Tackling TBB Packing

7 months. 1 backpack.

Well, two backpacks. But, hey, I still have to fit seven months of my life into them. Departure is less than two weeks away, so that means it's time to pack! 

Let me start off by saying the purpose of this post is to help be a guide for future TBB students by showing them what I originally packed and then later reflecting on my packing job (what I wish I packed, what I wish I didn't pack, etc...) after the trip. 
Also, big disclaimer: I don't really know what I'm doing. The longest trip I've been on was three weeks, so I'm mostly following the packing list and advice given by the TBB team. Again, this is mainly a starting/reference post for the future post reflecting on how well all this carries through my 7 months abroad.

TBB is fantastic at helping you prepare for their program. They provide a packing list, country briefings, and vaccine recommendations! But, I'm just going to get into the packing process. Now, even though TBB provides a packing list, there were some things I decided not to bring and there were also things I decided to add. I'll mention when something I bring strays from the list or if I decided to leave it out. So, let's get into it, shall we?

For my larger backpack that is going to carry the majority of my stuff I chose the Osprey Porter 46.






And, for my regular day backpack I have the High Sierra Loop Backpack.

So, those backpacks are all I'm using to pack up all 7 months worth of life into!

There's one thing I made sure to do before packing it all up. I selected an outfit for day 1 of travel, and it would be a good idea to pack some spare clothes in your carry-on. Now, what's in my bag?

Clothes:

• Light, packable Eddie Bower down jacket
• Light warm sweatshirt
• REI Co-op Women's Rhyolite Rain Jacket
• 1 pair of jeans
• 2 pair of pants for working/hiking. They look something like this.
• 2 pair of athletic/yoga pants - TBB recommends to bring only one pair
• 2 pair of harem/elephant pants
• 1 long sleeve shirt - TBB recommends 2, but I substituted one for a flannel.
• 1 flannel
• 9 short sleeve / lightweight / t- shirts - I brought 7 t-shirts, 1 super-thin long sleeve shirt for sun protection, and 1 athletic shirt
• 3 pair of shorts; 2 athletic, 1 regular - TBB recommends only 2 pair
• 10 pairs of underwear
• 10 pairs of socks
• 3 sports bras
• 3 regular bras - TBB recommends only 2
• 1 bralette - I added this
• 2 swimsuits - 1 bikini, 1 one piece
• 1 dress - for more formal occasions
• 1 sarong - I added this
• 1 romper - I added this
• 2 tank tops; 1 for sleeping, 1 active wear - I added this

Shoes:

• Teva Olowahu flip-flops
• KEEN sandals
• Adidas Women's Superstars
• NOTE: TBB recommends another pair of 'casual' shoes

Toiletries:

• 1 bar of biodegradable soap - in a soap box - TBB recommends shampoo and conditioner; both biodegradable
• 1 biodegradable shampoo bar - also in  a soap box
• Philosophy purity facewash - I added this
• 1 compostable toothbrush
• Toothpaste
• Wet brush - I added this
• Deodorant
• Razor (not pictured)
• 2 bottles of  Wilderness Wash; soap for dishes, laundry, body, and hair! It's biodegradable too. (not pictured) - I added this
• 2 chapsticks with SPF
• Diva Cup - I added this
• Cleansing wipes - I added this

Travel Items:

