This post is going to be a little different from what I normally do, but hopefully you all get something out of it!
Recently I traveled to Ghana to help in a medical mission for two weeks. We traveld with a team of doctors and volunteers. It was an incredible experience for me and I feel very lucky to have gone! I’m from Utah and haven’t done much traveling outside of the United States, so to say it was a “culture shock” is an understatement.
Here are some pictures I took while there:
I got to meet some incredible people that taught me so much! Now on to the tips. These tips will be for someone that isn’t used to humidity, hot temperatures, traveling in November, or relying on bottled water.
Bring workout clothes, or any type of clothes that are good for sweating (cause trust me you’ll get VERY sweaty in the humidity and heat). I bought all of my clothes from the DI because you’ll want things you’re not concerned about getting dirty. Also bring enough clothes to change into every day, unless you have somewhere to wash them. You’ll want to change out of them every day because of how drenched you’ll get! At the end of the trip I donated alsmot all of my clothes, which was PERFECT because it left tons of room to bring back gifts and things I bought! Keep in mind while packing your clothes that Ghana is a very traditional place, and I wouldn’t recommend bringing anything that is too revealing. This can be hard because of the extreme heat and humidity, but be respectful of the cutlure.
Bring at least two larger water bottles. I would highly recommend one of them being a Hydro Flask, and here’s why; One time I went to Mexico and I left my Hydro Flask in a mini van in 110 degrees of heat.... all day. I came back at night and it still had Ice in it! Crazy stuff.... are you convinced yet? Well you should be, because it was perfect in Ghana.
This is the size I brought (21oz), but I wish I had brought a bigger one. You’ll have to rely on bottled water while there because most of the water isn’t clean for drinking.More is MORE when it comes to packing for Ghana. I so badly wish that I brought more mosquito sprey with me. I had to use it sparingly because I only brought 2 bottles. I would recommend bringing at least 4 bottles, a bug repellent cocoon to sleep in every night, and a misquoto net. The cocoon saved me from bugs, and definitely misquotes! I also brought one small bottle of 100% deet sprey with me that I used every night before bed (I would recommend bringing a larger bottle, or at least two small ones).
Bring sleeping pills that you know work! I don’t think I slept at all.... I had brought some cheap sleeping pills that I hadn’t really tested out beforehand, and they definitely didn’t work. I also sleep with about 5 heavy blankets on my bed (this helps with my anxiety), but that wasn’t really an option in Ghana, so good sleeping pills were something I really wish I had.
Bring a light camping towel. The towel I brought worked great because it was small, lightweight, and surprisingly dried out in the humidity. You’ll want to avoid brining your typical bath towel because they’re too heavy and won’t dry (if you plan on air drying them).
Be respectful when taking photos. Don’t just assume it’s alright to snap the shot, most the time I would ask before taking a picture of someone. Everyone there is very friendly and alsmot always said yes!
Go with the flow and be prepared for plans to change. Our plans got tossed around the entire trip! Thats what happens when you travel to a foreign country, so just be prepared for that.
Don’t hold back when packing snacks. You’re going to miss the food you normally eat, so bring as many snacks that will fit in your bag! Jerky, fruit snacks, chips, tootsie rolls, etc. Avoid bringing anything that will mealt.
If you want a toilet be prepared to travel far to find one. We mostly went to the bathroom outside because public restrooms are hard to come by. Bring around 10 packets of Kleenex wipes to use for this, because you don’t want to resort to using plants to wipe lol.
Bring around 10 small bottles of hand sanitizer , or 3 large ones. I brought one that clipped to my pants and just refilled it when it was empty. You’re body won’t be used to the type of germs and desiese, so you’ll use your sanitizer frequently. Avoid hand to mouth at all costs until your hands are thoroughly clean!
Bring two garbage bags to put dirty clothes in. This was nice to have when separating what I had worn, and what was still clean.
Keep passport, money, phone, and ID on you at all times. I used a suuuuper “fashionable” fanny pack, and honestly it was perfect. I had all my belongings right in front of me that I could easily keep an eye on. It’s so important to keep track of your belongings while there! One of the girls on the trip had her phone stollen right out of her pocket.
WELL I hope you guys found this post useful! All in all Ghana was an amazing experience and I would love to go back someday.
Thanks for reading,
Xoxo Addie