We will check bags that include medicine and supplies in your name for your other allowed checked bag.
Do pack: clothing, camera, back-pack, two bottles of water in back-pack, cards, toiletries, $20 - 30 in spending money, required documentation, sun-screen, Bible, watch, etc.
Do not pack: pillows, extra money, jewelry (watches & 1 pair ear rings allowed), CD players, knives, etc. Pack very light!
Please report all personal medicines to the group leader.
You can wear shorts on the two travel days. While we are working, we ask you to wear light-weight, light-colored, cotton clothing. This includes: cotton dresses, skorts, scrubs, skirts (modest in length), cotton pants for men (no jeans), and light weight shirts for men. Use your best judgment and please use good judgment in modesty. Mexican standards of modesty in a Christian setting are very different than those in the US. Please bring light-weight, comfortable shoes. You will be on your feet for many hours. We encourage everyone to wear some outfits more than one day. You can wash out your clothing, if necessary in the sink at night. Keep a backpack as a carry on and keep it with you on the bus. Have two bottles of water and snacks in your backpack at all times.
While we are Traveling:
We will get stopped by Mexican police/military units on the trip after the border crossing. Please don't get worried, this is normal. Do not talk and do what you are asked. Do not draw attention to yourself or our group. Do not take pictures.
In general, we encourage everyone to stay as a group. Make sure if you leave the group that you let other adults know where you are going and when you'll be back.
You must carry ID at all times while in Mexico. Please put all 3 papers in the bag and do not take it off (except in the shower). You need: picture ID, birth certificate or passport, and tourist visa.
Click here for Cultural Issues and Guidelines while traveling on a Mexico mission trip.
Water Guidelines and Good Ideas!
Drink plenty of water each day! We suggest six bottles of water each day! You must not drink water from a faucet while in Mexico. Brush your teeth in bottled water. While in the shower or swimming pool, do not drink the water. (Shower with your mouth closed and don't sing!). Remember that water is an extremely valuable resource in Mexico so we should take very short showers. Each time we leave the hotel, put at least two bottles of water in your backpack.
Needed Identification and Paper Work:
You must have two forms of identification on your person at all times. Do not leave the hotel without this information and do not lose any of it. Do not leave it in your suitcase at the hotel.
A picture ID (driver's license or ID card from Revenue Office) and an original copy of your birth certificate or a passport. (The original copy of your birth
Passport
Your tourist visa that you will receive at the border.
Also, if you are a child traveling with or without a parent, you must have a notarized letter from both parents stating that you can leave the United States.
