What to Pack When Travelling to ~ Zambia!

Few bits I took back from Zambia!

As you know by now, I spent three months in Zambia. However I wish that someone gave me a packing list before I went, 50% of what I took I didn't need! So to save you the expenses I thought I would give you an insight on what is useful and what isn't!

Useful pills: Ibuprofen, paracetamol, dioralyte, purification tablets
and Tums! 

First things first, stock up on pills!

1. Paracetamol And Ibuprofen (2 packs of each)

2. Tums! For those awkward foreign food moments!

3. Dioralyte! Needed for hot long days in the sun, buy the powder and the drink for both situations!

4. Purification Tablets-perfect for drinks but I suggest bringing some concentrated squash considering the tablets taste like dirt!

5. Don't forget your malaria tablets! Make sure you check, double check and triple check you have all of them!

6. Not necessary but it definitely helped me out! A pill box is handy to keep on track with the malaria tablets, and cheap as chips! 

The purification tablets are roughly £5 for a box of 30 on Amazon, the ibuprofen and paracetamol is as cheap as you can find! The dioralyte is slightly pricer, and £5 for 4 instant drink, and £4 for the pouches. The malaria tablets can vary massively in price so its best to ask your doctor. Tums only cost £2 but you won't need more than 36 tablets!

So that is what you'll need in the way of pills, now the rest! Better get a big suitcase because for big journeys like this, you'll need one!

1. Sleeping bag (comes in all shapes and sizes but a two season one is perfect for chilly nights and hot sweaty afternoon naps!) 

2. Shampoo and conditioner! I actually brought Alberto Balsam which was a mistake! It was too heavy and I ran out way to fast, others however got a Lush shampoo bar, which worked for body and hair and far lighter! Not to mention one bar lasted 3 months! 

3. Hand sanitizer!  I went totally overboard with this one! But I would get a large pump bottle and a couple small portable bottles for trips out, but it is very important you grab some! They can be as cheap as £1 if you go to Super Saver or Poundland.

4. 3 pairs of shoes. Honestly, that's all you'll need. A pair of comfy canvas shoes for around the house and short walks, a pair of walking shoes for the much longer walks, and a pair of smart shoes for important meetings, black pumps will be fine, don't go buying high heels and the sand and dirt will reject them!

5. 4 tees, 4 skirts, 4 baggy trousers. That is honestly the only clothes you'll need, don't go overboard! 4 simple, decent t-shirts, perhaps one smart white shirt, 4 long skirts that cover your knees to look presentable, and baggy trousers for days off. Then on days you have free you can simple wash what you wore and wear it again! No more no less I reckon for a bargain trip! You can purchase all the clothes from George at Asda for less than £30!

Anti Bacterial wipes from Waitrose for £1 each

6. Toothbrush and toothpaste! Buy a couple tubes for extra safety!

7. Lady needs! Stock up on tampons ladies, it'll be a long haul!

8. Deodorant! Dear God, do not forget deodorant!

9. Face wipes, table wipes! Grab some £1 deal on face wipes, will come in handy on sweaty days! And grab some surface wipes for cleaning down your table after dinner. A couple packs of each will be more than enough.

£3 3 way mirror from Amazon

First Aid Kit, £12 from Boots

10. Headtorch! This was my no.1 useful thing, it gets dark quicker than you think in Africa, and if you are preparing a meal in a house with no electricity, do the smart thing and grab a torch that can go around your head so you have both hands free! Only £5 from GoOutdoors!

11. First Aid Kit! Don't go anywhere without your TCP or plasters!

12. Hairbrush, hairbands, mirror, dry shampoo. All the luxurious to make life easier. 

Few bits from WHSmith, total at £10

13. Books! Colour pens! Rubbers! Pencils! All these things will be better than Facebook out there, bring a diary, a colouring book, lots of pens! If you are there to volunteer these also come in great handy in classrooms with kids!

14. JUNGLE FORMULA! Deet will be your best friend. Roll on, liquid bottles the whole lot! One spray bottle and one roll on is more than enough though! Don't go overboard like me!

That's everything! This way there will be tonnes of space in your suitcase to bring back lots of lovely gifts for your friends and family!

I really hope this blog helped, slightly different to the other two but I hope this gives you maybe some inspiration for your suitcase, or ideas on how easy it can be to pack for three months!

If you need any advice, tips, or ideas for my next blog just let me know in the comments!

Love you all!

Kisses,
B
xxx