Packing for two years can be an incredibly stressful and overwhelming process. Despite making a concerted effort to pack light, I am certain I will be pushing the weight limit and have far more clothes and items than truly needed. That being said, here it is: All the items I’m currently planning on fitting into two rolling duffel bags. Only time will tell what will actually be useful and whether I’ll be able to carry my bags myself.
I have decided to update this now that I am about 8 months into service. Honestly, the best advice is to not take packing lists too seriously. Every country is different and even every site is different. I can only say what’s been useful and not useful for me in the Ashanti region of Ghana. However, one piece of advice I read before I came that I wish I had followed is bring clothes you are already comfortable wearing. I love jeans and still wear them here despite the heat. I do not like long skirts, and actually just dropped the ones I brought off at the free box in our sub-office because I haven’t worn them once. Bring the clothes you like to wear because you are still the same person when you move abroad)
Luggage:
- Rolling duffels
- Day pack (It has been helpful, but I actually wish I had brought my full size Osprey because I could have used it for week long trips and trainings)
- Cross body (I ended up ordering a Kavu sling bag after I arrived and it has worked out so much better)
- Reusable bags (These are cheap and easy to get here)
Clothes: (Really you don’t need to bring that many clothes. I brought way too much. Clothes are cheap to buy and nice to make, so bring the basics and leave everything else at home)
- Sport bras/ t-shirt bras/ underwear
- Elephant pants/linen pants
- One pair of Jeans
- Long dresses and skirts (The dresses have been nice, but definitely didn’t need the skirts)
- Tshirts, tank tops, nice tops
- Athletic shorts/ yoga pants
- Sweatshirt (It does get cold sometimes, and by cold I mean I’ve adapted so much that 70s makes me chilly, definitely bring something warmer to wear)
- Socks
- Sunglasses
- Rain jacket
- Hat
- One-piece bathing suit (Could have gotten away with a more conservative two piece)
Shoes:
- Tennis shoes
- Ballet flats
- Olu kai sandals (Sadly these could not keep up, go with the Tevas or Chacos)
- Toms/Sanuks
- Shower flip flops
Electronics: Something that I didn’t think of, but had my parents send later was a projector. I was able to find a pretty affordable one on Amazon, and now I plan to use it for presentations and host movie nights in my community.
- Kindle charger and kindle
- External hard drive (Mine broke, so I definitely recommend investing in a really durable one)
- Wireless Speakers
- USB flashdrives
- Flashlight
- Headlamp
- Headphones
- DSLR and charger
- Computer and charger
- Calculator (Really don’t know why this is on here)
- External battery pack (Invest money here and get one that does multiple charges, its been a lifesaver)
- Ethernet adapter (Haven’t needed to use this at all)
- Power adapter
- USB cables
- Surge protector
Kitchen/Cooking: I would say most of the cooking supplies are easy to find, but it was nice to have them right when I got to site.
- Reusable water bottle
- Coffee mug
- Travel mug
- Tea strainer
- Flexible cutting board
- Cooking knife and utensils
- Non-stick pan
- Tupperware
- Vegetable peeler
- Measuring cups and spoons
- Ziplock bags
- Tea
- Snacks
- Spices (Stock up! I should have brought way more, especially the ones you can’t get everywhere like my favorite from Trader Joe’s)
Toiletries:
- Toiletry bag
- Diva cup
- Tampons and pads (Bring all the tampons you need. They only have pads)
- Travel mirror
- Nail clippers and tweezers
- Shampoo and conditioner bars (Really glad I brought the bars since it saved a ton of space, but also this is easy to find)
- Body lotion
- Comb
- Head bands and hair ties
- Bar soap
- Makeup and makeup remover
- Chapstick
- Hair product
- Face Wash
- Face Moisturizer with sunscreen
- Sunscreen (Provided in the PC Med Kit)
- Razors
- Toothpaste, toothbrush, and floss (Also really easy to find)
- Deoderant
- Wet wipes and sanitizer
Medicine:
- Ibuprofen (Provided in the PC Med Kit)
- Dramamine
- Vapor Rub
- Cough Drops (Provided in the PC Med Kit)
- Midol
- Anti-itch cream (Provided in the PC Med Kit)
- Three months of prescriptions
Miscellaneous: (I definitely should have brought seeds. I seriously regretted it as soon as I got here, and have since had them mailed to me. I also had someone send me colorful maps of the US and world to use to teach geography.)
- Swiss army knife/ multitool
- Duct tape (Should have brought more)
- Blanket (Most people took the one from the plane, smart move)
- Lightweight absorbent towel
- Combination lock
- Umbrella
- Extra wallet
- Double bed sheets and pillowcases (This is essential)
- Pillow (So glad I have this)
- Cards and games (I highly recommend Uno and Bananagrams)
- Calendar
- Twi-english dictionary (I ended up learning Twi, so I’d say this was pretty helpful)
- Heavy-duty Scissors
- Super glue
- Sharpees
- Journal
- Pens
- Pencil pouch
- Notebook
- Post-its
- Batteries
- Yellow card and extra passport photos
- Bike helmet
- Home stay gift: Photo book about Virginia, Virginia peanuts, and treats for kids (So I ate the peanuts lol, and still have the Virginia book. I ended up giving my home stay family fabric, which they seemed to love. The kids stuff has been really great though. Bring coloring books, crayons, stickers, games, etc. You can’t have too much!)
the wanderlist diary 