People heading for the Peace Corps in the Pacific occasionally email me looking for
tips on what to pack, so I figured instead of rewriting it all the time I'd put it into
a webpage. A lot of this stuff is probably useful for any tropical climate, and Peace
Corps offers a lot of 'em. I'll try to update this if I think of anything else.
So, here goes...
Ziploc bags and tupperware of every size and shape. The ziplocs and
tupperware keep your stuff dry and mold-free, and are easy to pack (you
can just pack clothes inside the tupperware). One of our trainers gave us
the great advice of taking half of the underwear we brought with us and
putting it in a ziploc to be opened after our first year, since everything
else would be falling apart and it would be like having all new stuff!
This is especially good for anything with elastic in it - swimsuits, socks
(only necessary if you go running), bras, boxers, etc., because elastic just dies
in humid weather.
Speaking of swimsuits, take two; you'll wear them all
the time and they'll fall apart.
A mask and snorkel - I'd never gone snorkeling before and I'm not a great
swimmer but I loved being able to sit underwater and watch the fish.
A warm sweatshirt and a pair of long pants. Believe it or not, it can actually
get chilly at night during the "winter", especially in a mountainous area and after
you've adjusted to all the heat and humidity.
Tevas or similar sandals are a must. Reef shoes are also nice for going to the
beach or snorkeling.
Quick-dry polyester shorts (I had cheap ones from Kmart) are good to have,
especially for women; they can make your swimsuit more modest.
If you like to cook or like spicy food, take spices
(sealed in ziplocs); they're hard to find and island cuisine tends to be
bland, though the fruit is terrific.
A few bottles of sunblock - Bullfrog brand is favored by surfers and PCVs
because it's absolutely waterproof.
Cheap paperback novels (head for the used bookstore) to
share with your fellow PCVs, who will immediately love you for providing
new reading material. You can also mail some of these to yourself right
before you leave for an infusion of new books a few months after you
arrive.
A few decks of cards.
I took some food with me, stuff like
trail mix and granola bars, and I was happy to have it hidden away in my
bag during training when I got hungry late at night and didn't want to get
up and bother my family.
Women: take a full supply of your preferred tampons or pads.
This may sound weird, but go to the duty-free
shop during your stopover in Hawaii or NZ and get a bottle of your
favorite alcoholic beverage; the stuff you get in-country will probably be
expensive and not very good.
If you have any extra money before
you go, you can certainly leave some of it in savings for when you get
back, but if you take a few travelers checks (do not convert them to local
money until you're ready to use it! the exchange rate is volatile!) you'll
have extra cash for when you go to New Zealand or Australia, which you
should definitely do.
