General Clothing
One or two pairs of nice pants
One to four pairs of heavy work pants or jeans (ag and habitat conservation Volunteers usually need more and rural public health and youth and families Volunteers usually need less)
Six T-shirts or short-sleeved polo shirts (T-shirts are readily available in Ecuador unless you need something larger than XL)
One or two dress up outfits
Two or three long-sleeved or turtleneck shirts
Two to four (or more) pairs of shorts (not too short)
12 pairs of cotton underwear
One or two pairs of long underwear or other clothes to layer
12 pairs of good-quality socks
Two or three pairs (or more) of heavy wool socks
Two or three sweaters (you can also buy them locally) or a fleeces
Two (or more)sweatshirts
Two pairs of sweatpants (or leggings or warm tights for women)
One heavy jacket
One waterproof windbreaker or poncho
One pair of heavy work gloves
One bathrobe or long T-shirt (useful when sharing a bathroom with a host family)
One or two bathing suits
One or two sun hats, visors, or caps with a bill (the sun is very strong in Ecuador)
Bandanas
One sport coat (read above)
One or two neckties
For Women (excluded for obvious reasons)
Shoes (remember that it is difficult to find shoe sizes over 10)
Two pairs of tennis or running shoes
One pair of good-quality work boots, if you are in the agriculture or habitat conservation programs
One or two pairs of dress shoes
One pair of flip-flops (for showers or wearing around the house), sandals (easily purchased locally), or Tevas
One pair of rain/mud boots (you can get these here)
Personal Hygiene and Toiletry Items
Shampoo and other toiletries are readily available in Ecuador, but if you use special brands, bring a supply with you
Hand sanitizer
Contact lens solutions and extra cases and travel bottles, if you wear contacts (available in larger cities, but a little more expensive than in the United States)
Skin So Soft by Avon (some people use it as a bug repellent)
Miscellaneous
Two pairs sheets (full size is recommended) and pillowcases (available locally—prices vary according to quality)
Towels (available locally—prices vary according to quality)
Film (expensive locally)
Portable music player
Charger and rechargeable batteries
Sunglasses (with UV protection-IMPORTANT)
Laptop computer (very useful for projects and communicating)
Collapsible umbrella (available locally)
Combination lock
Wide colored markers and other art supplies (available locally, but expensive)
Decorations for your room or apartment (e.g., posters, maps, and postcards of your hometown)
Favorite books and “how to” books with illustrations (Many Volunteers teach English formally or informally so “Ingles Para Dummies” or other related is a good resource)
Flea collars, if you plan to have a pet (maybe I can bring Daisy!)
Equipment for hobbies, such as sewing patterns (expensive and hard to find in Ecuador) and musical instruments (you can buy a good handmade guitar in Ecuador)
Favorite games, Frisbee, Nerf footballs, etc.
Knapsack or day pack (IMPORTANT)
Medium-size backpack or duffel bag for weekend travel (available locally, but expensive)
Photos of family and friends (IMPORTANT) (I like how this is highlighted)
Pillow, if you have a favorite one
Pocket calculator, if you will need it for your work
Sleeping bag (useful if you plan to travel a lot)
Small flashlight (a headlamp is better)
Small pocket calendar or daily planner (available locally)
Shortwave radio
Swiss Army knife or Leatherman tool
Travel alarm and watch (nothing flashy or expensive)
Small tool kit (available locally, but expensive so only bring if you would normally use one)
U.S. stamps (to send letters with staff or Volunteers traveling to the United States)
Remember, after training you will have to get all of your luggage to your site by yourself and only a few of you will live in big cities with good public transportation. So if you bring it, you will have to carry it! Big suitcases with wheels don’t work too well on dirt or gravel roads. There will also be many Volunteers completing their two years of service about the time you begin your service, so they will have many items to sell.
