I am now an Alumni! It is very exciting knowing that you have finished the race. But I also know the feeling of the nervous excitement leaving for the race. I want to be help to other future Alumni.
My invitation is to all you future racers. There are going to be times that no one but you team will understand what you are going through. And times when you will need encouragement from past World Racers. You do have your Squad Leaders and please, please, please consult them first and foremost. But I want to let you know that I would love to be an encouragement also.
So if you need encouragement when the going gets tough, then please email me! If you need someone who understands what it is like to find a huge spider in your things, please email me! If you need someone who needs advice about how to go about things, then please email me! If you are just struggling and need to tell someone, then please email me.
I can’t give away all the ins and outs of the World Race because there are things that you have to discover for yourself but I would love to help you. I am going to start by sharing my lovely packing and video tips!! Enjoy!
A LADY’S PERSPECTIVE
- I didn’t listen when someone told me this but look at the weather in the time that you will be in other countries. Then pack accordingly. I could have done with out a sleeping bag because I was in summer most of the year.
- The key is to pack tight and light. Everything gets heavy by the end of the year so consider weight.
- You will want to get rid of stuff, don’t bring things that you never want to get rid of like I did. Then you just have to carry it all year.
- You can get many things in other countries. Budget at least $200 a month. You will want food and other things. I went over budget a lot because I only had $100 a month.
GEAR
Daypack: took a smaller than normal size, worked well for me
Backpack: whatever is most comfy, sleeping bag compartment that is separate from pack would have been a nice thing to have, also a front loading part was great!
Sleeping Pad: something thick, I had the neo air. I loved it because it packed so small but did make a lot of noise.
Sleeping bag: Look at the weather in each country and then get what you think. I could have gone for something so much smaller and lighter because I was in hot places all year.
Sleeping Liner: a must when your sleeping bag is too hot some places
Headlamp: with multiple settings, red is good for reading
Pillow: thermarest compression pillow, awesome!!!
Eating utensils: a bowl and fork/spoon/knife combo works just fine. Something small and compact. That is all you need!!! No mess kit.
Purse: bring one that is small but can fit a good amount of stuff. You don’t want to bring your small backpack everywhere, shoulder bag prefered
Towel: brought the REI quick dry, worked fine but make sure to wash it often
Airporter: for airport so your pack doesn’t get ruined, this should be light, not a huge duffle bag because it will take up space.
Baby wipes: great when there is little to no showers
Tampons: ladies your period isn’t that bad on the race, just bring the necessary things, you can find it in most countries. I brought over 100 of the OB kind and it worked for all year.
Make-up: I really don’t wear it so I just brought powder, wish I would have brought a little something more for times when you go out and want to look nice, you can also usually buy it anywhere
Deodorant: everywhere else in the world doesn’t use solid deodorant. SO bring at least two for the race.
Ziplocks: large and small for various use
You can buy toiletries everywhere on the race like shampoo, conditioner, toothpaste, toothbrush, body wash, nail polish, lotion, hand sanitizer, razors, etc.
Computer: there is a huge chance things will get stolen. I got a 10 inch computer, they are cheap and work just fine
Adapters: most computers or battery chargers have converters in them, adapters are only necessary
Power strip: good for plugging in more than one thing, handy when there is only one plug
Speakers: good for movies or dance parties, used iHome ones they were portable and loud, many people were borrowing them
Hard Drive: something fairly big, you will collect music, pictures and movies from everybody
Ipod: a must
Camera: my power shot canon 1100 worked just fine, didn’t have a need for a fancy camera, make sure you don’t have to bring batteries, rechargeable ones are way better
HD flip: if you want to make videos
Headphones: bring a sturdy pair of 2-3 pairs. They will break if not excellent quality.
Spliter: for watching movies together
Bring movies on a hard drive not on DVDs. There is down time when you will want to watch.
Rainbow Flip Flops: very durable and they last, I wore them most of the year (practically every day), I would have brought two pairs though
Tennis Shoes: only wore if needed, but you will need them
Toms: can double for nicer shoes and comfy
Tank Tops: in hot countries they are awesome, sometimes you can’t wear them for ministry and such but other than that they are ok, keep appropriate
Jeans: one pair
Shorts: in hot countries they are awesome, bring at least three
Underwear: bring a lot
Socks: I rarely wore closed toed shoes until it got colder
Sports bra: ladies great night wear in hot countries
Bra: bring a good quality and comfy one, hard to find good ones in some countries
Packing cubes: a compression Eagle Creek medium bag is all I used. I made sure all my clothes fit in that one.
