"stuff pillow")
- Pocketknife with tweezers
- Cultural sharing items (i.e. small musical instrument that you can play, magic tricks, costume, etc.)
- Compact indoor games, projects or something for bus rides. (i.e. table games, cards or beads and yarn)
- Compact outdoor games (i.e. Frisbee, baseball, bubble & blower)
- We will be seeing a lot of kids who can always use donations like a box of colored pencils, rulers or even small toys or other similar gift ideas.
- A small bag of candies makes a fast friend with little ones. Don't bring chocolate: it melts. Please get permission before you hand out candy, although very popular, many programs resist distributing candy because of possible future dental issues and the lack of resources to handle them.
- Materials for FHE lesson or devotional (i.e. Quotes, Ensign, spiritual thought, etc.)
- Travel sewing kit ( i.e. needle and thread, safety pins)
- Permethrin spray (insect repellent for clothing)
- Any old clothing you may want to donate (if you still have room in your one bag)
Important Packing Hints:
1. Pack as lightly as possible. You will be responsible to handle your entire luggage during any transfers or excursions. Suitcases or duffle bags with wheels are helpful.
2. Don't bring large amounts of items in your personal medical pouch. You will only need a small supply of each item and if necessary more can be purchased in country, Remember liquids, aerosols, and gels of more than 3 oz. in your backpack/carry-on will not be allowed through security. Also all liquids, aerosols and gelsyou carry in your backpack must fit in one 1 qt. zip lock bag.
3. Make a copy of your passport picture page and put it in your suitcase (expedites replacement of a lost passport)
4. Suitcase/duffle bag dimensions are limited to a cumulative total of 62 inches (W+H+L)
5. When you check in your domestic flight, check your baggage all the way through to the first destination (Brazil) Be prepared to show them your international e-ticket. Be prepared to pay baggage fees for your domestic flight. All airlines are different and baggage fees are always changing. Contact your airline if you have any questions.
6. Please label your clothes, especially underwear and socks.
Do Not Bring:
- Expensive Jewelry or Watch
- Expensive Clothing
- Expensive Camera, Cell Phone or Ipod
Laundry: There will be at least one opportunity during the trip to have clothes washed. They will be washed by a local and returned to you clean. As a guideline you should bring $10 to pay for the laundry.
*Our in-country transportation is not always very roomy, so even though the airlines allow you to bring two suitcases, we ask you to only bring one unless you are contact to bring a second bag for an eagle project. If you are asked to bring an extra bag for an eagle project, please "repack" the contents with the participant doing the eagle project so that you won't have any problem at airport security.
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