• Most expenses will be prepaid for you including: ground transportation, medical evacuation insurance, hotel room accommodations, translators and team meals.

• Each volunteer is financially responsible for paying for and obtaining a passport and visa (if necessary), receiving any necessary immunizations, all food/beverage items in all airports and outside team meals, and any other personal expenditures/shopping during the trip.

• You will want to take enough cash with you for personal shopping. Bring U.S. currency that is as new as possible and undamaged. Traveler’s checks and credit cards (VISA or Master Card) will be good in airports, major hotels and many shops, but cash is the easiest and most convenient method of payment.

• You will be able to exchange money locally. Please bring new $100 bills. You will get a better exchange rate than smaller bills, and they don’t take older money. 

• The currency in Guatemala is the quetzal. To find the most up-to-date currency conversions, please go to XE Currency convertor. 

Here are some helpful guidelines concerning the safety and security of your personal items:

• Be mindful of how you carry your purse or where you place your wallet. Men, keep your wallets in a front or zippered pocket, as keeping it in your back pocket will make it susceptible to pickpockets. Ladies, keep purses across your chest or use a fanny pack (keeping your hands free is also wise).

• An under garment money belt worn around your waist is a safe way to carry your personal cash or passport.

• Stay with a group of people at all times – always go somewhere in pairs.

• Take a minimal amount of jewelry with you – nothing flashy.

• Be a confident traveler even if you are unsure or uneasy in a certain situation; confidence and calmness is key.

• We also suggest that you make copies of all flight itineraries, wallet contents, passport, visa, etc. and carry copies in a separate, secure location. It would also be a good idea to leave copies of everything with someone at home also, just in case. These copies could prove invaluable should your personal documents be lost or stolen.

We hope you will enjoy the local cuisine. Most meals will be eaten at the hospital. The kitchen staff prepares three delicious meals a day and they are served family style. The hospital also supplies snacks, beer and soda.  All foods that will be provided to you should be well prepared and safe for you to eat.

Meals are covered on clinic days, but not on travel or recreation days.

As far as drinking water is concerned, to be on the safe side, always drink bottled water and brush your teeth with bottled water at the hotel. Avoid ice. Bottled water will be available.

You may want to take some personal snack items with you – good items to take include granola bars, dried fruit, and trail mix.

WEATHER:

Guatemala’s weather varies by region due to its diverse geography. The coastal areas and lowlands have a tropical climate with warm temperatures year-round, while the highland regions, including Antigua and Lake Atitlán, enjoy a cooler, more temperate climate. The rainy season runs from May to October, and the dry season is from November to April, with the most pleasant weather during the dry months.

For further information about weather, please consult these sites: Weather.Com and Weather Underground.

TIME ZONE:
Nuevo Progreso is in the Central Standard Time zone and does not observe daylight-savings time.
Click here to view the current time in Nuevo Progreso, Guatemala.

• We wear scrubs on clinic days. They are provided by the hospital in all sizes. Laundry (no charge) is provided daily.
• Bring comfortable shoes to wear like running shoes. No open toe shoes for clinics.
• No shorts or hats in the clinic.

Before/After Clinic

• There will be free time for relaxation after clinic days on the outdoor patio.
• Days will be fairly warm. In October/November the evenings and mornings might be cool so you may want a light sweater.

On your day off, it is fine to dress like an American tourist.  Please keep jewelry to a minimum.

Here is a one week packing list as an example. You can click here to get a printable list.

Clothing

• 2 – Pants

• 2-3 – Shirts

• 4 – Pairs Socks

• 1 – PJ’s

• Walking Shoes

• Windbreaker or Light Jacket

• Sandals

Toiletries

• Shampoo

• Conditioner

• Toothbrush

• Toothpaste

• Razor

• Hair Things

• Brushes

• Sunscreen

• Bug Spray

• Lotion

• Sunglasses

• Kleenex

• Imodium

• Advil

• Any Medications Needed

Miscellaneous

• Cash

• Passport

• Passport Holder

• Bank Card

• Credit Card

• Pen (to fill out forms)

• Neck Pilow

• Phone Chargers

• Computer chargers

• Converter/Transformer

• Laundry Detergent

• Wine Opener (for others)

• Head phones