Traveling abroad as a volunteer opens doors to new cultures, experiences, and adventures. Whether you’re a seasoned globetrotter or embarking on your first international journey, packing smartly is essential for a smooth and enjoyable trip. Here’s a comprehensive list of the top ten items you shouldn’t leave behind when traveling internationally. After my last trip to Ethiopia, I feel like these are the top 10 essentials not to skip on.

•1•

Valid Passport and Necessary Documents

First things first, ensure your passport is valid for at least six months beyond your return date.

Don’t forget to carry:

• visas (or money to purchase your visa on arrival)
• travel insurance
• any required medical records or prescriptions.

They have handy passport pockets on a lanyard. You can carry your important stuff all around your neck so you know exactly where it is and don’t have to fish through all your carry-on stuff in the middle of the chaotic experience of the airport. I went as far as to purchase a second lanyard that had a waterproof Air Canada phone bag attached to it and I never felt so organized, and definitely came home with a stronger neck lol.

•2•

Universal Power Adapter and Voltage Converter

Different countries have varying electrical outlets and voltages. A universal adapter and voltage converter are invaluable for keeping your devices charged without compatibility issues.  I also encountered many people with the new iPhone cords that couldn’t use a normal usb port, from the airport to the middle of northern Ethiopia, I was sharing this handy adapter. I got this one from Amazon and have found it useful even post trip at home as it has so many usb ports and even a handy new iPhone port too.

•3•

Travel Wallet or Pouch

Keep your essential documents, cash, cards, and travel tickets organized and secure in a dedicated travel wallet or pouch. RFID-blocking features offer added security against identity theft. On top of the two lanyard pouches I brought, I also purchased an Air Canada fanny pack from the travel section of Walmart. It fit under my shirt and allowed me to carry my passport on me and money at all times out of sight. At the airport you want convenience but, in the field you want it concealed and on your person. Another good thing to do is take photocopies of everything and put in your shoe under the insole. It might seem like overkill until you need them at the embassy to get a new passport and way home. I also switched from the iPhone lanyard holder to a sport fanny pack across my chest to hold just my phone and a couple small bills of money for easy access.

•4•

Appropriate Clothing for the Climate

Pack clothing suitable for the destination’s weather. Layering options work well for adapting to different temperatures. I made the mistake of not doing my research and not realizing it would be super hot in the day but get cold in Ethiopia in the evening. I had to wear all of my shirts in my suitcase the first night. In the future I would definitely bring a packable lightweight jacket. Don’t be like me and freeze!

Here is a photo of us the first night out for dinner, me and most of the team freezing in the dark waiting for our dinner. The restaurant offered us a table inside eventually after they saw us all shivering haha.

Some other items not to forget:

• 

  Personal Bug Jacket (Some nights they forgot to give us a bug net, and others got bit even with their bug nets on, this helped me sleep soundly knowing I had two layers of nets for bugs to have to penetrate!) Also I slept with my pants tucked into my socks overnight!

• Headlamp (when there is no light anywhere and you need to use your hands, you will really appreciate this)
• Ear plugs ( In Ethiopia from midnight until about 5am there are loud speakers all over the country from local churches that pray, which is extremely hard to sleep through. Plus trying to get shut eye on an airplane is hard with all the distractions. I definitely was so thankful I brought ear plugs! I decided to purchase Loop ear plugs because I didn’t want to completely not hear my surroundings, but it was an adequate noise reduction that allowed me to sleep peacefully every night.)
• Earbuds/Headphones (I really appreciated earbuds to listen to music on the airplane and on long drives around the country, also if you experience anxiety like I do, having these really helped at some challenging times to ground myself.)
• Sunglasses
• Hat

  

 

One really good piece of advice I have always followed is to bring half the amount of pants and shirts you were going to bring and bring twice as many undies and socks. Bring a little thing of camping clothing soap (if you go to a camping/outdoors store, they actually have an all in one shampoo, body soap, clothing soap and dish soap product in one container. I have sensitive skin and it didn’t irritate my skin at all and worked really well- but you should ALWAYS test it out BEFORE you travel with a new product) and wash your clothes at night in the sink and hang them to dry. This will allow you to bring a smaller set of luggage.

•5•

Prescription Medications and Basic First Aid Kit

My team started to call me the “General Store” because I brought EVERYTHING. Carry an adequate supply of any prescription medications, along with a small first aid kit containing basic supplies like:

• Bandages
• Antibiotic ointment
• Pain relievers (Tylenol, Ibuprofen, and muscle relaxers)
• Anti-diarrheal and anti-constipation medication
• Anti-nausea pills (My entire team and myself used my entire stash of gravol, this was a hot commodity)
• Melatonin (these were great for getting used to the time change on the way there and for loud nights)
• Multivitamins (when you end up eating differently it’s so important to keep something regular in your diet, this kept my energy levels good)
• Tweezers and nail care pack (available at the dollar store or Walmart)
• Super glue (this is good in a pinch if you need stitches and you are hours away from a hospital)
• Tensor bandage can also be used for many things
• Antibiotics (I went to my family doctor for this)
• Earache drops
• Tooth pain ointment
• Lidocaine cream
• *and make sure you get your vaccinations required for travelling!

Be sure to remember any prescription medications you bring are legal in the country you are visiting and clearly are labelled for you.

I tried to bring an unopened, travel size of all the items listed above. When it was hard to find a smaller size I tried to bring an alternative that was smaller or bring the box so I always had adequate proof of what it was. For instance I didn’t want to bring 60 tablets of gravol but I brought the blister packets and the box folded down with me.

