***Unless your Location specific page states otherwise, you will be required to pack in a carryon bag plus the one additional personal item generally allowed by airlines. Things you take to your Racer must fit into this requirement. This limit is in place since we are not always able to retrieve delayed luggage, and because of limited space in the vehicles we use to transport you to the lodging sites.
***These are suggestions for a general packing list and NOT specific to any particular country. For country-specific clothing guidelines, which may include things such as the need for skirts instead of pants, etc., please find your country on the Locations tab above. Please check weather on a site such as weather.com to pack appropriately for temperature and rain predictions.
Clothes
5-7 changes of clothes (ministry, travel, & free day clothes), underwear, socks, pajamas, 2-3 pairs of shoes (closed toe shoes provide the most protection in areas where the ground may have broken glass, rusty nails, etc.), modest bathing suit (for some locations), shower shoes, hat. Please make sure that clothing meets World Race dress code guidelines:
MEN:
Keep chest covered (no large armholes or tanks cut very low.)
Shorts must end no more than 5" above the top of your kneecap (about a palm's width.)
WOMEN:
Skirts and dresses must be at least knee-length (leggings may not be worn under shorter dresses for added length. Dresses should still come to the knee even with leggings on)
Shorts must end no more than 5" above the top of your kneecap (about a palm's width.) Shorts that hit the 5” mark should be loose-fitting, as most cultures do not wear tight-fitting clothing. Nike Running shorts are not appropriate to wear.
No leggings or yoga pants.
No sheer or see-through clothing
Be cautious of loose, flowy clothing that hangs off shoulders, shows bra straps or falls down when you bend over. Tops can be loose but should not show your bra, including sports bras. Undergarments should never be visible.
No spaghetti strap tanks, strapless tops or sleeveless tops. Tops should have at least a cap sleeve and short sleeve is more appropriate.
Bedding
Travel pillow, bedding, towels, washcloth (information will be provided on location specific page if these are needed)
Toiletries
Soap, shampoo, razor, shaving cream, deodorant, toothbrush, toothpaste, brush, extra glasses, extra contact lenses, cleaning solution, sunglasses, sunscreen, moisturizer, Q tips, bandages, kleenex, insect repellent, medication in original containers (since you will be limited to a carryon bag, remember that there is a limit to how many liquids/lotions you can take; sunscreen and insect repellant can be found in towelette form to avoid this restriction)
Other important items
Ear plugs/ Earphones - some lodging locations are in noisy areas (traffic, barking dogs, roosters, etc.) and in some locations you will be housed in dorm style rooms. (and snoring can be a problem) Ear plugs or earphones plugged into a phone with background noise can help you get the sleep you need.
Compression socks - especially for the long plane trips; they can help reduce swelling in legs and ankles and may help prevent blood clots; these are available at places like CVS or Walgreens or from Amazon.
Miscellaneous
Light rain jacket, sweatshirt for cold nights, Bible, journal, pens, eye-mask for sleeping, small backpack to carry to ministry, reusable bottle (for drinking water), camera, extra batteries, passport, photo identification, and copies of these items kept in a separate place in each piece of luggage (take pics on your phone as well), granola bars, small snacks, instant coffee packets, drink mixes, etc.
Things to consider NOT packing
Hair dryers, curling irons, straighteners, expensive items like jewelry, electronic devices.
The reason we ask that parents consider not bringing hair dyers, curling irons, etc. is a power issue. It takes a lot less in foreign countries to overload a circuit or throw a breaker. This is why we ask parents not to bring these things. Most of the time when these appliances are brought, there are more than one plugged in at a time, which makes it that much more likely to have electrical issues.
We highly recommend bringing no additional electronic devices besides a cell phone & camera. Having multiple devices can make one a target for theft, plus there are often limited places to charge these devices.
Cell Phone Overseas: Make sure you know how your cell phone will work overseas. Forgetting to turn off your data on your cell phone or receiving incoming calls can incur huge charges. Contact your cell carrier before you leave home.
