3 Tips for Safe Travel

"Young Zedi enjoys a glass of water from his new Biosand Water Filter which provides clean, safe drinking water in Wongonyi VIllage, Kenya"

Recently we connected with a group from Olympia, Washington "Water for the World" who are all about building and installing Biosand Water Filters in the developing world. These water filters will provide safe, clean drinking water to those whose only option now is to drink dirty or unsafe water which leads to illness, disease and time away from work and school.

We watched their video in which one of their members had three tips for safe travel in developing countries.


1. DON'T GET HIT - that means watch yourself when travelling by foot or vehicle. In much of the developing world, safety regulations are not as stringent as they are here at home. Matatus and buses are usually overloaded with people and items being transported. Roads are not as well kept as at home which can lead to lots of accidents. If you don't feel safe using public transport because of overloaded conditions, consider hiring your own car and driver.


2. DON'T GET BIT - that means take precautions for malaria and other diseases that are spread by bites from insects. As well as taking malaria pills ( and make sure your doctor prescribes the correct malaria medication for the area you are travelling in as there are different strains of malaria) make sure you use a malaria bednet. These are easily obtained in major cities in shopping centres. We always purchase malaria nets when we get to Nairobi and use them in the village during our stay and leave them to be used by orphans and others who might not be able to afford them.


3. DON'T EAT SHIT - that means, don't drink the local water or eat fresh vegetables that might have been washed in local water. We always eat food that has been cooked. You don't want to spoil you volunteer vacation or your time helping out in a much needed program in a rural village in a developing country because you have a stomach ailment. As well if you are in a remote area, medical help may not be close at hand. We always take our own medical kit each time we go to Kenya with diarrhea medication, gastrolyte and other stomach remedies and again we leave our medical kit behind as our village of Wongonyi, Kenya must use a District Hospital located several kilometres away.


Travelling and working in a developing country is a very rewarding experience and one that can change your life. But the key to staying safe and healthy is using common sense and these three tips.

Leaving on a Jet Plane - Airfare and Baggage

As everyone knows the quickest way to Africa is by jet plane. And if you are like many of us, once you have experienced the beauty of the land and the friendliness of the African people, you need to go back, and back, and back. But travelling from Canada to Kenya is expensive, so we are always looking for the cheapest flights.

But benefits do exist for those who are travelling on humanitarian missions. We learned about "Fly For Good" from our Kenyan partner World Corps Kenya. Fly for Good is an organization that partners with airlines in offering discounted fares to those travelling to help others. We purchased the tickets for our flight last summer through Fly for Good.

In order to qualify, we registered our organization with Fly for Good, they checked us out and then once approved, we were able to check the airlines that participate for the best ticket price. It was a great help to us. If you head up an organization, you may want to consider registering. If you are a volunteer travelling on a voluntourism stint, you should see if the organization you are working with is registered (everyone likes saving money especially when you are working to help others).

We also have been learning that not all airlines are created equal in terms of baggage allowance and this is a great concern for those of us working abroad. We have lots of things that we want to take over for our various projects - school supplies, books, sewing materials, etc. When we went last summer we travelled with one airline and were charged a considerable amount for excess baggage which really adds up when you are paying for airfare as well (we only considered the airfare not baggage limits). Since our return, we learned that British Airways has a larger baggage allowance which means we can take more resources over to those in need. The key point here is that not only is it necessary to get the best airfare, it is also important to check out the baggage allowance too. It is easy to end up with lots of donated items to take over to Kenya and if you are not careful that great (or cheap) airfare suddenly is not so great once you get to the airport and the baggage charge is added to the ticket price. We have also heard that if you contact some of the airlines, they will give you permission for extra baggage if one is travelling for humanitarian causes.

The best course of action is to check out Fly for Good, look for the best airfare and ensure that the baggage allowance is the best it can be.

Travel Tip - You Need a Visa

There are lots of things to think about before you travel to a new country but the most important is the documentation you need to gain entry into the country. As with any international travel you need a passport. You also need a Visa ( and I don't mean the plastic kind) to allow you to stay in Kenya for a limited duration.

Before our family travelled we obtained our Visa through the Kenya High Commission to Canada, located in Ottawa. We went on the Kenya High Commission website, downloaded the application form, followed the directions for submitting the needed documentation and included our payment. Off it went and the next week, we had our passports back in hand with Visas stamped inside.

You can also obtain a Visa at the airport when you land in Nairobi. Simply stand in the right line, grab a form, fill it out and pay (you'll need cash). The cost for the Visa at the airport is about $20.00 less than if you obtain it here in Canada. But I can tell you, it was worth the extra money for our family. We arrived in Nairobi late at night, so we were ever so thankful to walk right up to the security desk with no one in our line for those holding Visas and be able to scoot on through to get our luggage and meet our new African family. The lineup for those needing to obtain a Visa was really long and our kids were so tired, I don't think they could have handled the wait.

The Kenya High Commission website is also filled with valuable information on Kenya that will be useful to you in your trip planning.

Check it out at http://www.kenyahighcommission.ca/.