World Race packing is daunting and a little counter-intuitive. Being 8 months in, here are some things I’ve come to learn and love.
1. Less is more. Less, less, less!
A few months in, you will be slightly happy when things break or run out, knowing you don’t need to replace them and your pack will be lighter. It’s…weird. Save yourself money, effort, and a sore back: apply that mentality early, and go with less.
2. Bring cheap things.
Pack things you don’t care about, things with no sentimental value. A few months in you will be looking for things to ditch, and if they have sentimental value that might be only reason left to keep it. Better to leave it at home.
3. You can buy things abroad.
Everything you actually need is purchasable in other countries. Saving money by buying things in North America ahead of time isn’t a thing! Save yourself the weight in your pack and on your back, and only carry toiletry items for 1-2 weeks. In other words, don’t be like me and bring 4 toothbrushes and 5 tubes of toothpaste.
4. Be ready to share!
Your teammates will have brought things that you didn’t, so don’t worry about bringing everything you might need. There are good lessons to be learned from sharing within the community of your team, and that doesn’t happen when you bring enough backpacks to hold everything you might possibly use plus your sole-survivor mentality. There is no true need that will go un-met.
5. Bring these things.
(Please realize you need a lot more than these things! These are my favourite items.)
Sleeping bag liner
- It’s great for warm nights, to keep the mosquitoes off when a blanket is too hot. My mom bought silk and sewed it into essentially a huge pillowcase.
Pillow & Pillowcase
- Basecamp pillow from MEC (Canadian REI) is self-inflating with half foam, half air. Packs small and light. I love it.
- Mom sewed my pillowcase for me, too. I can’t imagine how dirty my pillow would be without it. Much easier to wash a pillowcase than the pillow.
7″ Tablet
- All the WR packing blogs said “bring a laptop, not a tablet!” I didn’t listen. I’m so glad.
- My little tablet is the only electronic device I brought (besides my camera), and I have never regretted it. It’s super light and discrete to carry on buses, etc.
Point and shoot camera
- It’s small, light, and cheap. This allows me to bring it almost anywhere, take photos or videos discretely, and not worry about kids using it on occasion.
- If I could work one, I may have brought a DSLR instead. My point and shoot photos are not the best quality, but good enough for me.
Micro SD cards & SD-SSDC adapter
- In my camera I use a SD card adapter, into which fits a micro SD card. The micro SD card pops out and goes straight into my tablet for FB uploads, no cords needed.
- SD cards instead of a hard-drive makes sense if you don’t bring a computer. They are much smaller and less fragile.
- No hard-drive means no movies, tv shows or endless podcasts from home, which just means more time spent with your teammates…watching movies on their hard-drive!
Guitar
- Dad lent me his older, but great guitar. It has a much better sound than a travel guitar, and is light enough to carry.
- I was concerned about flying with it, but decided to stick with its original hard case. The case has gotten some wear on it, but not enough to affect the guitar.
- When flying, always walk the guitar all the way to the gate. Do this by hiding the guitar with a friend while you check in your big pack. The security check has never turned me back, probably because some airlines allow guitars as carry-ons though others don’t.
- At the gate it’s luck of the draw. Sometimes you’ll get a spot in the flight attendant’s closet, sometimes they’ll insist you gate-check it in. I always avoid eye-contact and try to slip past the luggage crew. It worked one time.
- Malaysia Airlines once pulled me aside at the gate, and I thought they were going to make me gate-check it. Instead she changed my seat to a row with less people so there might be room in the overhead compartment. There wasn’t, but I got an open seat beside me for my legs to stretch over, and my guitar still got a first-class seat in the storage closet. Thanks, Malaysia Airlines!
- Overall, I have never regretted bringing my guitar. It has provided opportunities to lead worship in every single country, for church services, kids’ Sunday school, team times, squad worship, bonfire worship, beach bonfire worship, and of course, individual worship. If you play guitar in worship, bring a guitar.
Knee-length shorts
- Short shorts are considered inappropriate in almost every country we’ve been, so soccer shorts are much better.
Hammock
- It’s nice to have an alternative to sleeping on the ground. Not a necessity, but worth the weight and packing size.
Plastic mug with lid
- A hot cup of tea is a great treat, and a comfort from home that is easy to pack.
External Peppermint Oil
- For headaches, motion sickness, tummy aches, stuffy nose, you name it!
Very little makeup
- I stopped wearing it week 1 of month 1. One eyeliner would have been enough for the few off-days I dolled up.
Happy packing, and remember: less is always more. Go with less!