Notify Your Bank/Credit Card Companies: Notify your bank and credit card companies of your travels to avoid triggering a fraud alert and having your card ‘frozen’. Make sure you understand their fees for overseas use or withdrawals. See the Personal Money section below for more info on what we recommend about cash.
Rental Cars: Parents may not have a rental car on site during PVT.
Passports: If you do not currently have a passport you can find information on how to expedite the process here. Many countries require your passport to be valid for 6 months past the date of your trip, and some may require you to have a certain number of blank pages left in your passport.
Your location page on this portal will have State Department info about entry requirements.
Arrival & Departure Times: Parents are responsible for travel to and from the meeting point they will receive for the trip. Once the PVT is green lighted, the Admissions Advisor will provide parents with the arrival and departure times they must use in order to purchase their airline tickets as well as the specific airport that they will need to fly into. Day 1 of the PVT is arrival day and there is often an orientation meeting after the scheduled arrival time. Keep in mind that for many locations, it can take 1 to 2 days to travel to the destination.
Many times when booking round trip flights, it can be hard to find inexpensive tickets that coincide with both the arrival and departure times provided. However, in order to arrange transportation, and to respect the other members of the trip, the trip facilitators, and the ministry contacts, parents and Racers are required to use the arrival and departure times given. If there is any reason that you are unable to do so, you must get approval from the PVT Coordinator BEFORE booking the tickets.
Parents are welcome to use our travel agent if they need help booking tickets, Chris Basden, Chris@tangerinetravel.com, (425) 354-6914. Please provide this information: name as it appears on passport, date of birth, city you will be departing from and returning to, departure date and return date, and the number of passengers.
Travel Emergency Number. If you book through Tangerine Travel, there will be a 24/7 emergency number on your itinerary that you can use if you run into flight issues. Please make sure you know what that number is before you need it.
Download the airline apps for your travel plans. This will increase the chances that you get timely notifications of flight changes.
Personal Vacation Time (applies to parents, not Racers): Parents are always welcome to book additional days around the trip for personal vacation time; however, there are several things you should be aware of when planning this. Parents will be responsible for booking and paying for extra lodging, transportation, food, etc. You cannot fundraise through Adventures in Missions for this. Parents will not be allowed to arrive early or stay later at the ministry location or trip lodging site. Parents and Racers will not be allowed to spend time together outside of the PVT window, regardless of whether their team is in the location where parents extend their trip. These rules are made for a reason and we ask you to respect them.
We require every participant that travels internationally with us to have travel health insurance through MissionSafe. It is your responsibility to purchase this particular policy. While you are only required to have coverage for the actual PVT dates, we strongly recommend covering all of the days you are traveling. Instructions will be under the Task tab of your trip dashboard
We recommend you check the CDC website for any required or recommended vaccinations/medications for your PVT location. www.cdc.gov/travel
For medications you carry with you, we recommend they be in the their prescription bottles.
The amount of spending money you bring is up to you. It is always good to have some USD for emergencies, to exchange upon arrival if for some reason the ATM is not working, and to use on your return. Upon arrival, you should be able to find an ATM at the airport. Dependng on your PVT location, ATMs may also be easily available during your time on PVT. We recommend using a debit card and withdrawing from an ATM in local currency rather than bringing cash to exchange. ATMs tend to be more readily available and provide a better exchange rate - and are also a bit safer as well. Do not bring travelers' checks, as they must be cashed at a bank, and we cannot guarantee that will be possible. Make sure your debit card is one that you can use overseas and that you understand any fees associated with that. Many banks/credit cards provide no-fee overseas withdrawals but it is important to check.
In many locations you will also be able to use credit or debit cards for many purchases.
P V T E M E R G E N C Y N U M B E R : 877.356.9266
A D M I S S I O N S A D V I S O R : 770.744.4542