Ideas for Luggage

Many groups will collect items to donate during the months before leaving for Honduras .  If these items are stored in a central place such as the church, it is great to have a “packing party” with the group a few days before the trip.  The maximum amount of donated items can be taken if each group member tries to pack their personal belongings in their carry-on to reserve space in the checked luggage.  Each member can bring suitcases to be packed full of the items to donate and left until departure time.

 

Each suitcase should be marked with matching ribbons or strips of cloth so that they can easily be spotted in the airport. 

 

It works well to assign a number to each suitcase and to tape an index card with that number directly to it.  A member of the group can then have a master list of the general inventory of each suitcase.  It helps with organization in Honduras to have the items generally sorted in the suitcases (e.g. school supplies, men’s clothing, eye glasses, tools, etc.).  If a suitcase arrives late, the group will have a general idea of what they are lacking.

 

At the airport, it is helpful if the group can be together to be checked in.  Each member should know the number assigned to the suitcases that they check and must be responsible for the baggage sticker.  If checked through as a group, there might be one person who will hold all of the baggage stickers. 

 

If, when the group arrives at the airport in Honduras , there are any bags missing, the baggage stickers for those pieces of luggage must be provided to the airport so that the bags can be found.  It is very important, therefore, to make sure that this process is well organized.   

 

Many participants will wish to leave behind some of their personal items such as clothing to be given to the church.  If a group plans to return to Honduras on another trip in the future, it is a good idea to take some suitcases back to Maine (packed within each other when possible).  If the suitcases will not be needed again, they can also be donated to the church.  When donations are made, it is a good idea to do them publicly with more than one person present. 

 

Whenever possible, consider using a spare suitcase to bring trash (e.g. cardboard, plastic packaging, nothing perishable or with liquid) back to Maine to dispose of as Honduras does not have an adequate infrastructure for waste disposal.