Another question that I get all the time as I prepare for the World Race is “how do you pack for that kind of trip?” My initial answer to the question is that I don’t necessarily know what I’m doing. I have been on several backpacking camping trips and have been to the World Race training camp, so I think that has given me some insight into what is and is not essential. But none of those trips lasted 11 months going to 11 different countries. I think I have finally finished my packing after reading many packing lists given by the World Race, past World Racers, and other travel blogs. Here is a look at what I will be carrying with me for the next 11 months.
Inside my day pack:
- Sleeping pad
- Sleeping bag liner
- Travel pillow
- Travel mug and my eat n’ tool
- Toiletries
- To try to ease the process of going through plane security I bought solid shampoo, solid conditioner, and “toothy tabs.”
- Power adaptor
- Headlamp
- Extra batteries and duct tape wrapped around a playing card
- My bible plus 3 small bibles to hopefully give away
- Journal
- Colored pencils and sketch book
- Laptop
- A Gopro
- A weeks worth of malaria pills
- Water filter, just in case
- Solar powered charger
- Aeropress coffee maker– maybe unnecessary but I just couldn’t help it
Inside my big pack:
- Sleeping bag
- Tent + tent poles
- Eno + eno straps
- Sewing kit
- Nail kit
- I packing cube with:
- 2 pants
- 2 shorts/capris
- 3 long skirts
- 1 compression shorts
- 1 packing cube with:
- 5 t-shirts
- 1 nicer shirt
- Rain jacket
- Fleece
- Travel towel
- Extra Medicine (the rest of my malaria medicine, cipro, pepto pills, ibuprofen, vitamins)
- Sneakers
- Chaccos
I typically am an overpacker and like to be prepared for all situations, so I still have a few more hours until I leave so there is a possibility that I will end up throwing last minute items I don’t really need into my pack, if they’ll fit. But hopefully I have been able to limit myself to mostly the essentials with only a couple of luxury items. Whatever the answer is, I’ll find out starting tomorrow what was worth bringing and what I should have left at home.