Raincoat: it will rain eventually somewhere, I brought a north face rain coat worked great
Hat: at least one
Fleece: north face good quality fleece, worked well in colder countries, you can always buy a warmer coat if needed
You can always get clothes and shoes and such in other countries. Bring a cute outfit for when you want to look cute. You won’t regret it.
Vitamin C: to keep you healthy in dirty countries
Books: I liked reading and I wish I would have brought more, a Kindle would be smart
Jewelry: if you wear it bring it, makes any outfit cute
Small Bible: great and portable, it says to bring a study bible but it would be better to have a program on your computer. Saves space and weight.
Writing Utensils: good pens are a must, sharpies fine and medium point, colors!
Printed Pics: different effect them having them just on your computer
Passport Holder: great for travel days, wish I had one
Laundry Bag: great for laundry, preferably with handles and it can double as a shower bag
Super glue & Duck Tape: great for repair
Malaria Medication: Malaria is nothing to be too worried about. In Africa and such they treat it just like another sickness. There are 10 different levels and it rarely gets to be that bad. We only had a few people on the squad get it. Malaria medication does not prevent you totally from getting Malaria, it only prevents it from getting worse or having the worst symptoms. While taking the medication you can get it. I bought a whole year supply and that was totally not necessary. I used less than two months worth. It all depends on the places you go. I looked it up on the CDC site as to which places needed it. Most people only took the medication in Africa. It says you need it in Asia but I didn’t take it there. So really all you need it is in Africa for the 3 months. I took Doxycycline. They are all different in the side effects. So it all depends on the person. If you take Doxy make sure you don’t get sunburnt (my face blew up like a balloon!). And I am not sure about buying it overseas but I heard that it is cheaper!
Other important stuff with no preference: nalgene with splash guard, pocket knife, travel lock, advil or other important medications (they aren’t the same in other countries but you can find someone stuff that does the same thing), a few carabineers, cards, sunglasses, large mirror, pad of paper, tweezers, nail clippers, needle and thread, first aid kit.
VIDEO TIPS
- Videos should be no longer than 3 minutes, 5 at the max. Super long videos deter people from watching.
- I am a quality freak, so I usually only put music to my video clips because you can’t hear the sound very well. But there are times when you need sound from the clips because of the type of video. So I usually make sure who ever is being filmed talks loud.
- Double check your video at least a few times before exporting.
- Videos are a great way to share blogs so do it often.
- Consider doing a series or videos on the same topic like my missionary living videos. It keeps people coming back for more.
- Put yourself in the viewer’s shoes when filming/making videos. It is usually people who aren’t on the race so they might not understand all that you have in the video.
- Keep away from talking for too long on a video. ie. Sharing a long story with the film just at your face.
- Videos for blogs are important to share about life on the race so be creative. Support raising videos are awesome too.
- As far as videos for churches back home or summing up a month or continent, make sure you tell the viewers about what you did with subtitles or certain ministry specific video. People want to know what you did.
- Don’t be afraid to film people or places, sometimes it may look or feel awkward but you won’t regret it later when you have awesome footage. So make sure you film as much as you think of it. Bring your camera everywhere.
- Depending on what type of camera you have. Avoid zooming when filming. You can always zoom when you make a video on the computer. For my camera it made the video quality go down (see quality freak).
- I have a canon power shot SD1100 IS. I think it worked just fine for videos and pictures. But I would suggest getting an HD flip video camera. That would give you awesome video and in HD. But have another camera for pictures. I am sure you can get it on ebay or amazon very cheap. Time is running out though!
- I also tried to avoid shooting portrait videos because it didn’t ever go in the movie-making program right. I prefer landscape.
- Pick music for videos that are relevant to the type of video.
- Macs usually have fun sounds that you can use too.
- freeplaymusic.com is a place where you can get all kinds of sounds and music with no lyrics. I used it often. But look through it now because Internet around the world is a lot slower.
Questions? Questions?
