Here is a list of tid bits of advice I wish someone had told me while I was prepping for the Race. Some of the things on my list I stumbled upon the hard way (trail and error) while others I didn't discover until I was a few months into the Race. My hope is that you can skip the struggles and head to smooth sailing. I hope it helps! Feel free to message me with any specific questions you have. 🙂
15
Think of a way to record your Race creatively before you leave. Maybe you want to start a collection of something small (postcards, currency, stamps, bracelets, earrings) or perhaps you want to keep track of things like number of hours spent on a bus, the number of plane rides you take, or the number of hot showers you experience along the way. One girl on my team has a polaroid camera and she takes pictures to paste into her journal or give to a child in the street. Whatever you decide, decide it before you leave so you don't miss any parts of the journey. Remember to make your Race yours. You'll be thankful for ways to help your remember all you've seen, experienced and learned when the journey is over.
14
Get mailing addresses for friends and family members ahead of time. You'll want them once you start to send postcard updates from each country and it is difficult and time-consuming to get them once you're out of the country.
13
You might laugh at this one, but I read on someone's blog before I left that the guys on their team had been washing to girls' laundry. I freaked out. Boys? Handwashing my underwear? I'd rather die first. There are few things more intimate that handwashing. Rest assured, ladies. The men on your team will NOT be washing your underwear (you'll be lucky if you can get them to take out the trash). If anything, you'll be washing theirs.
12
Don't ever mail journals home. At some point your bag will get heavy and it'll be tempting to send home that journal that's been full for two months and is adding weight to your daypack, but don't do it. Souvenirs you'll get over, but journals are irreplaceable. I had a teammate mail 2 of hers home from Cambodia and the package never made it.
11
Getting an REI membership snags you 10% off of any single item in the store (that can be a lot of moola when buying a big item like a tent or sleeping bag). Ask your friends and family if they'd be willing to sign up for memberships as well so you can give them money to buy items using their accounts. 10% off everything? Yes, please!
10
If the first countries on your route are Nepal or Thailand, you can buy SO much of your equipment there for much cheaper than you would at home. Nepal, especially, has endless strings of outdoor stores since it's home to the Himalayas and is a hub for campers, backpackers and hikers.
9
Make sure to transfer your Power of Attorney to your parents or someone else you trust before you leave. This will enable them to do your taxes, clear up any legal issues that come up while you're away, transfer money to and from your banking account (but only if you let them), or help you clear up problems when your get locked out of your account because your bank thinks India is a suspicious location.
8
As far as packing is concerned, the best advice I received before the Race was: If you use it every day at home, bring it. That goes for everything. Make-up. Paints. Your guitar. If you love it, bring it. It will honestly make home not seem so far away on days when you're feeling homesick and will allow you to express yourself in a way that is unique to who you are.
7
When I left for the Race, I was given a used MacBook. I was so grateful! My old laptop was over 5 years old and was not going to make it through another year. With so much to do before leaving the country, I didn't take the time to download Microsoft Office or Photoshop onto my sweet Mac. I figured I wouldn't need them. Bad idea. As it turns out, our team spent two full months teaching computer classes to students in Nepal and Cambodia. Trying to teach my students how to use Word and Powerpoint without actually having those programs was virtually impossible. Then Malaysia and Vietnam, my ministries asked me to do some photo editing for them. Having gone to school for photography, I was squirming to use Photoshop. So basically, if you have the opportunity to download Microsoft Office or other programs you're skilled in onto your computer, do it. It could be a huge ministry tool!
6
Signing up for frequent flyer miles before the Race might just get you a discounted or free ticket home at the end of the Race. Do it!
5
When looking at the endless list of shots and vaccinations you'll need in order to go on this journey, you might have a minor heart attack (especially if you're scared of needles like me). Your shots can be pricey, but good news! You don't need to get the Japanese Encephalitis or rabies shots. You are only really at risk for JE when staying in one location in Asia for an extended amount of time. Since you move from month to month and the likelihood of a breakout to occurring while you are in that country is extremely slim, skip the shot and save yourself $500.
4
Don't leave home without a Schwab card! I know the process to apply and get one is a bit of a pain, BUT it is completely worth having zero ATM fees while your teammates will be paying $5 per transaction. Start the application process early and don't forget to do a Schwab-specific Power of Attorney form if you'll be having someone at home handling your finances and keeping your account topped-off while you're away. Schwab's POA form can be found on their website.
3
Although the official WR packing list says it, $100 per month is NOT enough spending money. Remember that you are doing life for one entire year. That means you'll have to pay for more than just fun activities like rafting the Nile (which costs $115 alone) or souvenir shopping. You will have to buy everyday stuff like toothpaste and bodywash too. Things tend to break or get lost on the Race so sometimes you'll have to replace some things that you need. Not only that but internet isn't always free. Whether you're chatting on Skype at the local internet cafe or sipping a mocha in order to bum off the coffee shop's wifi, it'll cost you something. During months when you are in charge of your own meals, the food budget won't always be enough to cover meals. There were many months where my team was placed in a city, which by nature is more expensive, and our food budget was really only a "discount" on our meals. My recommendation would be $200 per month.
2
It is possible to get Malarone for FREE. If you didn't excited about this, you haven't looked up the price of Malaria pills yet. Go ahead, Google Malarone. I double dare you. You didn't, did you? Well, just to be nice, I'll tell you anyway. One pill of Malarone can cost anywhere from $5 to $8 and they have to be taken daily. So theoretically, if you were on a route like mine that spent 6 months in Asia and 3 in Africa, your grand shopping total would come to two thousand, two hundred and thirty two doll hairs. *Gulp* Now are you excited? That's what I thought.
Okay, so here's the scoop. There is a program called Bridges to Access that gives prescription medicine to people who make under a certain amount in income. You're a missionary now. Guess what that means? You're income just got spliced. Go to the website, fill out an application and mail it in.
***TIP: Apply at least 3 months before leaving for the Race. Your prescription can only be filled once every month, so you'll want at least 2 or 3 months worth before heading onto the field. After that you can have a parent or friend continue to fill to prescription for you and mail them to AIM for your coaches to bring out to you on the field at your next debrief. They will only bring prescription meds or banking card, though, so don't get any crazy ideas of having your mom smuggle in your favorite stuffed animal, Jingles.
Alternatively, you can skip the hassle and just bring a year's worth of Doxycycline, which is so cheap it's practically free to begin with. It is also the only other Malaria med that covers both strains of Malaria that are found in Asia and in Africa. Plus, Doxy clears up your skin (score). The catch? Doxycycline causes increased sensitivity to the sun so be prepared for sunburns. It also can cause some wicked nausea if taken on an empty stomach. Doxy is a cheap antibiotic so it isn't great for your body to be dependent on for an extended period of time and there is a small chance that there could be permanent damage with extended use. Since being in Africa, 8 or so people on my squad have developed Malaria and so far all of them have been on Doxy.
Don't stress. Pray about it. God takes care of his children. 🙂
1
Although the actual Race costs $15,500, you will actually need to raise well over that amount in order to cover spending money (+/- $2,200), your roundtrip ticket to training camp, your flights to the start of the Race and back home from the end of the Race, and to purchase your equipment (this can easily cost anywhere from $1000 to $2000 depending on sales or items that are gifted to you). Add in the cost of vaccinations (approximately $500) and you're looking at around $5,500 on top of the fifteen grand you are already raising. I am not saying any of this to scare you. The Lord is so good and He gives good gifts to His children. He will provide for you if you are called. I have no doubt about it. I am only warning you so that you set a realistic goal for fundraising.
