About Manos Con Alas Ministries

What to Bring

The average volunteer should pack not only LIGHT but compact. NO LARGE BULKY SLEEPING BAGS or hard sided carry-on bags or other bulky items that dont compress. Small aircraft have both baggage weight and CARGO SPACE LIMITATIONS.

Pack NO MORE THAN 20 lbs of personal clothing and bedroll. Use the fleese type bedrolls that are warm and compact for the trips with an extra acrylic blanket in cold months NOV-MAR. 2 cubic feet of area is MAX for each passenger. Roll your speeeping bags up with your full wieght to minimize the area in the baggage compartment. Small pillows only.

Medical scrubs are ideal for clinic work with a fleese underneath for cold months. Sleep in winter with fleese sleeping sweats or running suit. Fleese is lightweight and warm and dries fast if gets wet. Bring a small camping towel or small old bath towel for your shower. Very small personal items, like toothpaste and saline for eyes, meds, etc. and no large hairdryers, or heavy items. NO packing of multiple water bottles. We buy water when we get there.

Do bring small snacks you enjoy like jerky or trail mix. A small IPOD or MPS is OK. You cell phone will work in Mexico if you get a plan before you leave. Expect a dollar a minute voice and 20.00/10 megs of data on roaming. I spent $120.00 on one trip recently doing email. Unless you want to get really taken by the Mexican carriers, dont turn phone on unless you are just checking in that you are safe.

What NOT to bring

Do not bring weapons of any kind into Mexico. This is especially true of guns, and very long knives. A utility knife of under 4 inches should be fine.

Do not bring ANY drugs that are not your own presciption with YOUR name on the bottle. IF you are a licensed MD, you are going to be given some allowance for prescription items carried, but any volume of medications should be preapproved for importation by the government of Mexico.