Hi there! Tonight we’re flying to Dakar {the capital of Senegal} for nine days, for our mission’s annual field conference.

Here are a few of the must-have items we take along with us when we’re traveling in Senegal:

You must begin with the bag. It’s purple and I adore it. It has adjustable straps [bonus!] and holds all of the essentials that we bring along with us. I bought it at the most unique little shop in Florida. The brand name is “Let Them Eat Cake” [umm, how cool is that?!] and there are little cupcakes on the inside.

Necessary paperwork and identification to show that we are living and working here. Sometimes we carry our passports and shot records too, depending on where we’re going and what we’re doing.

Bug spray. You just never know when you’ll be out at dusk or early in the morning and the mosquitos will swarm in for the kill.

Gum. I have to admit that I’m kind of an addict and it’s nice to have when you’re hungry, bored, or feeling sick. These good flavors like watermelon and peppermint come from friends in packages.

Earplugs can be a lifesaver! Especially when you’re on the overnight boat trip and there are crying babies in your cabin.

Water and a snack. I almost always have [a much less healthy] snack in my purse. Cookies? Check. Again, you never know how long you’ll be waiting in a line to check in, sitting in traffic, etc. Chilled, filtered water is a necessity too, when possible.

All that talk about water brings me to this next item: TP. If you’re on a road trip in West Africa, the odds are pretty good that you may have to squat by a tree. Or you may be so lucky as to find a gas station with a restroom, but you’ll most likely find a hole in the ground with a teapot sitting next to it…so it’s better to be safe than sorry and think ahead. You can also learn to use the teapot method, too, if you so desire. PS – if you’re thinking to yourself, “Teapot?! What? How? Why?” Figure it out. We had to.

Ibuprofen, Benadryl, and charcoal pills. The funny thing is, I don’t even have any Advil, but that little container fits all of our necessary pills perfectly! The Ibuprofen is pretty much a given: you must always be prepared for a headache, cramps or a painful bee sting or something. We’ve both had unusual reactions to things [Jenn had an extreme reaction to the yellow fever vaccination and Shawn has reacted to unroasted cashew nuts], so we always carry Benadryl with us…just in case! The charcoal is not something that we’ve ever seen in the US but works wonders for absorbing any foreign “substance” in your body, working wonders when you have food poison or an unusual bug, etc.

In a “shake everyone’s hand” culture, hand sanitizer is great to have on hand! Yes, pun intended. {LOL}.

This fair lady {moi} doesn’t usually leave the house without sunscreen. I’ve had enough sunburns in my day.

Call me a girly girl if you want. Whatever. I almost always have some form of lipstick or gloss with me. I just feel the need to add some color to my face!

A phone is always important to have! Shawn always has his (so call him if you need to get ahold of us). I either forget mine or the battery dies {Ooops}.

You have to have money! We try to bring a little extra so we have it if we need it, but not so much to where if we get robbed we’ll lose it all.

In such a sunny place you must remember your sunglasses! I also have to remember my contact case, glasses, glasses case and contact solution too. Yes, Lasik is becoming more and more appealing…

A few other (non-pictured) must-have items are: a flashlight, Imodium, a Kindle and music! Random? Yes. Important? Very.

To those of you who are wanting to come visit us [we know you're out there somewhere...] make sure and make a mental note of these things. You’ll be glad you did!

Packing these things for tonight’s trip,
s&j

PS- HAPPY WEEKEND