In this post, I told you a little about how our humanitarian trip to Africa came to be and in this post I told you about what we did on our trip. Since we didn't find out for sure that the Family Humanitarian expedition to Uganda was going to happen at Christmastime until mid-October, it was quite an adventure trying to get the 8 of us living in 3 different states prepared for it in such a short amount of time! Thankfully, we had decided early on that if the trip came together that it would be in lieu of any Christmas presents, so at least we weren't Christmas shopping on top of all that too! 😏
So, here's a little glimpse of the tasks that we needed to accomplish, along with our packing list and some tips in case anyone out there is planning a similar trip!
Plane tickets--This was, by far, one of things I was most stressed out about. We are normally super budget travelers, only going places when plane tickets are rock bottom cheap. (Click on this link to see where we find our deals) We pack light, eat cheap, and stay in cheap places. With this trip, though, I knew that I was going to have to set aside those cheap tendencies and embrace the cost as part of the experience. Because of the kids' school and Glen's work schedules and the expedition requirements, our dates were totally inflexible, which meant that there was only so much deal finding to be had anyway. Combine that with the fact that this required buying tickets for an overseas route at arguably the most expensive time of year to travel and there wasn't much to do. I did incessantly check Google Flights, Skyscanner, and Expedia for a week or two, watching the prices and routes, but ultimately we just bit the bullet and bought the cheapest tickets we could with the fewest amount of stopovers. We flew on Kenya Air and had a very positive experience.
Visas--Because we were visiting both Uganda and Kenya, it was more economical to get the East African Tourist Visa, than to get separate visas for both. You can apply for the East African Visa or just the Ugandan Visa here. The website is a little glitchy and it does take some time for everything to be approved, so I recommend applying for these about 3-4 weeks before your trip.
Vaccinations--The yellow fever vaccination is required to enter Uganda and Kenya, so that was something I needed to make sure everyone got. At the time we were getting our vaccines, there was a shortage of it available in the US, so it was only offered at certain clinics. If that is the case when you're looking too, I recommend checking the CDC website for a list of places in your area that offer it. Be forewarned, that the vaccine is not cheap ($100+ ). Hopefully when the manufacturing issue that is causing the shortage is taken care of, the price will drop. Luckily the yellow fever vaccine offers life-time immunity, so at least it's a one-time thing. Don't forget to bring your yellow fever certificate with you on your trip--they absolutely do check at the borders--for both Uganda and Kenya. We tucked them right into our individual passports.
Check the CDC website for other vaccines that may be recommended for your trip too. For us, it was also recommended that we get the typhoid vaccine and get everyone up-to-date on their routine vaccines. For me that meant also getting the flu shot, hepatitis A & B, meningitis, and tdap. I felt like a pincushion by the time I got them all!
Anti-Malarials and other just-in-case medications--Malaria is still rampant in sub-Saharan Africa, so you'll definitely want to be taking an anti-malarial. We were mostly prescribed Malarone (Atovaquone/Proguanil), because side effects are minimal and it only needs to be taken for 7 days additional days after the trip is over. I did get a slight headache with it, but otherwise we didn't have any issues or side effects. The hardest part was remembering to take the pills once the trip was over. Doxycycline was prescribed to one of my kids (I guess that's what happens when everyone ends up going to different doctors all over the country). Doxycycline is also considered highly effective with minimal side effects, however it needs to be taken for an additional 4 weeks past the end of the trip, so it's less appealing for that reason. She's done fine with it and has had zero issues.
Because traveler's diarrhea is so common in Africa, we were also prescribed Azithromycin to take just in case it was needed. About half of us ended up needing to take ours, the other half ended up fine without it. Because we had the Azithromycin and Imodium (see below), nobody got sick to the point where they couldn't participate with the activities of the day.
We also packed prebiotics
, probiotics (to help our gut stay as preemptively healthy as possible), Travelan 
(a natural dietary supplement used to help prevent diarrhea), Imodium 
(otc antidiarrheal), Zofran (an anti-nausea pill prescribed by the doctor), Benadryl 
, Electrolyte powder packets
, and standard painkillers (Aleve, aspirin, etc). We put all of them to use on the trip except the Zofran. We also brought antibiotic ointment 
, hydrocortisone cream
, assorted bandages
, and lots of wipes. All of this was used liberally too. See below for more of what we packed.
Packing--We normally pack very light (these are the awesome backpacks we usually pack in
).
It's part of traveling cheap and it doesn't even phase us anymore. This trip was different in that we had two free check-ins per person, we were bringing lots of books to donate to the school, and had more incidentals (like medicines, snacks, etc) to pack than usual. In the end, although I think I overpacked a little, there were a lot of items we don't normally bring on trips that I was very grateful to have, so I have no regrets.
