Each mission trip you go on will be different and unique. I will share with you my planning tips for a successful mission trip regardless of where you go.
Planning tips for a successful mission trip
- Request prayer from friends and family about your impending trip
- Attend an orientation day where you get to meet the other team members and find out more details about the mission trip
- Take contact number and names of those in the team
- Create a group – WhatsApp, Facebook – where each member can keep in contact
- Check that you have the necessary vaccinations for the country you will be visiting. Some countries will not allow you entry if you don’t have a yellow fever certificate.
- Ensure you have a current passport which is valid for the length of your stay. It is also a good idea to
take a photocopy of your passport – the page with your details – and keep it separately from your main passport. You can also take a photo of this page. If you were unfortunate to lose your passport, you have copies which may be acceptable in getting you back home.
- Check to see if you require a visa – I needed a visa when I visited India. You can check this online at the embassy for the country you wish to travel to
- Purchase any travel insurance
- Find out about the culture and appropriate dress codes. Some cultures take offence to seeing women wearing strapless dresses, short skirts etc.
- Bring a small first aid kit that contains plasters, a small bottle of TCP, paracetamol tablets.
- Pack a mosquito net and mosquito repellent
- Bring your favourite book to read during the free time
- Bring a journal to make notes. I now look back at my notes from my first mission trip and compare them with my most recent trips and see how each mission trip is different but unique.
- Make sure you have enough batteries and that you have packed your phone/camera chargers. Batteries can be quite expensive abroad.
- Give your friends and family the contact details of where you will be staying and how to contact you in an emergency