Medical Mission Ecuador 

Things you need to bring:

• 2-3 Scrubs, comfortable shoes, a light jacket, fanny pack &/or backpack, personal medications, nice outfit for the Friday evening party.

• Cash in $1, $5 and $10 bills. Many merchants may not have change for a $20. The US dollar is the currency used in Ecuador.  The amount you bring depends on what you are interested in purchasing. The hotels accept major credit cards Visa and Mastercard, some will take AmEx and few places take Discover.

• Insect repellent only if you plan to visit the lower elevations of Ecuador. You do not need shots if you are staying only in the mountains.

• I would suggest you have your own selection of masks and / or PPE for general use. We will have our OR equipment as usual, but you would need to have your own mask coverage, glasses coverage if desired, and I suggest you have your own sanitizer.

 

Things you may want to bring:

• The rooms at the Hotel Florida in Ambato WILL NOT have a hair dryer, radio, clock, wash cloths, or a coffee maker. They will have them at the Hilton.

• Laptop or tablet, camera and extra batteries, a copy of your passport, credit cards, ATM card, snacks, Spanish-English dictionary.

• Sunglasses, a visor or hat, hand wipes, sunblock, Pepto-Bismol tablets, Gas-X, Imodium tablets, Zofran, and Cipro for GI problems, aspirin, Motrin, or Tylenol for altitude sickness headaches. If you are concerned about any health issues, please visit your doctor and discuss altitude sickness or other concerns you may have.

 

Additional information:

 

• The most common medical problems for MME volunteers are GI upset and mild altitude sickness.

• It is advised to avoid alcohol for the first 24-48 hrs while adjusting to altitude. Tylenol and Motrin help, as does staying well hydrated.

• Check with your cell phone provider about coverage in Ecuador or signing up with an international plan through your carrier. Be wary of international roaming charges if you do not sign up for a plan. 

• Look into how to disable your cellular data on your phone and limit it to WiFi only if you do n ot want to incur unnecessary charges.

• The Hilton in Quito has all the amenities found in a Hilton in the US.

• Members of MME have never had a problem with theft at either hotel. But, be careful on the streets of Quito and getting from the airplane to the shuttle.

• It is a good idea to notify your credit card company that you will be traveling to Ecuador so your cards do not get shut down on suspicion of fraud.

• Make a copy of your passport and keep in another area of your bags in case you lose your passport. Uploading a copy to a secure cloud based storage gives you access to it as well. 

• Make a copy of your credit cards front and back in case you lose one or need to cancel one due to rare case of theft. A list of the cards at home is useful in case you have to call home quickly to get them cancelled.

• Let your family know the locations you will be staying at in case they need to contact you.

• It is advisable to buy travel insurance and/ or travel evacuation insurance: Med-Jet is a good one: 205-595-6626;   1 800 963-3538   www.medjetassist.com.   Let us know you are getting evacuation insurance with Med-Jet because you or another volunteer will get a good discount if you recommend someone else. Medical evacuation is included in most Blue Cross insurance policies in Alabama.

• Time Zone: Eastern.

• Official Money: US dollars.

• Traveler’s checks may be difficult to cash or not acceptable in many places in Ecuador.

• Electrical outlets are the same as in the US.

• The mountain weather is cool – there’s probably no need for summer clothes unless you’re traveling to the lowlands.

• Medical Mission Ecuador is tax deductible. The ID # is 611 285 298.