MyWorld Race ended one week ago today so for my last ever WR blog, I thought I would help out the future racer’s and write a packing blog. Before I launched, I read so many packing blogs, printed them off, and checked them off, and they helped me tremendously.
Packing for the race can seem so overwhelming, trust me, I know. So here’s my advice, pack the absolute necessities, and don’t stress about everything else. Every country you go to will have clothing and toiletries for pretty cheap, and you will pick up stuff at free tables, markets, and thrift stores along the way.
Disclaimer: Everyone’s World Race is different. You will go to different countries than I did, and the weather will be different everywhere you go so make sure to research your countries while planning the clothes you’ll pack.
Gear:
Big Backpack- I got the red Ariel 65 women’s pack. It was perfect for me, and I highly recommend it.
Daypack- I got the tree frog green North Face Borealis laptop backpack. It worked great for me, but any heavy duty backpack with pockets will do.
Airporter- The REI brand airporter fit my pack well, and held up the whole race. But DO NOT get an Osprey one. Some of my squadmates had the Osprey one and it ripped in just a few months.
Packing Cubes- Eagle Creek double sided packing cubes worked great. The double sided ones are best because they work like drawers. Get 2-4 depending on how many clothes you have. Packing cubes are so much better than stuff sacks because your clothes are organized and kept from wrinkling.
Tent- I got a Marmot. Almost any tent worked fine for everyone, but I personally never tented once the entire race. So just make sure you get a very light weight one because you might never use it.
Sleeping Pad- I am warning you, DON’T get a thermarest. I hated mine. It was so flat, and my back always hurt after using it. Get a pad that inflates because you will most likely use it plenty on the race. I unfortunately slept on mine for nearly 3 months.
Sleeping Bag- Get a lightweight one that packs down small. I used mine the entire race so quality is important. Just use your own discretion for warmth.
Sleeping Bag liner- So so so important. I used mine everyday of the race. The coolmax bug repellent one worked great! It actually repels bugs, and kept me cool in the hot countries.
Pillow- The REI travel pillow worked fine for most people, however, I brought my full-sized pillow from home, and I’m so happy about that decision. It was nice to have it in airplanes, and wasn’t too big of a deal to carry around.
Hammock- An ENO is fun to have, but not necessary. I didn’t use mine that often, but some of my teammates slept in theirs for months at a time. Just make sure you bring hammock straps and an ENO bug net if you plan on sleeping in it.
Clothes:
Some packing blogs tell you to bring all quick-dry clothes, but that is so unnecessary. 9 months or 11 months is a long time to be wearing athletic clothes. In those months, you will want to dress up, feel normal, and look normal. I was shocked at how little I actually wore my quick dry athletic clothes. Also, you don’t have to bring as many clothes are you’re probably thinking you’ll need. My squad bought so many cute clothes at thrift stores in Zambia, the night market in Thailand, and garage sales in Guatemala, and we ended up dropping most of the clothes we brought from home anyways.
T-shirts- Bring 4 solid colored V-necks to wear as athletic clothes or to match your skirts.
Tank tops- I never liked wearing tanks until the race, but Africa is HOT. So bring 1 or 2 good tanks. You can wear them over swimsuits or with dresses too.
Cute blouses- Bring 2 nicer tops to wear to church or on off days to make you feel more normal.
“Work shirt”- Since clothes are scarce, you won’t want to ruin one of your T-shirts so make sure you have a shirt to work in or paint in and don’t care if it’s ruined.
Rain Jacket- Whatever people say, BRING ONE. I was caught in so many rainstorms, and it saved me to have one.
Jacket- I used my fleece all the time. If you don’t go to a cold country, airplanes are still cold!
Leggings- I brought 1 pair of cotton leggings for plane rides and lazy days, and 1 pair of nice Lulu Lemon type leggings for activities.
Athletic Shorts- I brought 2 pairs of Nikes. We used them to work out, do construction, or even sleep in.
