Packing for the World Race is daunting. Not only are you trying to fit everything you think you need for a year in your backpack based off of a typical year of your normal life, you also have to think outside of the box about things you may need because life on the field is so different that life in America.
I’m now four months into the race, and I’ve discovered a few things that I’m so glad I brought with me and some things I’ve realized along the way I really wish I had or have since acquired!
- Things I’m so glad I packed:
- Protective pillow case cover for my pillow
- I brought a memory foam pillow from home that I cut in half, so it’s a bit larger than some of the travel pillows my squad mates have, but it’s been so nice to have a pillow that is supportive yet small enough to travel with! The cover has been nice to protect my pillow from getting dirty on all the public transportation we take when traveling from country to country! Link to the one I have here
- Mesh laundry bag
- This made separating my dirty clothes from my clean ones so much easier without my space being a mess. Also, in some countries you’ll take your laundry to a service that will do it for you for cheap, and taking grocery bags full of clothes gets old really quick! Link to the one I have here
- Dryer Sheets
- I’ve put these in my packing cubes to keep my clothes smelling fresh! They’re also great if you do have access to washer and dryers on the race (it can happen!)
- Drawstring bag to be used as a day pack
- I bought a large day pack, because I’m an over packer and not everything would fit in my big pack. So thinking about going out for ministry, I knew I wouldn’t want my big day pack to lug around just my bible and water in so I brought a cheap drawstring bag with me that was light enough and folded down really small when empty but could carry quite a bit of stuff during ministry outing or be used as a snack bag for travel days!
- Shave Secret Shaving Oil
- This stuff is awesome, you only need a few drops to get a good lather in order to shave and since it’s so small it takes up way less space than shaving cream. A little goes a long way so it will last longer than shaving cream too! Also, with bucket showers, it made shaving much easier, not needing much water to get a close shave. Found at Walmart, here
- Personal Fan
- This has been my best friend on the race so far. If your route is a hot one, I recommend bringing a personal fan with you. I always have a hard time sleeping well if I’m hot and I like white noise in the background as well, so this has been a lifesaver! The one I bought is a little bulky, but it’s rechargeable, so I didn’t have to bring batteries for it. Link to it here
- Blank thank you cards
- These have been great to write encouraging notes to teammates, birthday cards, and thank you cards to ministry hosts and others you encounter on the race!
- Cheap digital camera
- I have an old digital camera from middle school that I brought with me to use on ministry days where I feel like it wouldn’t be smart to pull out my smartphone. It still takes pretty good pictures without the risk of getting your phone taken!
- Sleeping Bag Liner
- Some of my squad mates chose to only bring sleeping bags, but I brought a sleeping bag and a liner, for the hotter countries where wrapping up in my down sleeping bag would have me drenched in sweat all night. I chose one that was supposed to be good at keeping insects away as well, because #spiders Link to mine here
- Seasonings and hot sauce
- I brought salt, pepper and Siracha with me and used it on almost every meal my entire first month to add familiar flavor to my food.
- More clothes than most of my squad mates
- Yes, my bag is usually one of the heaviest, but a little struggle on travel day makes having a variety of options and versatile outfits worth it. This is definitely a personal choice, but I’m glad I chose to pack more rather than less, even though it’s 100% possible to be super minimal with packing your clothes and make it work!
- Eye mask and ear plugs
- Because sleeping in a room with 12 other people can be difficult without a little sound and light cancellation
- Takeya water bottle
- It’s insulated, has a mouthpiece for easy drinking, and handle that with a Carabiner, can be attached to your day pack. It’s not as “world racer” as a Nalgene or Hydroflask, but that was okay with me, haha Link to mine here
- Protective pillow case cover for my pillow
- Things I wish I had brought
- Fabric softener
- hand washing and hang drying your clothes can make them really stiff, so having fabric softener keeps your clothes feeling nice and soft
- Laundry bar
- For tough stains on your clothes! With only packing a few options for clothes, keeping them clean and wearable is important! My teammate brought one and it was amazing!
- Nail polish Remover
- Travel mug instead of a metal camping mug
- Travel charging station
- That has both three prong sockets as well as USB sockets. I’ve been mooching on my teammates all race long!
- Universal converter WITH VOLTAGE converter
- Important as to not fry any of the devices you’re plugging in through the converter
- Slip on, casual sandals
- Two months into the race I was tired of looking sporty with my off-brand chacos or tennis shoes and acquired a cute pair of leather slip on sandals to wear with skirts and dresses
- Fabric softener
I’ll probably update this list later in the race, but as of now this is what I’ve got! Thanks for reading and I pray it helps future racers who are stressing over packing. A word of encouragement: you can buy SO much oversees that you would never expect…if you forget something, don’t worry, either a teammate will have it or you can pick it up along the way. The Lord will provide!
