Preparing For Jungle Travel

Questions to Consider:

When preparing to travel to the jungle, there is a lot that you need to consider.  Before even starting the simple task of packing, there are important questions to think about.  Where are you going?  This is a critical question because you should try to pack customary clothing in order to respect the people, plus helps you to think about the type of clothing to pack depending on what side of the Andes you will be on throughout your trip.  What is the weather going to be like?  Whether it is the rainy season or the dry season, will change what you wear, how you pack, what your transportation will be, where you can go, the extent of hiking you will be doing, etcetera.  How much money are you planning to spend?  This will allow you to better choose the places you will be able to go to, the transportation you will take, the  hotels in which you will stay, and the types of restaurants that you will go to.  How much Spanish do you know?  The amount of Spanish you know is critical because that is the language that you will need to communicate with.  If you don't know much Spanish and will not have a translator with you, it is best to stay in larger cities due to safety, so if you are planning on going to the jungle, make sure to research possible translators to accompany you.

Books & Maps:

It is always important to know where you are going and to be prepared mentally, physically, and spiritually for what you are going to be doing there.  If it is primarily hiking and sightseeing, getting a couple travel books and reading up on the area would be a good place to start.  Fodors TravelIntelligence is a good website to start for guidebooks and planning your trip, and National Geographic’s ‘Peru Adventure Map’ is also a great source.  Specifically if you are going to another country for medical missions, good books are: ‘Where There is No Doctor’ by David Werner, Jane Maxwell, and Carol Thuman, ‘Jesus MD’ by Dr. David Stevens, ‘GrayMatter’ by Dr. David Levy, and ‘Let the Nations be Glad’ by John Piper.  ‘Where There is No Doctor’ is a fantastic book which is a Third World medical manual that brings together modern concepts of public health with personal health care in an easy to read and understandable book for the third World villager.  ‘Jesus MD’ is actually the book I read in preparation for my last trip, and I loved it; it is an inspiring book that describes Jesus as the ultimate doctor giving first hand examples from Dr. Stevens’ life as a doctor in Tenwek Hospital in Kenya.  ‘Gray Matter’ is not really internationally medically related, but it is a blend of medical drama and spiritual insight that focuses on the importance of prayer in the medical environment.  Lastly ‘Let the Nations be Glad’ is a perfect book for missions; I don’t particularly love John Piper, but this book explains how missions is not the ultimate goal of the church, worship is, worship fuels the goal of missions.

Travel Tips:

When you are traveling via airplane on the way to Peru and home, make sure to wear slip on shoes and have your passport and tickets easily available in order to make it easier to rush through security.  For better comfort flying, get a seat in an exit row, bring a neck pillow (and small blanket), and pack some snacks on your carry on- make sure to follow the rules with liquid volumes or they will just confiscate it and throw it out.  

Especially in the larger jungle areas, you don’t want to be an obvious traveler because that makes you subject to possible mugging and pick pocketing (that also goes for cities as well).  Many times it is almost impossible for travelers to not stick out, so just make sure to be extra careful, and don’t carry all your important documentation and money on you at once.  It is important to keep everything spread out in multiple places so you will never be left helpless.