Preparation

You require a travel, health and theft insurance: Important: inform in advance if your travel insurance covers volunteer work. This is different with every insurance company. A temporary expansion or even a separate insurance during your stay in Bolivia can be necessary.

Necessities

Even though Bolivia is a developing country, this does not mean that you can not buy things here. We advise everyone to bring as little luggage as possible, as it is almost always possible to buy anything you need here, especially in a city like La Paz. It is a good idea to bring both summer and winter clothing, as the climate can change very often in Bolivia and can be particularly cold at night.

It is difficult to say how much money you will need during your stay. Bolivia is cheap, looking at our European standards. It is up to you how much money you spend, and therefore how much you need per month. An average of some of the volunteers is around 100 untill 200 Euros per month, but experience tells us that volunteers and interns can spend at least 300 to 300 Euros per month. This Includes: food, transport, clothing, films and development costs for photos, short trips, excursions and going out. Especially going out for dinner and to bars or discotheques cost more than we thought. Bare in mind that the minimum wages in Bolivia are around 95 US Dollar per month and a lot of people have to live and support their family from that!

In every big city in Bolivia it is possible to find ATM machines, in Dollars or in Bolivianos (local currency). For traveling it is advisable to have around 100 US Dollars with you, divided in smaller amounts. This can easily be changed at the local banks. It is not really necessary to bring cash with you from your home country. If you are planning to stay in Bolivia for a very long time and you want to travel a lot, traveler cheques can also be of use.

At this moment one Euro equals nearly 10 Bolivians (Bs.), to be exact 9,50.
Check for the exchange rate: http://www.xe.net/ucc/convert.cgi

On this website you will find a few price-indications in ´Free time and going out´ and ´traveling´.

Vaccinations

You need to be vaccinated around 6 weeks before your departure to Bolivia. Recommended vaccinations are:
- Yellow Fever
- Repeating DTP (depends on your age)
- Hepatitis A (sometimes it is necessary to vaccinate for Hepatitis B if you are staying for a longer time in Bolivia)
- Typhoid

Some doctors also advise a tuberculosis vaccination (BCG) or a mantoux-test. This test can be done twice: before you go traveling to find out if you have already been infected and after your trip to see if you have been infected during your travels. If it appears that you are infected after the second test, you can take medication to treat this and prevent you from getting Tuberculosis. There is also a possibility of having the vaccination. The so-called BCG-vaccination will not protect you against Tuberculoses, but will protect you against the first affects of the illness.

Furthermore we get a lot of questions about Rabies. Almost everywhere in the world there are animals infected with Rabies, mostly dogs, but also cattle, cats and foxes. If an infected animal bites you it can pass the disease to you. After being infected it can take two weeks before you will get ill. The disease itself is deadly, but there is a vaccination. The vaccination contains a series of three injections. Vaccination against Rabies does not give protection, just more time to get started with further treatment. If you are not vaccinated, you need to call for a doctor within 24 hours. If you are vaccinated, you need to see a doctor within 2 days. In La Paz there is a small chance of getting infected with Rabies. It is also easy to get the anti rabies injections here in the pharmacies. This is a series of 5 injections over a period of 21 days following the possible infection.

Malaria tablets are not necessary in La Paz, if you go to the Amazons or other lower parts please ask you health center.

Ask your doctor for advice about vaccinations. In some cases the insurance will cover (a part of) your costs.

If you watch your personal hygiene carefully (do not drink water from the tap, do not eat from the street, etc), you will not face a lot of problems. Altitude sickness is common on arrival (La Paz is situated at 3600 meters). It is very important to take it easy during the first couple of days, drink lots of mineral water, do not drink alcohol and try not to smoke. The symptoms (such as, headache, shortness of breath, nausea) will pass usually after a few days.

If you get ill, or would like to see a doctor or a dentist, someone in Bureau Connectie Bolivia will offer to go with you. You need to pay the consultation in cash. You will get a receipt which you can use to declare to your insurance company in your home country. Especially in the bigger cities the (private) healthcare is of good quality. For a doctors visit you will pay around 4 Euros and a visit to a specialist will cost you around 20 to 35 Euros.

