Hind Sight on World Race packing!

If you’re like me, and you’re going on the World Race, this is what you need:

ps: I’m a easy going, rough it rather then pay for it, let’s make a memory, don’t worry about the meds, see how much fun we can have and still live to tell the tale kinda gal.

Medications:
 
    * Yellow Fever… you HAVE to get this to enter Africa.
    * Malaria meds… I didn’t buy any in the States. They are SOOOO cheep in SAmerica ($2 for 3 months worth) just go to any pharmacy (in any country you’re in). But even after getting the meds I still didn’t take them. If I did it all over again I wouldn’t get any, most places you don’t need them, and even when you do the pills arn’t a guarantee.
    * Anti Diarrhea… I never used the pills I brought. I heard it’s best to let it run its course. You want what ever needs out to get out 🙂
    * The only pill or medication I took all race was a daily vitamin, (and even that I forget to take more often then not) and guess what, I’m still alive!

• Laptop… I started the race with just my IPod touch (thinking I could type blogs on it and get wifi to send them.) No bueno! Thankfully, at the start of month four, my dad let me have his old laptop when we flew through NY. It really helps, with writing blogs and picture stuff, to have your own computer!
• IPod… this is a wonderful invention that is so nice to have on LONG travel days. I’d encourage you to talk to teammates and squad mates on travel days, but there are plenty of times when enough has been said! Fill your IPod up with good biblical teaching and some books on tape! You’re gonna want the spiritual feeding!
• Extra headphones… maybe 2 or three extra pairs. You, or like everyone else you know, are gonna need a new pair a few times along the way!
• Camera… I kinda stopped using mine half way through the race. My one teammate had a nice camera and so I just stole picks from her. But you never know, a lot of people lost, broke, or had their cameras stolen, so it’s nice to have backup!
• Outlet converter… you’re gonna want your own 🙂
• Small power strip. A lot of times there’s not enough outlets for everyone to plug their electronics into at once. A little doubling or tripling the amount of plugs can go a long way! 

 
Sleeping gear:

• Ear plugs… plenty of noises to keep out, both from inside and outside. A lot of people snore ya know. But seriously after a few months I got used to sleeping through anything and didn’t need them any more!
• Tent… don’t get the most expensive you can find, unless you plan to use it a ton after the race. Out of 11 months I used mine 4 months. Look for one that will keep the bugs off and the breeze in, the more mesh the cooler you’ll be! A mesh tent is all you’ll need for a mosquito net, and your contacts will provide a mosquito net for you when you need one. I got my tent for $50 off Amazon.
• Sleeping bag liner… I made my own out of a sheet folded over and sewed in half. It was really nice to have both to keep my sleeping bag clean and to use when it wasn’t cold enough to go into my sleeping bag. I ditched it though for the last 2 months and just used 2 sarongs, cause it was HOT.
• Sleeping pad… here’s where you may want to splurge. I got the short size (even though I’m not short) to save money and space. I liked it, but it would have been even more comfortable to have one that went past my knees :). I needed my sleeping pad 6 out of 11 months.
  

Clothing:

• No more then 4 tee shirts… seriously, I didn’t listen to former racers when they said that either, but I wished I had. Bring tees you don’t mind leaving behind (they will be worn out by the end). You’re gonna get tired of the same clothes and want to swap it out on the free table.
• 1 pair jeans
• 1 pair capris
• 2 pair sports shorts… please do respect AIM and your contacts and keep them to your knee!
• 1 pair board shorts… for swimming and for everyday wear they are long enough and still look “girly”.
• 1 long skirt
• 1 knee length skirt
• 1 nice church outfit… you will pick up traditional and cool clothes along the way. I’m telling you pack light and you will fill your bag up by the end!
• 1 Bandana
• 10 pair underwear… some ppl swear by the exofficio underwear. I just had normal Wal-Mart undies and would wash them and hang them out and they’d be dry for the next day. I’m cheep, but I really don’t see the major difference.
• 5 pair socks
• Bras… girls you’ll want some good sports bras, and some normal for feeling normal.
• 2 pair flip-flops… I went through like 6 pairs throughout the race – I wore them constantly. But you can buy them basically anywhere you go.
• 1 nice pair of sneakers… I didn’t really wear my Keens. It was either flip flops or sneaks for me. But a lot of ppl did wear their sandal things a lot though.
• 1 Sweatshirt… I’d almost say two cause I love sweats.
• 1 pair sweat pants… of all the things I wished I’d brought on the race this is what I missed the most! If you’re a comfy cozy person, bring your sweats!
• Rain jacket… if you want. I didn’t and there were only a very few times I got a bit wet cause I didn’t have one.
• Sunglasses… they’re cheep and fun to buy a lot of places you go though 🙂

 
Other stuff:

• Clothes line
• After bite
• Shampoo… don’t bother getting dry shampoo or anything extreme, just a normal month size bottle. You can replenish anywhere.
• Diva Cup… girls I totally encourage it!
• Small hydrogen peroxide… I didn’t have this but wished I had, you want to be able to dump some cleaning stuff on cuts you get. But I wouldn’t go and purchase a whole first aid kit. There will be a team one provided and you can just replenish that as needed.

• Bible… I’m glad I brought my hunker with a concordance!
• Gospel tracks… get some in the languages of the countries your going to (really helps with the language barriers)
• Extra pens… they get lost and “stolen” all the time, but you can buy more basically anywhere.
• Season All spice… That’s my favorite, and there will be times a little spice will make a bland meal delish!

 
Backpacking gear:

• Backpack… don’t go top of the line, you don’t really use it much as a backpack. It will mostly be stuffed inside an air porter for travel. I started of with a backpack I’d purchased years before at a flea market for $20. Then I bought a new knockoff backpack at a Thai market for $40.
• Air porter… I used an army style duffle bag and it held up whereas a lot of peoples air porters ripped and broke.
• Daypack… this is where you want a nice backpack cause you’ll use it all the time for extra luggage, and daily travel.
• Pocketknife… I used mine, and my scissors pretty often.
• Pepper spray… never had to use it, but good to have at least one on the team.
• Flashlight
• Head lamp
• Eating utensils… don’t spend a ton of money. There were 2 months that I “needed” my own stuff. I had brought a Frisbee to second as a plate/bowl, but I lost it in a frozen river month 4. Sporks are nice to have even just for pb&j’s.
• Watch
• Insect repellent
• Water bottle
• Towel… I started off with just a hand towel and then picked up a full size bath towel from a teammate going home. Don’t get one of them quick dry things, they stink – literally.

 
Games:

• Cards
• Dice… for farkle
• Banana grams
• Frisbee
• Soccer ball
• Pump

 
Documentation:

• Passport
• Yellow fever card
• Copy of drivers license
• Copy of insurance
• Copy of passport
• List of addresses
• Phone numbers for debit card, credit card, bank and insurance
• 8 passport style pictures
• Drivers license
• Pictures of my family

 
Planning ahead:

• Look up gospel type skits and have the roles saved on your computer. You never know when you’ll need it and if you’ll have Internet. For kids improv bible stories are great and they don’t take any prep!
• Make sure you know fun kids songs. You’ll use them all the time.
• Have a list of facts you want to write down for each country. I wish now I would have done this, cause you forget so fast. Ex: How much money does the average person make? How much does a house cost? What is their currency? What is the countries greatest need? And so on…