Jeans- Depending on how much you love wearing jeans, bring 1 or 2 pairs. I brought 2 pairs of skinny jeans and wore them both all the time. I don’t care how many blogs say not to bring them, you WILL wear them!!
Skirts- I personally hate skirts so I originally brought 2 maxi skirts and 1 knee-length skirt, but I sent them all home and traded them for dresses. So if you like skirts, bring 1 or 2.
Dresses- I started the race with 1, and ended the race with 4. I picked them up on free tables and got them for cheap in Thailand. Just make sure they are knee length.
I recommend bringing a pair of jean shorts. I didn’t pick up a pair till the end of the race, and I regretted it. Everyone who brought a pair loved them.
Do not bring hiking pants or those long bermuda shorts. We all brought them, and NO ONE wore them. They are a waste of space.
Underwear- Bring what you normally wear. I ended up buying a couple pairs of the famous Ex Officio and I never even wore them. I also brought more underwear than most people, but I was so thankful. I brought 30 pairs and loved it, but you’ll be okay with 15.
Bras- Bring 2 normal bras, and 2 sports bras. They all lasted the whole race and it worked out fine.
Accessories- Bring 1 belt, 1 or 2 headbands, 1 scarf, and whatever jewelry you like..
Socks- Bring several pair. On the WR, you tend to have permanently dirty feet so sometimes it’s nice to have clean feet inside socks.
Shoes:
Chacos/Tevas/Keens- I wore Chacos literally every single day of the race, but my teammates had Tevas and Keens so just bring whichever you like most.
Tennis Shoes- I never wore mine, but most people did so bring a lightweight pair.
Don’t bring “cute” shoes. At the beginning of the race, I brought a pair of cute sandals and after walking 3 miles to church one morning my feet hurt so bad, I threw them out.
Toiletries:
Shampoo and conditioner- Bring a travel sized bottle of each. You can buy them in any country you go.
Toothbrushes and toothpaste- I brought 3 toothbrushes and 5 travel sized containers of toothpaste and it lasted me the whole race. I never had to buy more.
Sunscreen- Bring a bottle. It’s super expensive in other countries.
Baby Wipes- This is one of my most used items on the whole World Race! Trust me, toilet paper, baths, cleaning. These will be a life saver. Bring as many packs as you can stuff in your backpack.
Razor- They only have the cheap 2 blades in other countries, so bring a non-disposable one and a few extra blades to last the whole race.
Nail Clippers- Bring a pair. It seemed like everyone forgot to bring one and all borrowed mine, so it’ll deftly get enough use.
If you wear contacts, bring plenty of solution cause it’s hard to find in some countries.
Deodorant- I brought 2 sticks of my favorite and they lasted me the whole race. If you sweat a lot, make sure to bring enough to last the whole race cause stick deodorant hardly exists in foreign countries.
Bring LOTS of hair ties and bobby pins. They will all somehow magically disappear.
Perfume- I brought a whole bottle even though it’s large and it has been SO nice. I never ran out, while some people have been constantly buying more.
Makeup- I used to never leave the house without a full face, but I really grew a lot in confidence on the race, but I still loved wearing mascara. So bring 1-3 tubes of mascara, 1 tube of BB cream, a small eyeshadow palette, and a lipstick. Even on dressy nights out, that’s plenty.
If you prefer tampons, bring enough to last the whole race cause they are extremely expensive in other countries. Pads are pretty cheap and available everywhere.
Medicine- It’s all available overseas, but it is often expensive.
Advil/ Tylenol- If you take painkillers often, bring enough to last.
Immodium- Trust me, bring some.
Bring a Z-pack!!!!
Pepto pills- Yes. You will have stomach issues at some point and wish you had some.
You don’t need anything that comes in the basic first aid kit (band aids, antibacterial wipes, neosporin) because your team leader will have a kit.
Electronics:
IPhone or Itouch- When you get wifi, it’s so nice to be able to text and FaceTime your friends and family. Plus, that’s what I used to take all my pictures and notes in church, and listen to music. It’s hands down one of my most used items.
