*Preparing to come

Travel

You will need to book your flights to arrive and depart from Port Moresby in Papua New Guinea. Please confirm with our office prior to booking flights.

Below find the arrival and departure dates for all our outreaches.

Airlines that fly to Port Moresby are: Virgin Blue, Qantas, Airlines PNG, and Air New Guinea. To find flights, you can search online or contact a travel agent.

Travel Insurance
We suggest that you take out some form of travel insurance to cover your flights, luggage, etc while traveling.

Courtesy Pick Ups
Once we have your travel details, we will arrange someone to pick you up from the airport. This is usually one of the ships crew. They will be wearing a YWAM Medical Ship shirt as well as holding a sign. We will also drop you off at the airport in time for your flight home.

Passport

It is usual for travel that your passport should have an expiry date 6 months beyond your expected date of return to your home country.

Visas

Further instructions regarding visas will be given once you have been offered a place on one of the outreaches.

Insurance

As a volunteer it is up to you to aquire appropriate health insurance. This is compulsory for your time with us in the unlikely event that you may require medical attention. For most countries, it is often necessary to prove that you are insured before treatment can commence.

Communication

While you are on the ship you will not have access to the Internet. Mobile reception is also quite limited outside the cities. Although communication is limited, the Ship will be updating the Townsville office on a regular basis.

Climate

Papua New Guinea is a tropical nation, meaning it has a wet and dry season rather than four seasons a year. The weather patterns in this nation are unpredictable and change often. See the graph below for an idea of the average temperatures in the Gulf and Western Province region throughout the year.

Luggage

As storage is limited on the ship, please use a collapsible bag – no suitcases!

Accommodation

On board the ship, you will be in tight living conditions. Each person will have a numbered locker assigned to them with the same number bunk.

On one side of the cabinet there is a space 4” wide in which items may be hung on hangers. These are the overall dimensions of the cabinets: 3.5”wide x 22.5”deepx34”high.

*What to Pack

Clothing

Attire in PNG villages is very casual; however, for women it is very modest. Generally, legs must be covered to at least mid-shin or below (skirts or pants), no midriffs or low necklines and always cover your shoulders (no spaghetti straps or sleeveless tops). We also ask that you follow these modest guidelines while on board the ship on your off time.

YWAM Medical Ship shirts will be provided for you to wear during clinics and trips into villages. Also plan on bringing a smart outfit, for our celebration night at the end of outreach.

Women

Casual wear, long skirts or lap lap (sarong/wrap-around), t-shirts, nice loose shirt for church, pants, mid-calf pants, modest swimwear (you will be expected to wear shorts and t-shirt over your swimsuit).

Men

Casual wear, long pants or tidy shorts, modest swim wear (no speedos please), t-shirts, work clothes, dress shirt and trousers for church.

Children

Follow same guidelines as above.

Footwear

Jandals/tevas/flip-flops/thongs or sandals are appropriate. Athletic footwear/trainers are fine to wear, however they can be hot to wear in this climate and it is common to walk in the mud to get to a village. *Closed toed shoes must be brought if you are working in the dental clinic.

Bedding

One pillow, one pillow case, and a bottom sheet will be provided for each person. We recommend you bring a blanket or sleeping bag.

Other Recommended Items

Towel, insect repellent with at least 25% DEET, sun block, seasick pills, hat, sunglasses, water bottle, camera & batteries, toiletries, rain coat.

Resources and Facilitates

The YWAM Medical Ship is a old Japanese fishing boat that has been transformed into a floating hospital. It has a berth of 50 people on board, with a fully operational operating clinic, as well as all other community facilities.

Laundry

There are laundry machines on board, but it is limited to one load of laundry per person per week. So it is recommended that you bring items that can all be washed together.

Voltage

There are some 220V sockets and some 110V sockets on board for charging batteries and phones. Due to limited supply of electricity on board, we ask that you do not bring hair dryers, straightening irons or curling irons with you on outreach.