Well, my squad & I leave tomorrow (E-A-R-L-Y) for Guatemala. We are pumped… I mean this is happening FOR REALS! Looking back over the last couple of weeks, I have a couple of tips for future Racers. You are welcome to take them or leave them, but these are things I should've done to make my last week at home better.
1. Don't wait until launch week to make sure everything is in order for the trip. My bank account had a slight hiccup & it turned out that the debit card for the account (which is the key for accessing money on the trip) wouldn't arrive until after I left for Atlanta. Thankfully after a couple of phone calls to the bank, the bank was able to Fed-Ex my the card to the hotel in Atlanta where I was going to be staying. Believe me, it would've been much less stressful if I hadn't waited until the last minute to make sure about all those (not-so) minor details.
2. If possible quit your job at least 1 week before launch. This is personal preference but I worked right up until the week before, & then I had loose ends to tie up with very little brain energy left. That's definitely not the best combination to get things done with.
4. When you're ready to begin packing get a packing buddy & turn on some music! My little sis, (who loves to travel & is a packing pro) helped me stuff everything into my pack & helped make packing so much more enjoyable. She's awesome. (Thanks Haylee!)
3. Don't wait to pack your bags until the day before you leave. I think I ended up packing and repacking at least twice, if not three times. All this packing took a l-o-n-g time so don't wait if you are planning to get a good night's sleep.
4. Don't stress! Everything will come to together & you worrying over it won't change a thing. Save your energy for packing… you'll need it.
5. Spend as much time as you can with your family. All to soon you'll be telling them good-bye (for 11 months) so take every chance to cram in all the quality time you can.
6. Get some sleep! Sleep while you can because once you arrive to launch, you'll have some long, full days.
7. Make sure your also spending time with God. Don't get so caught up in preparation that you forget Him. After all, this whole trip is about Him.
Anyways, that's my two bits. Now I am off to our evening training session. And then tomorrow, Guatemala here we come!
