HAITI TRAVEL GUIDE

 

TRAVEL:

VALID PASSPORTS ARE REQUIRED FOR TRAVEL TO HAITI. Visas are not required. You will be given an immigration tourist card on the plane to present at the customs counter with your passport just after deplaning. KEEP IT WITH YOUR PASSPORT. You MUST present it when you leave the country. In the place requesting the name and address of the guest house, put LEON, JEREMIE.

BAGGAGE REQUIREMENTS:
 
We ask everyone to put all their belongings in a carry on. You are also allowed a purse/briefcase which can be a large tote bag.  We will need your check-in allotment for medicines and supplies. We will be using the Jeremie airplane to transport medicines and supplies to Leon.  For the trip to Jeremie each passenger is only allowed 70 lbs..  It is therefore important to keep your total baggage as light as possible.

IMMUNIZATIONS: 

No specific immunizations are required.  It is recommended that you have DPT and Tetanus shots up-to-date and that you take malaria pills. Consult your Doctor about additional health recommendations.

EXPENSES:
 
The major expense will be the airfare to Haiti.  In addition, the airfare from Port-au-Prince to Jeremie is $140.  Taxi costs will be $10.  If you are staying overnight in Jeremie on the final Sat.., the cost of that stay will be $25.  If you wish to purchase craft items such as hand embroidered tablecloths, Haitian garments or Haitian coffee or rum, tack on additional funds. 

CLIMATE & CLOTHING:

Temperatures are in the high 80's during the day.  Bring comfortable, lightweight summer clothes and comfortable shoes.  Don't forget to bring a bathing suit.  Most Haitian women wear skirts and dresses, although it is acceptable to wear pants, skirt-like shorts or above-the-knee shorts.  Please make sure that your clothing is modest.

CURRENCY:

The unit of Haitian currency is the gourde.  There are five gourdes to the Haitian dollar. There is a varying exchange rate on American currency. Your US money can be exchanged upon arrival and unspent Haitian money can be exchanged back into US dollars before departing. Traveler’s checks can be difficult to exchange.  It is preferable to bring cash or checks.

SUGGESTED THINGS TO BRING: 

You will want to bring a FLASHLIGHT, MOSQUITO REPELLENT, sunblock, snacks for traveling and more film than you think you'll need (it is very expensive in Haiti).  Boiled water will be available in Leon.  DO NOT DRINK TAP WATER ANYWHERE IN HAITI (not even for rinsing your mouth).

Bring your own professional equipment.  For primary care people, this includes an otoscope,  opthalmoscope and stethoscope.  There is no electricity, so whatever you bring, make sure it is charged sufficiently to see about 250 patients.  Bring a AA battery powered unit with additional batteries.  For nurses, EMTs and paramedics this means a stethoscope, blood pressure cuff and digital or ear thermometer.

If you are able to drive a four-wheel drive vehicle please bring your license.  If you’re comfortable we may want you to drive from Leon to Jeremie if necessary.

ADDITIONAL TIPS:
 
Conservation of water is a major concern. No hot water is available so using a bucket to bathe is usually more comfortable and saves water.  Please take short showers and flush the toilets only when necessary. There is NO electricity in Leon. In Haiti voltage is 120 volts as in the U.S.  [when the electricity is on]. Electricity is not always available and power is needed to pump water.

Generally, the Haitian people do not have a problem with your taking their picture, however, if they say "no, their request should be respected.  If you have any doubt, just say "photo?"

Unless you want to receive very expensive collect phone calls never give out your phone number. If you give out your email you will probably receive many requests for money.    

Many people will be begging for money.  It is impossible to give to everyone and especially risky if there are others around.  Only give a small gift if it can be done discreetly or in private.

Your heart may be torn by the poverty and misery, which is very real, but you cannot right the wrongs and injustices done to these people single-handedly, and your generosity would spark an avalanche of people crying out to you and to others nearby.

SPECIAL NOTES

There has been an increase in the number of people we work with in Haiti, who are asking for financial help from members of the medical teams. Although it is always your personal decision to respond to the obvious economic difficulty of clinic staff or other people we hire, we discourage your kind offers to help a personal individual since that encourages others or even the same people to strongly "hint" for financial support from everyone who comes down on the medical mission. As you will see from the patients who come for help, the need is very great. If you would like to help, consider a contribution to the medical mission or speak to the parish coordinator.

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We look forward to sharing with you the experience of getting to know the beauty and charm of the Haitian people.  Our prayer is that you will be touched as so many have by the strength, resilience and the faith of a people who have endured unbelievable suffering.
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“Our first task in approaching another people, another culture, another religion, is to take off our shoes, for the place we are approaching is holy.  Else we may find ourselves treading on people's dreams.  More serious still, we may forget that GOD was here before our arrival.”                 
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Don't Forget Your Passport

 

CHECKLIST FOR TRIP TO HAITI

      PLANE TICKETS
      PASSPORT--is your passport currently valid?
      MONEY: Cash and checkbook.  
      LUGGAGE--label your luggage properly.
      MEDICINES--that you may need
      FLASHLIGHT
      LIGHTWEIGHT SUMMER CLOTHING
      SUNGLASSES, PRESCRIPTION GLASSES (or contacts and solution)
      SUN BLOCK
      MOSQUITO REPELLENT
      WASHCLOTH
      SOAP
      SHAMPOO
      FLIP-FLOP SANDALS  (if desired for the shower)
      SNACKS (for example: cheese and crackers, peanuts, granola bars, peanut butter, trail mix, etc.)
      CAMERA/FILM (film is expensive there)
      EARPLUGS (you may be sharing the room with someone who snores)
      BATHING SUIT
      WATER
      MOSQUITO NETTING FOR BED
      LEAVE CONTACT INFO WITH SOMEONE IN CASE OF EMERGENCY