Laptop- I almost didn’t bring one, but I am so glad I did. It made it the entire race without getting stolen or broken. My team loved using it to watch movies, and I uploaded so many pictures on it, wrote a ton of blogs on it, and used it to Skype my family.
You don’t need a regular iPod. I brought one and sent it home because I only used my iPhone for music. Plus, a bunch of people on my squad lost theirs or it got stolen.
You also don’t need a Kindle/Nook. I used my phone and downloaded the Kindle app, but if you are really obsessed with reading, it’s not a bad idea.
Mophie iPhone case- If you don’t know what this is, look it up! It was a lifesaver! Everyone else’s phones were dying on travel days except for mine, and on regular days, I only had to charge my phone every 2 or 3 days.
Converter/adapter- Bring 1 converter. DON’T bring an adapter.
Headphones- Bring 2-3 pairs. They tend to go missing or break pretty easily. You will use them regularly!! Bring at least 1 really nice noise-blocking pair to sleep with or use on travel day.
External Hard drive- World Racers are famous for sharing movies, music, and pictures, and I promise your hard drive will be used a lot!
If you’re into photography, bring your fancy DSLR. Several of my teammates brought them and took amazing pictures and videos, but I used my IPhone and liked it just fine.
USB’s- Bring 1 or 2. Again, you will use them to share music, movies, and pics. Trust me.
Headphone Splitter- I brought a 5 split one and everyone loved me for it. I think people borrowed it more than I used it.
Miscellaneous:
Ziplock bags- Bring 1 pack, but take them out of the box when you pack them. I loved having them.
Towels- I brought 2 REI quick-dry towels and they worked fine.
Febreze- I brought 1 bottle, and it totally saved my clothes when I hadn’t washed them in 3 weeks.
Journal- Bring 1 good one, and you can buy more in pretty much any country.
Pens- BRING LOTS. These always disappear. And you can never find good ones in other countries.
I brought a headlamp, but I never used it once. Some people enjoyed having theirs though.
Travel Mirror- Some places we stayed didn’t even have a mirror, so this was a lifesaver.
Bible- Obviously. I brought a small sized NIV and I loved it. Although, I wish I brought a bigger one so I could write in it more.
Letters from home- Have your family write you open-when letters to open through out the year. It was such a special thing for me to look forward to.
Tide to go stick- Bring 1 or 2. I used mine all the time to get that nasty, African dirt out of my clothes.
Nalgene- I never used mine, but everyone else on my squad loved theirs so up to you…
Necessities:
Passport- Obviously.
Driver’s license.
ATM/ bank card.
2 copies of your passport.
At least 6 copies of your passport picture. (You will use these so much.)
DON’T BRING:
Adaptor- You won’t need it, I promise.
Mess Kit- Seriously, it takes up so much room and you don’t need it.
Clothesline- Everywhere already has them and it just gets all tangled.
Travel Alarm Clock- Just use your iPhone or iPod or whatever.
Travel Locks- I never used the ones I brought. They ended up being a waste of space and weight.
Roll of Toilet Paper- Just no. You can get that anywhere you go.
Roll of Ducktape- I brought one and never used it.
Okay, that’s my list. I really hope it helps as you are probably stressed out and about to leave for the adventure of a lifetime!
But here’s my real advice: Don’t stress! If you forget anything, you will most likely be able to buy it wherever you’re going, and if not, your team is there to help you out. Most of all, God is the one calling you to go on this crazy journey, so He’s not going to leave you hanging. He really, truly provides, and He will bring you through this, I promise.
And know this, I am praying for you, Future Racer! Do not limit God this year! He is so good, and He will completely transform your life this year! Get ready for an amazing race!!
You got this!!
Much love,
Amy Whelchel
If you have questions or wanna talk about my race, email me at [email protected]
Or just message me on Facebook and I’d love to talk to you!!
