Clothing
- fleece top
- a lot of underwear (bring a lot b/c buying your underwear from a skeevey old man at souk sucks, also bring undies you're okay with the whole village possibly seeing hang on the laundry line)
- bathing suit
- at least one long skirt (past mid-calf) (these are easy to get in country though)
- various types of socks (dress, hiking, regular, etc.)
- light weight khakis
- sweatpants
- leggings (not lycra)
- hats (at least 1 winter/1 summer)
- pair of wool/fleece gloves
- belt (at some point, you'll probably be losing weight)
- cheap sunglasses (also easy to get in country)
- thermal underwear
- long layering tank tops
- long-sleeve shirts (Target tissue shirts are PERFECT for Morocco -- light weight, cover butt, boobs, and arms)
- light weight long cardigans
- bandanas
- jeans
- 1 business casual outfit for staging, swearing-in, important meetings. Make sure it's conservative though.
- lightweight, waterproof jacket (like an anorak/poncho)
- heavy jacket or waterproof shell to wear over layers
- sweatshirt
- sweaters
- the following can also double as pjs: yoga pants, athletic shorts, and short-sleeve t-shirts
- comfy/cute dress flats
- sturdy outdoor sandals (like Tevas or Chacos)
- hiking boots
- all-purpose tennis shoes
- flip-flops (I love Reef flip-flops and they last FOREVER, unlike Moroccan flip-flops)
- good stock of razors (the good kind are hella expensive in country)
- aloe vera
- face sunscreen (PC will give you generic sunscreen but if you have sensitive skin, bring something just for your face)
- tampons and pads (can get in country, but can be awkward to purchase)
- travel shampoo and conditioner
- toothpaste, toothbrushes, and floss (can get in country, but good to bring a little stock with you)
- deodorant (it's pretty hard to find non-spray or roll-on deodorant, so bring a lot of what you like)
- PC gives you a pretty decent med-kit, but if you have any special brands of non-prescription meds you especially like, bring a stash of those
- For girls: I recommend talking to your doctor and seeing if you can get on Seasonique or Seasonal before you leave. That way you only have to deal with your period 3 or 4 times a year. PC can accommodate these and will give you a French generic that's pretty much exactly the same.
- loofah/scrubber
- makeup (you'll be really excited about those chances when you can finally look like a girl again)
- head bands and hair bands
- q-tips
- little bottles of hand sanitizer (can get in country, but kinda pricey, and the little ones are easy to stick in your purse and always have on you)
- facewash and body wash (again bring a good stock of what you like, because there's not a lot to choose from over here)
- nail clippers
- tweezers
- hairbrush and comb
- watch
- mid-sized mirror. I have one that's about the size of two index cards and it's been a life saver. Your host families may not have a mirror in their house at all and it's nice having one bigger than what's in your compact.
- Nalgene water bottle
- hand wipes
- flashlight (1 regular and 1 LED keychain -- it's super easy to get stuck at someone's house past dark and having the little keychain light on you can be a life saver)
- rechargeable batteries and electric battery charger
- compact umbrella
- multi-tool
- travel alarm clock w/calendar & thermometer
- duct tape
- sleeping bag & liner
- sleeping bag pad (only if you can fit it)
- exercise supplies (jump rope/bands)
- double sided tape
- carabiner clips
- index cards
- heavy duty bug repellent (also in your med-kit, but still nice to have)
- small day planner
- plastic collapsible folders to hold documents PC gives you
- gifts for host families (calendars, postcards, knick-knacks, etc. do the trick)
- books (only bring one or two for the flight over/travel to CBT, the PC library is pretty amazing)
- lightweight towel or quick dry towel
- external hard drive (SO IMPORTANT!! PCVs trade tv shows and movies all the time)
- spiral notebook for taking notes
- ipod
- tide pen
- mailing envelopes
- travel pillow (I'm so glad I brought this, Moroccan pillows suck)
- Swiss army knife
- travel locks
- digital camera and charger
- reusable tote bags
- zipper freezer bags (gallon and quart) -- bring lots of these! They're great for just about everything.
- pens & pencils
- portable speakers
- extra headphones
- map of Morocco (make sure it shows the Western Sahara)/map of world/map of USA
- sleep mask (you can always steal the one you get on the flight over) & ear plugs (these are life savers if you're even remotely a light sleeper)
- photo album of friends and family
- card games
- art supplies
- journal
- laptop w/software back-up
- extra flash drive (PC will give you at least one)
- adapter and lots of plug converters
Kindle, I recommend downloading the Kindle app to your PC instead. Kindles are pretty flashy and I know I wouldn't feel comfortable busting mine out on a souk bus or in a taxi.
- Stuff you can't live without, like a bottle of Sriracha or box of mac'n'cheese for that first night in your own apartment. :)
- individual instant coffee dunkers. If you're a huge coffee drinker, get yourself prepared for the monstrosity that is Nescafe (stir-in powdered coffee). The dunkers are great if you can't stand the sweet tea or powdered coffee in the mornings, and that way your host family just has to give you hot water and not really go out of their way.
- peanut butter. Trust me you'll miss it.
- a good stash of dried fruit and protein/Cliff bars. Just in case you get a host family like mine that didn't see the issue with cockroaches floating in the dish water....
- fold up duffel or easily smushed hiking pack (PC will give you a lot of crap those first weeks that you probably won't be able to fit in your original luggage)
- mesh organizing bags (great for laundry and keeping your stuff straight in your luggage)
- 2 huge rolling duffels (I really like REI's, they weren't super expensive, but very sturdy and lots of great compartments). PC says you can only bring 75 lbs worth of luggage, but the airport says you can bring 100 lbs as long as no individual bag weighs more than 50 lbs (double check this to make sure it's still the case). So I recommend filling each duffel with about 45 lbs, in case your scale is different than the airport's. You really don't want to be paying those overage fees.
- back pack that can hold your laptop
- purse that can cross your shoulder and has a sturdy strap
- Turkish toilet bags. I stole this idea from another volunteer's packing list and they really are a brilliant, brilliant lifesaver. Especially if you're at all freaked out about the idea of using a turkish toilet. Basically you take an old make-up bag (like the free ones you get from Lancome, etc) and put in a roll of toilet paper with the cardboard center cut up (to compress it), a pack of flushable baby wipes, and a mini bottle of hand sanitizer. I'd only bring one bag but lots of supplies and always keep it on you, that way you're never in a situation where you have to use your left hand after you've gone number two. Yeah. :/ Luckily you can buy all the supplies in country, so it's no trouble to keep it stocked.
