Travelling to NYSC Orientation Camp: Safety Tips From Motor Park to Camp Gate

For many prospective corps members, the journey to orientation camp is the longest trip they have made alone. It is often to a state they have never visited, with more luggage than usual and important documents that cannot be replaced overnight. A little planning makes a big difference.

These tips follow the NYSC's own advice — avoid night journeys and use designated motor parks — and add the practical details corps members learn the hard way.

Decide when to leave

Work backwards from the time you want to arrive. You want to reach camp in daylight, with enough time to join the registration queue.

• If the journey is more than five or six hours, consider travelling the day before and staying with family or in a reputable hotel near the camp town.
• Avoid planning to arrive on the last day of the registration window. Delays on the road are common.
• Check the camp address on your call-up letter and on our list of orientation camp addresses so you know the exact town, not just the state capital.

Choose your transport carefully

Use a designated motor park or a registered transport company. Roadside pick-ups and unmarked vehicles are where most travel problems start.

• Book with an established company where you can, and keep your ticket.
• Note the vehicle's registration number and send it to someone at home.
• Ask the driver or park officials whether the vehicle goes all the way to the camp town or only to the state capital, so you are not stranded at a junction.

Travel light, but travel smart

You will be issued an NYSC kit at camp, so you do not need to bring everything you own. Use our NYSC camp checklist to pack what you actually need for three weeks.

Keep these on your person or in a small hand bag, never in the boot:

• your printed call-up letter
• your credentials and identification
• your phone, a power bank and some cash
• any medication you need

Make photocopies of your documents and keep scans on your phone and in your email, in case anything is lost.

Travel with other corps members

Travelling with people heading to the same camp is one of the simplest ways to make the journey safer. You can watch each other's luggage, share a taxi from the park to the camp gate and arrive together.

It is also usually cheaper. A group can charter a vehicle or share a taxi for the final stretch, splitting the cost several ways.

On TweleTwele you can find corps members travelling from your city to the same camp, see where and when they plan to leave and join their group — or start a camp group for others to join. Agree a meeting point at the motor park and share phone numbers before the day.

On the road

• Keep your phone charged and your location sharing on with a trusted contact.
• Eat before you travel and carry water.
• Stay alert at stops; keep your bag with your documents in your hand.
• If anything about a vehicle or driver makes you uncomfortable, do not board. Another bus will come.

Arriving at camp

Arrive with your documents easy to reach. There will be queues for registration, so be patient and follow instructions from camp officials. Once you are registered, let your family know you have arrived safely.

Read what happens during the three weeks of orientation camp to know what comes next.

Quick summary

Travel in daylight, board only at designated motor parks, keep your documents on you, tell someone your route and, if you can, travel with other corps members going to the same camp.