Here are some things I'm glad we packed:
Non-perishable snacks--granola bars, nuts, meat sticks, trail mixes, flavored drink powders, etc. We were fed well on the trip, but still found that for long bus rides or days spent serving, that having plentiful snacks available was necessary for everyone's happiness. I made sure that everyone had picked some favorite snacks beforehand to include in the stash.
Hand sanitizer--I recommend getting a travel size hand sanitizer
for everyone to attach to their day bags, so everyone has it when they need it. Then bring a 1-2 bigger ones for refilling purposes.
Wipes--get everyone their own travel size pack of wipes
, plus a few for backups. We used these all the time, because running water generally wasn't available when we were away from our accommodations.
Toilet paper--I recommend collecting half-used rolls before the trip. Why half-used? So it doesn't take up as much space in your bag. You will 100% need your own toilet paper if you're ever leaving the hotel in Africa.
Sunblock
--Uganda and Kenya are right on the equator and even if you're normally not super prone to sunburn, you'll be glad you have plenty. Additionally, most anti-malarials make you more prone to sunburn than usual, so there's double reason to be prepared.
Insect spray-- The bugs were actually not as bad as we expected, however there were still some and because we didn't want to contract any weird mosquito borne illnesses so we were still grateful to have plenty of spray. Thankfully everywhere we stayed had mosquito nets over the beds, so there's no need to bring those. They recommended one made with 30-40% DEET
.
Electric travel adapter-- For Uganda and Kenya, you'll need the type G travel adapter
(same as the UK). This will work great for charging cell phones, etc. It will NOT work for hair dryers, irons, etc.
Quick drying travel towels
--The places we stayed had towels for showering, but we had some activities and rainy days where we were glad that we had our own towels. These got used for drying up messes and as yoga mats. We were glad that they could be handwashed and dried pretty quickly.
Quick dry clothing--If you have the budget, I highly recommend going to an outdoor store (we got ours on sale at Columbia Outlet) and getting some light-weight quick dry clothing before your trip. I will seriously never travel without it again to any destination, but especially somewhere like Africa. I love that this type of clothing will quickly dry after getting wet, which served us well on a rainy day and a day we got soaked by a waterfall. I also love that they can be easily spot-cleaned or fully washed in the sink and dried overnight.
Materials to wash clothes--Part of packing light means rewearing the same clothing multiple times. To avoid appearing/smelling/feeling grungy, I highly recommend bringing a way for you to wash your clothes on the go. You'll want a good bar soap for laundry
(so it doesn't end up taking up your precious liquid allotment on the plane), flat drain cover
(to allow yourself the ability to fill up a sink or tub with water), and a travel soap case 
. Washing clothes generally works best if you're staying in the same place for a couple of days. Unless your clothing is all of the nice "quick-dry" variety I mentioned above, you'll probably need at least 24 hours for them to fully dry. And even longer for jeans or other heavy items. If you have access to a fan in your hotel room, that will help reduce the drying time significantly.
Extra toothbrushes
--When you're somewhere where you can't use the water for drinking, you also want to keep your toothbrush away from it. We found that not putting your toothbrush into the stream of running water is an exceedingly difficult habit to break though, so we were glad to have back-up toothbrushes, so the ones we tainted accidentally could be tossed without guilt.
What not to bring:
Don't bother bringing jeans or other bulky items of clothing. Not only do they take up a lot of room in your luggage, but they'll take forever to dry if you need to wash them.
Don't bother bringing hair dryers, irons, hair straighteners, or curling irons. Your travel adapter
will NOT work with them anyway (you will need a more expensive electric travel adapter AND converter
for that) and if you do try it with just the adapter, you're likely to fry your electronic. If you're staying in a nice hotel, they might provide them for you, but if you're like us, you may just have to forgo having cute hair and ironed clothes for the duration of the trip. And that's okay!
Have you ever done a trip like this before? What tips do you have to share? Do you have any questions? Send me a note!
So, here's a little glimpse of the tasks that we needed to accomplish, along with our packing list and some tips in case anyone out there is planning a similar trip!
Plane tickets--This was, by far, one of things I was most stressed out about. We are normally super budget travelers, only going places when plane tickets are rock bottom cheap. (Click on this link to see where we find our deals) We pack light, eat cheap, and stay in cheap places. With this trip, though, I knew that I was going to have to set aside those cheap tendencies and embrace the cost as part of the experience. Because of the kids' school and Glen's work schedules and the expedition requirements, our dates were totally inflexible, which meant that there was only so much deal finding to be had anyway. Combine that with the fact that this required buying tickets for an overseas route at arguably the most expensive time of year to travel and there wasn't much to do. I did incessantly check Google Flights, Skyscanner, and Expedia for a week or two, watching the prices and routes, but ultimately we just bit the bullet and bought the cheapest tickets we could with the fewest amount of stopovers. We flew on Kenya Air and had a very positive experience.