Visa

On arrival in Bolivia, you will get a tourist visa for 1 month. You can prolong the tourist visa, without costs, until 3 months at the immigration office. If you want to stay longer in Bolivia, there are a number of possibilities:

1. A volunteer visa for one year (working visa). This is an option for people who would like to stay in Bolivia for 9 to 12 months. Bureau Connectie Bolivia will help you with the necessary papers for this visa. It is quite a long procedure, as you need to fulfill certain requirements before you will get this visa (such as medical checkup, proof of good behavior, verification of the place where you live, etc.). You need to give your passport at the immigration office. The procedure can last for several months which is why we do not recommend it to you, if you are not staying longer than 9 months in Bolivia. The volunteer visa will be given for one year and the procedure will cost you around 400 Euros. You can apply for this visa as well at the Bolivian Embassy in your country.
2. You can prolong your tourist visa by taking a trip abroad. A lot of volunteers use this option. When you travel to Peru or Chile, and cross the border, you will get a new (free) tourist visa for 1 month.

In the past it was possible to prolong it to 3 months. This is not possible anymore. If you stay longer you have to pay 14 Bs per day when you leave the country. Everyone who stays longer than 3 months has to pay an extra tax when leaving the country.

Flight tickets and insurance

Flight tickets to Bolivia are not cheap, from Europe flights can be from 1050 Euros to around 1500 Euros. The prices can change, especially in high and low season. A flight ticket to Peru is a good option for a lot of volunteers and interns. There are return tickets from 800 Euros to Lima. From there it is easy to travel by bus to Bolivia. You may want to take 2 weeks for this trip, to see some of the country, even though a lot of volunteers choose to take the bus directly from Lima to La Paz. Buses leave daily in the morning from Lima to La Paz. The cost of this bus trip Lima-La Paz is around 100 Euros and the trip takes 28 hours.

You need to take care of your own health and travel insurance.

Connectie Bolivia & Insurances There are a lot of reasons why it is wise to have a suitable insurance while going abroad.

• The chance you get ill, you have an accident or you luggage get stolen is bigger than when you stay at home.
• The costs of staying in a foreign hospital, a search rescue or when you have to be transported back to your home country can be enormous.
• Most insurances don’t give cover for (voluntary) work, internships or sports, so you’ll need extra coverage or a more specific insurance to cover these activities

When you encounter problems while travelling abroad, a good insurance can save you a lot of trouble (and costs at your own expense). Connectie Bolivia has teamed up with JoHo to offer you a range of cheap or more specific insurances. These insurances are suitable for all travellers and participants of Connectie Bolivia programs, products and services. Why applying for this Connectie Bolivia-JoHo Caremed insurance?

• You will benefit from worldwide coverage
• You are covered while travelling to several countries abroad (except for your home country where the coverage expires automatically).
• You can enrol online through us with a quick and convenient online procedure, from anywhere and at anytime.
• You can print out a confirmation of insurance coverage after having enrolled on-line.
• Sports are covered (except high-risk and professional sports).
• By using the JoHo Caremed insurance you support the projects of JoHo and Connectie Bolivia!
• Coverage while volunteering, following a traineeship and/or outdoor activities.

For more information about this insurance and to enrol: www.insuranceabroad.com

Insurances & JoHo JoHo is an international organization with the goal to initiate as many Experience Centers as possible, dealing with work, travel and international cooperation. The main focuses of the organization are passing on knowledge, promoting international contacts and awareness and giving advice. JoHo helps:

• setting up development projects
• volunteers who are working there where it is needed
• students with their studies
• youngsters in developing countries to improve their future
• children in Africa, Asia and Latin America with a temporary teacher
• travellers to travel fair and sustainable

The Insurance Department of JoHo, The JoHo Company, specializes in international Insurances for travellers, volunteers, interns, language students and expats.