La Vida Idealist

Me wearing my headlamp

During our time in rural Peru, my girlfriend and I have slowly come to appreciate the little things that come in handy. Our situation has been aided by the fact that our local health post also has solar electricity. This allows us to use things which require battery charging – clearly not a luxury everyone can expect. Obviously, only a small portion of international volunteers end up in rural areas. Nonetheless, the following list should provide some insight into what to pack for your trip, or better yet, help you get an early start on some holiday shopping:

1. SteriPen - The size of an electric razor, this battery powered device puts out a UV light pulse which zaps all harmful microbes and bacteria in your water. We purchased the Classic model, which in truth was the most expensive item we bought for our trip. Though we boil the majority of our water, this helpful tool is a quick solution in either rural or urban settings. We use it often when we go into the city to sterilize tap water and cut down on our plastic bottle waste.
2. Mosquito Net - Though we don’t actually have that many mosquitoes this time of the year, this lightweight net allows us a necessary wall of protection from all the cockroaches, rats, bats and scorpions.
3. Battery Recharger – Make sure you buy one that uses the same voltage as the country you’ll be in, as I quickly learned by frying the original we brought with us. Buy enough rechargeable batteries to cover all your electronics. No matter where you are you should get one of these to cut back on your battery waste.
4. Head Lamp – Hands down the most helpful thing we have with us. The family we live with loves these things so much that we’ve actually given several away as gifts.
5. Leatherman – I’m certainly no handyman, but if you’re living someplace where you need to fend for yourself, having the right tool is always helpful.
6. Electronic Spanish Dictionary – It’s almost silly to say, but if you don’t speak the language where you are going, it’s 100% certain that you will need a dictionary. We look up words so often that having an electronic dictionary has been a life saver.
7. Nalgene Bottle – I know, I know. Sigg’s are so much cooler, but whatever your choice,  having a water bottle around will cause you to drink more water. And water is good for you.
8. Speakers- My iPod and I are inseparable. We bought some cheap $15 battery powered speakers, which are just loud enough to give the locals a taste of the raw talent that was the Notorious B.I.G.

Latest posts by curtisfox

• Sometimes You Can't Even Give It Away - July 13th, 2011
• Hunting for Jobs in Buenos Aires - March 15th, 2010
• Making It Happen For Yourself - February 5th, 2010
• Left My Heart in San Francisco - January 29th, 2010
• Peru: Most Romantic Place on Earth? - December 28th, 2009
• Could You Pick Up Some Milk and a Second Language While You're Out? - December 7th, 2009
• What Your Language Teacher Doesn't Want You to Know - December 3rd, 2009
• Thinking as a Nation - October 26th, 2009
• Your Friend, the Poncho Guy - October 19th, 2009
• Direct TV to Your Adobe - October 13th, 2009