I have discovered vacuum packing for clothes I am leaving behind, I managed to reduce a 240mm pile of suits and shirts to a 50mm piece of board. It looks like a crisp packet after being in a microwave, I suspect everything will need professionally pressing before I can use it again, looking well creased already.
I have got additional weight allowance on the flight, bit of luck as 25kg was proving tight for a 2 year stay.
I have got additional weight allowance on the flight, bit of luck as 25kg was proving tight for a 2 year stay.
With hindsight I was given some poor advice on what to take. It can depend on what the volunteer you ask has done or does in country. Your clothes will probably go mouldy if you are in a humid country, also you will probably need to wash your clothes every day and they will be dirty. So you need easily laundered clothes. You can buy clothes in country but be aware that you may not get the size you need. In some countries the majority of the population will be shorter and thinner than western men and women. Also shoe sizes may be smaller. You can have clothes tailored but this may not be as cheap as you expect.
The information is available on the VSO web site but is a general guide.
I took a pair of black work shoes which I never wore, most people wore sandals, cool for hot weather and dry quick in monsoon rain. Leather will go mouldy and rot too.
Bear in mind as a VSO you may not have access to a washing machine so can end up hand washing clothes and bedding, no spin facilities either. So washing, drying and ironing can take a chunk out of your day. I was fortunate and happened to have friends in country with washing machines, don't underestimate how tedious hand washing and drying in a monsoon season can be.
