When I first heard about the World Race, the idea of traveling the world for 11 months and living out of a backpack sounded incredible and adventurous. But once I was accepted to the race and the reality of putting everything you need for a year in one suddenly small looking backpack is very daunting. I remember scouring the World Race blogs looking for packing tips and researching backpacking like it was my job. But even with all the preparation and researching, I still made packing mistakes. I will share them here in the hopes of future racers learning lessons from my blunders.
First, every route is different and more than likely, your route will change. We started out with a route that was primarily hot countries, this changed into a route with primarily cold countries. So, just realize that when you go on a trip like this, some changes are unavoidable and some things you thought were going to be really helpful to have will be really unhelpful in the end. It is ok, you will survive, I promise.
Also realize that this list is my opinion based on my experience. Don’t take anything I say as absolute, but just as a guide from someone who has done it.
1. Do not try to outsmart the World Race packing list
I thought I was smarter than the World Race packing list. I wasn’t. The packing list you are given is written by people who know what they are doing. Take their advice. I did not bring a sleeping bag because I thought I would be in an all summer route, I wasn’t. Oops.
2. Bring clothes you like to wear
Leave your favorite sweatshirt at home. Everything you bring will likely smell, be covered in paint or be completely ruined by the time you get home. But bring clothes you actually enjoy wearing. Don’t bring a ton of athletic wear, unless that is all you wear at home. I am glad I brought jeans and few cute tops for days I felt like dressing up a bit. Also, I brought make up and I am happy I did. Even though I go weeks without wearing it, it is still nice to have for days when I want to go take pictures on the Great Wall of China or something equally impressive. Oh, and bring layers, that will help for any unexpected route changes into cold countries.
3. Do not bring a lot of replacements of items
There is NO reason to carry around five sticks of deodorant. Almost every country I have been to has it. Every route is different, but most places I have been we were close enough to a city to buy toothpaste and shampoo so there is no reason to carry around tons of extras of anything. Trust me, after you carry your bag around a few times, you will wish you did not have all that extra stuff.
4. Invest in your gear
Do not just buy the cheapest gear. You will want your gear to last you the whole year and when you are sleeping on the floor, you will wish you had spent the extra money on that thicker mat. Buy an airporter to go over your pack. At this point my pack is in great condition and it has survived seven months of being tossed around on dirty buses. Thanks airporter. Hint: I bought a bug repellant sleeping bag liner and it was one of the best investments ever! It saved me from a lot of bug bites.
http://www.rei.com/product/797112/sea-to-summit-insect-shield-coolmax-adaptor-liner-mummy
5. Bring lots of underwear
Fourteen pairs may seem a little excessive, it’s not. Trust me, I have never regretted it.
6. Shoes are important
Bring shoes you can hike in, work in, and walk in comfortably. My friends blessed me with a really nice pair of shoes before I left and I am really glad I have them. Also, if you are going to Asia at all you will be taking your shoes off every time you enter a home. My advice, bring shoes that are easy to slip on and off. You don’t want to be “that guy” everyone is always waiting on to get your shoes off and on. I might have been that person.
7. If it is important to you, bring it
Taking care of my skin is important to me so I brought a full size face wash and moisturizer. I do not regret it at all because water around the world has the ability to tear up your skin. Decide what is important to you and let that influence what you bring. If you can go a year without it, don’t worry about it.
8. Get a good travel adaptor
This doesn’t seem like a big deal, but it is. I am beyond happy with my choice of travel adaptor and it has worked in every country with no problem. It is small, easy to use and I like it better than any I have ever seen. Check it out, trust me on this one.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000ES6KPM/ref=oh_details_o01_s00_i00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
9. Bring things that are lightweight
You will carry your bag, it will be heavy, and your back will hurt. So do yourself a favor and get lighter gear. Tent: get one that is lightweight and waterproof. Wet tents are no fun. Sleeping bag: I didn’t bring one remember, but if I had one, I would want it to be light. You get the idea.
10. Electronics- bring what you use at home
I am glad I brought my MacBook, even though it is heavy. I am glad I brought my iphone and my point and shoot camera and I am glad I brought a Kindle. If I could go back I might invest in a MacBook air because that would be nice to carry around the world. You will probably want to bring an external hard drive as well. I am glad I did.
11. Do not panic!
Packing meltdowns, common terminology to a World Racer. This is when you sit on the floor surrounded by all the things that will not fit in your bag and cry or stare lifelessly at the wall. Just kidding, sort of. If I could go back in time to September and tell myself anything about packing, I would tell myself not to panic. You can buy things around the world, you can live without a LOT of things for a year and in the long run, you will end up throwing half of the things you brought out anyway. Packing is part of this crazy amazing journey, embrace it!
Here I am overpacked and ready to go last September!
I hope these tips are helpful! I have tons more advice and mistakes I could share so if you are a future racer who is interested in some more advice, send me an email and I will be happy to help! [email protected]
