You will bring one carry-on suitcase for your own things and one large suitcase for donations and camp supplies
Suggested daily wear: tank tops or t-shirts, shorts, khakis and shorts, sport shorts… think casual and breathable clothes, it’s hot there! Dry-fit/fast drying sports clothes are ideal.
Casual sun dresses or skirt and nice top, skirt/dress below the knee and shoulder covered so you are appropriate for Mass. They dress more conservatively for going to church. Plus, we are conspicuous visitors. Do be neat, conservative.
Swim suit and cover up – two piece OK
Sandals, flip flops, or tennis shoes. (Note: flip flops cause trouble. Be sure to use them only when appropriate, within the hogar compound, and to the beach, no long walks or running! Consider Keens or any toe-covering sandals that can be used for the whole trip. LL Bean and Land’s End have versions of them, too.
A hat to keep the sun off
Light weight PJ’s
Wristwatch and/or travel alarm clock
$200 (approx) $10 to enter the country, $40 or more to Sisters for food, driver, and expenses. For souvenirs and restaurants, have $1’s ready.
Exchange rates – you don’t usually get this good a rate at the store. You can calculate the value in USD then make an offer.
One US dollar to Dominican peso
One Dominican peso to US dollars
You can also use credit cards at some restaurants, grocery stores, and shops.
Water Bottle – something sturdy. The best are the metal kinds. They provide plenty of clean, filtered water.
PERSONAL TOILETRIES AND DRUGS
Bar of soap, consider presoaped, disposable face cloths for these trips, two per day.
Box/Small packets of Kleenex
Shampoo (put in a small plastic bottle if you can)
Toothpaste/ toothbrush (some bring more than one tooth brush)
Razor
Contact solution
Travel pack of baby fresh wipes
Deodorant
Sanitary protection
Non prescription pain reliever
Ear plugs/eye mask
Imodium AD
Pepto
Benefiber (or no-water-required fiber pill)
Insect repellent 25% – 35% DEET not 100%
Premethrin Not to pack, but to spray on your cloths a day or two before packing so it’ll dry on your clothes.
Steroid cream for insect bites
Sunscreen!!!!! (I use a physical block – Vanicream. I am fair skinned and burn easily. The sun is strong there.)
Sunburn lotion
Band-Aids and antiseptic salve (small first aid kit if you can)
Some also bring allergy medicine like Claritin or Zyrtec because some tend to get cold-like symptoms towards the end of the trip, maybe because of the pollen, dust, and wind.
Stomach – ffiber/something for constipation, something for diarrhea. Pepto pills are easy to pack.
If you tend to wilt easily in the heat, bring single-serving hydration powder packets, such as Powerade, to ward off dehydration. If you can find them with sugar, that’s the best. Some also like Emergen-C packets to get an immune system boost to adjust to the new environment.
Notebook for personal reflections
Camera/phone/charger (their outlets are the same as ours)
A picture of your passport on your phone (or a color copy)
Small photo album of your interests and family. The girls are always interested about our lives and so several travelers thought it was fun to show pictures of their families, friends, homes, and MN winter to the girls. A picture is worth a thousand words, especially if you don’t know much Spanish.
Flashlight with extra batteries, I like a headlamp
Target/plastic grocery bags (bring at least 5)
Fingernail clippers/emory board
Probiotic – optional, some swear by it. I’ve never tried it.
Souvenir note: if you want coffee, a local roaster is friends with the Sisters. This will be your cheapest, freshest option. In the grocery store, local coffee was about $4/lb. The other popular souvenir is larimar jewelry. The prices are lower than on this site – although their silver might be higher quality.
OPTIONAL USEFUL ITEMS
Fanny pack or backpack for outings
Spanish speaking aids (Spanish/ English dictionary)
Reading/listening material
Small battery powered fan, typically used for camping.
Peanut Butter and/or Nutella- a big jar to share with the girls
Your own snacks to discretely eat in your room without the kids knowing. These should be tightly sealed in ziplocks so bugs cannot crawl in and freak you out.
They will supply
Hand soap
Sheets and a pillow
Towels
Mosquito netting the beds
Leave at Home
Hair dryers, irons, and fancy/expensive jewelry
Airplane items
My “1st class” bag: Paying for coach, but want that 1st class experience? Get both by packing a small bag of upgrades:
Hand sanitizer, chapstick, small facial moisturizer (I save any samples for this), hand lotion, ear plugs, eye mask, instant spot remover, gum, small toothpaste and toothbrush, ear buds, and a pen (to fill out customs forms). Optional mask.
Plus a bottle of water and a snack.
Campamento 2023 