•6•

Travel-Sized Toiletries and Personal Hygiene Items

When I travelled I had a scare at the airport because when you travel internationally your carry-on for liquids is a smaller bag than when you travel somewhere in North America. I got lucky and was able to give one of my teammates some of my stuff because all of theirs was in their checked in bag. So be sure to make sure you double check how much you can actually bring in your carry on or you might arrive with half of your toiletries.

• Toilet Paper
• Tissue Paper
• Travel Towel
• Shampoo+Conditioner
• Body Soap
• Laundry Soap
• Dish Soap (Depending on your accomodations)
• Nail Care + Tweezer pack
• Hair Brush
• Hair Style Products (try and keep it simple)
• ToothBrush and Toothpaste
• Dental Floss (might come in handy for more than your teeth)
• Sunscreen
• Bug Spray
• Chapstick (with SPF)
• Sleeping eye mask! Whether you’re on the plane or trying to sleep on a long car ride during the day – an eye mask was very well used on my trip!

A very often overlooked item is toilet paper and tissue paper. We visited some areas where they didn’t have any paper products whatsoever so it was really good we brought some. I had a funny experience at one of the hotels, I only had about half a roll upon arrival and so the next morning I asked for another roll of toilet paper, the staff were very hesitant and I thought maybe I was saying it wrong – but my translator let me know they didn’t want to give me more lol so he even offered they take his toilet paper out of his room and give it to me – lol – Here is the photo of the toilet paper I got to take back to my room lol

•7•

Portable Power Bank and Charging Cables

Keep your devices charged on the go with a reliable power bank. Don’t forget charging cables for your phone, camera, and other gadgets. This was a seriously helpful thing for our entire team. When it would rain the power would go out and many of us had to continuously use our phones and cameras for documentation of the trip and communication. Many times we were sharing the power bank. I really loved the one I brought, it was a little heavier than the average one but it was by Energizer and could charge my iPhone fully 10 times before needing to be charged itself. I was able to keep everything I brought with me from earphones to watches to phones fully charged the whole time.

•8•

Travel Journal and Pen

I ended up actually using my phone as a journal which was very convenient and easily copy and pastable when I returned for blogging. BUT, I did have many encounters when I wanted to share my contact information with a person and they didn’t have a phone, so my journal and pen still came in handy.

Another good idea when journalling on paper or phone is to put the date and what number day it is for chronologically remembering everything at a later date – because as much as you think you will remember it all when you get home – you will not. Even by the end of the day you will find it hard to recount every detail.

I journalled throughout the day and not just at night when we returned. I was able to recount more meaningful stories this way of the people I met and found this extremely useful when talking to donors and other interested people.

Like this photo below, I had journalled after hearing this man’s story that he had not eaten for three days and came that day starving and praying for a meal. Bob Black, our executive director, was very happy to be able to serve him a nice warm meal. The villagers in the room thanked us profusely for helping them, they were all in the same situation as this man and that is why they were there.

•9•

Personal Security Items

Secure your luggage, hostel lockers, or hotel rooms with sturdy travel locks. Look for TSA-approved locks for hassle-free security checks. If you forget your locks, you can always tie a towel around your luggage to make it very obvious if someone had been tampering with your luggage while you are gone. It wont stop them from stealing it but it will discourage snoopers.

Bringing 1-2 door stoppers is helpful, you can wedge them in your door at night while you are sleeping.

Carabiners! These are overlooked all the time, but I was able to attach many additional items to my bag for easy access throughout my trip and also doubled as a deterrent on my backpack by clasping all the zippers together so I would feel if anyone was trying to pickpocket me.

One additional thing I brought with me which was also an extra protection against hyenas was a personal alarm device that I purchased for $10 at Walmart. When you pull the pin the alarm sounds and can be heard up to 2 km away. People and hyenas don’t like that.

•10•

Reusable Water Bottle, Snacks and a Pillow

I chose a reusable water bottle that was very inexpensive and if I eventually wanted to toss it at the end of my trip I could. It could hold 1.5L, had a sport top lid and a handle. I was able to tie a string around it and carabiner it to my backpack. This bottle cost me literally $2 at Walmart. I had to travel to my destination with it empty to get through airport security, but after that I was so thankful to have water with me at all times.

For my snacks I planned thoughtful snacks to supplement my irregular diet during my adventure. I brought 4 different kinds of Fibre One  snacks and Cliff Bars. Although the food was incredible, there were some days my stomach didn’t agree with me and these were the best option to get me through the day.

Lastly, a travel pillow! I brought a blow up one that I was able to easily stash in my side pocket of my backpack and even used it one day at one of the places we were staying. If you’re on a very long flight, or in country driving, this pillow could make you very happy.

Thank you for coming along on this journey! I hope these insights and personal experiences serve as a helpful guide for your next adventure abroad. Packing for international travel can be an exciting yet challenging task. As I learned from my recent trip to Ethiopia, each item on this list played a pivotal role in ensuring a comfortable and enriching experience.

Remember, while these ten items are essential, your packing list might evolve based on your destination and travel style. Preparation is key, and often, the most memorable adventures arise from the unplanned moments.

Embrace the opportunity to immerse yourself in new cultures, connect with diverse communities, and cherish every unique experience. Packing smartly allows you to focus more on making memories and less on worrying about forgotten essentials.

So, as you plan your next international escapade, pack light, pack smart, and pack for unforgettable experiences. Safe travels and may your adventures be as enriching as you imagine!

Thank you for reading along, and I wish you amazing journeys ahead!

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