Check the CDC website for other vaccines that may be recommended for your trip too. For us, it was also recommended that we get the typhoid vaccine and get everyone up-to-date on their routine vaccines. For me that meant also getting the flu shot, hepatitis A & B, meningitis, and tdap. I felt like a pincushion by the time I got them all!
, probiotics (to help our gut stay as preemptively healthy as possible), Travelan 
(a natural dietary supplement used to help prevent diarrhea), Imodium 
(otc antidiarrheal), Zofran (an anti-nausea pill prescribed by the doctor), Benadryl 
, Electrolyte powder packets
, and standard painkillers (Aleve, aspirin, etc). We put all of them to use on the trip except the Zofran. We also brought antibiotic ointment 
, hydrocortisone cream
, assorted bandages
, and lots of wipes. All of this was used liberally too. See below for more of what we packed. 
).
It's part of traveling cheap and it doesn't even phase us anymore. This trip was different in that we had two free check-ins per person, we were bringing lots of books to donate to the school, and had more incidentals (like medicines, snacks, etc) to pack than usual. In the end, although I think I overpacked a little, there were a lot of items we don't normally bring on trips that I was very grateful to have, so I have no regrets.
Here are some things I'm glad we packed:
Non-perishable snacks--granola bars, nuts, meat sticks, trail mixes, flavored drink powders, etc. We were fed well on the trip, but still found that for long bus rides or days spent serving, that having plentiful snacks available was necessary for everyone's happiness. I made sure that everyone had picked some favorite snacks beforehand to include in the stash.
Hand sanitizer--I recommend getting a travel size hand sanitizer
for everyone to attach to their day bags, so everyone has it when they need it. Then bring a 1-2 bigger ones for refilling purposes.
Wipes--get everyone their own travel size pack of wipes
, plus a few for backups. We used these all the time, because running water generally wasn't available when we were away from our accommodations.
Sunblock
--Uganda and Kenya are right on the equator and even if you're normally not super prone to sunburn, you'll be glad you have plenty. Additionally, most anti-malarials make you more prone to sunburn than usual, so there's double reason to be prepared.Insect spray-- The bugs were actually not as bad as we expected, however there were still some and because we didn't want to contract any weird mosquito borne illnesses so we were still grateful to have plenty of spray. Thankfully everywhere we stayed had mosquito nets over the beds, so there's no need to bring those. They recommended one made with 30-40% DEET
.
(same as the UK). This will work great for charging cell phones, etc. It will NOT work for hair dryers, irons, etc.
--The places we stayed had towels for showering, but we had some activities and rainy days where we were glad that we had our own towels. These got used for drying up messes and as yoga mats. We were glad that they could be handwashed and dried pretty quickly. Quick dry clothing--If you have the budget, I highly recommend going to an outdoor store (we got ours on sale at Columbia Outlet) and getting some light-weight quick dry clothing before your trip. I will seriously never travel without it again to any destination, but especially somewhere like Africa. I love that this type of clothing will quickly dry after getting wet, which served us well on a rainy day and a day we got soaked by a waterfall. I also love that they can be easily spot-cleaned or fully washed in the sink and dried overnight.
Materials to wash clothes--Part of packing light means rewearing the same clothing multiple times. To avoid appearing/smelling/feeling grungy, I highly recommend bringing a way for you to wash your clothes on the go. You'll want a good bar soap for laundry
(so it doesn't end up taking up your precious liquid allotment on the plane), flat drain cover
(to allow yourself the ability to fill up a sink or tub with water), and a travel soap case 
. Washing clothes generally works best if you're staying in the same place for a couple of days. Unless your clothing is all of the nice "quick-dry" variety I mentioned above, you'll probably need at least 24 hours for them to fully dry. And even longer for jeans or other heavy items. If you have access to a fan in your hotel room, that will help reduce the drying time significantly. Extra toothbrushes
--When you're somewhere where you can't use the water for drinking, you also want to keep your toothbrush away from it. We found that not putting your toothbrush into the stream of running water is an exceedingly difficult habit to break though, so we were glad to have back-up toothbrushes, so the ones we tainted accidentally could be tossed without guilt.What not to bring:
Don't bother bringing jeans or other bulky items of clothing. Not only do they take up a lot of room in your luggage, but they'll take forever to dry if you need to wash them.
Don't bother bringing hair dryers, irons, hair straighteners, or curling irons. Your travel adapter
will NOT work with them anyway (you will need a more expensive electric travel adapter AND converter
for that) and if you do try it with just the adapter, you're likely to fry your electronic. If you're staying in a nice hotel, they might provide them for you, but if you're like us, you may just have to forgo having cute hair and ironed clothes for the duration of the trip. And that's okay!
Have you ever done a trip like this before? What tips do you have to share? Do you have any questions? Send me a note!
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