• Sunscreen
• Bug spray
• Camelbak All Clear purification water bottle x 2
• Anti-bacterial retainer cleaning tablets - these are for cleaning waterbottles
• Bottle cleaning sponges; my mom insisted on these, but I think I'll be fine with the tablets - I added this
• Lifestraw; I'm going to be honest: I'm probably going to give this away as I feel it's completely unnecessary. But, my mother bought it for me and insists I bring it. - I added this 
• 1 wide brimmed sun hat
• 2 pair of sunglasses
• 1 baseball cap - I added this
• 1 winter headband
• 1 pair of winter gloves
• Small falshlight
• Timex Marathon watch
• GoPro Hero 5 Session - Along with the charger, water handle, selfie stick (good for more than just selfies), and the head/helmet strap.
• Travel plug adapter
• Quick dry towel from REI
• Wet bag; Used to put wet items in so you can put them into your backpack and not get the stuff in there wet too. - I added this
• Pictures of family, friends, and hometown to share with host families (not pictured)
• "Lies My Teacher Told Me" by  James W. Loewen - I pulled this from the TBB recommended reading list
• 2 journals; one for the program and seminars, and one for personal use (not pictured)
• Pencil bag full of colors :) (not pictured)
• Gifts for my host families (not pictured) - Novelty items from your state/city are the best!
• Small tissue packs; since toilet paper is not always available in other countries (not pictured)
• mp3 player loaded with some tunes
• Earbuds (not pictured)
• Small external hard drive for photos (not pictured)
• Travel pillow/blanket (not pictured) - I added this
• 1 small purse (not pictured)
• My wallet with ID and debits cards etc.. (not pictured) - I added this
• NOTE: No phone, phone charger, or laptop since TBB does not allow any personal devices that can connect to wifi/the internet!

Medicine:

• On TBB's packing list it reads: Personal medication. But, for future TBB students, I want to share what I'm bringing because I believe they will have to be taking this problem medicine as well......Anti-malarial medicine, or more specifically doxycycline. This medicine has many side effects, and you don't want to take it unless necessary. But, it's definitely better than contracting malaria.  So, to combat these side effects I'm also taking a couple other daily medicines. Doxy is a minor anti-biotic, so I'll be taking pro-biotics to balance that out. Doxy also cancels out the effects of birth control, so keep that in mind. Another doxy side effect is UV sensitivity, and since I'm already very sunburn prone, I'll be taking sun/UV protection pills daily.
• Daily multi vitamin - This also falls under personal medication
• Printed proof of prescription(s); helpful for international travel - I added this
• Daily pill organizer - I added this
• Antibiotic cream
• Anti-itch cream
• Bandaids
• Reliefband; for nausea - TBB recommends motion sickness medicine, and this works for that. But, it also works for nausea in general.
• Advil
• EmergencyC tablets and electrolyte tablets
• Hand sanitizer 
• Anti-diarrhea medicine - I added this 
• DiaResQ - I added this 
• Allergy relief - I added this
• NOTE: TBB recommends a small bottle of hydrogen peroxide, but I chose not to include that.

Now, I just wanna touch a little on how I organized my bag.

I used Eagle Creek packing cubes for my clothes.

I used a hanging toiletry bag for well, toiletries.

For the rest, I pretty much just shoved my shoes and extra clothes in there along with a ziploc bag full of medicine. 

And, that's my pack!

There is one more thing I feel needs to be said. I totally feel like I'm over packing. Just wanted to get that out there.

After my trip I plan on writing a reflection post for future TBB students all about how well I did on my packing job. We'll see how this goes...!!!

Keep thinking,

Meg

What the heck am I up to?

Quick Post:

So, here I am, 10 days from my departure on my gap year adventure.

I've gotten a lot of the same questions over and over again, so I've decided to do a little FAQ about what's up with me and my life until April 2018. 

FAQ about me & my gap year

1) You graduated! College?

Nope, not yet. I'm going with Thinking Beyond Borders (or TBB) on their Global Gap Year program.

2) Are you ever going to college?

I plan on applying to schools (while on the program!) and attending college in fall 2018. But, plans can change.

3) Wait, weren't you just in Thailand?

Yes, I was. You can read all about my experience here: After High in Chiang Mai. Now, I found most were confused by this, so let me clear it up. My first trip to Thailand was a Christmas gift from my lovely parents. I went with Global Leadership Adventures (or GLA), a company that takes high school aged kids abroad to volunteer and explore! Now, I'm going on my gap year trip with Thinking Beyond Borders, a different company that provides gap year programs for college age students. They are separate programs, and yes both of them include Thailand.

Now, if you go to TBB's page (TBB Global Gap Year) the following questions are answered, but if you don't feel like it I'll also put some quick answers below the questions :)

4) Where are you going?

Guatemala (9 weeks), Thailand (7 weeks), Cambodia (1 week), Ghana (7 weeks), Morocco (1 week), Washington DC (3 weeks). If you read TBB's page, yes, I'm going to Thailand, not India. TBB had to change locations, but I don't know the specifics of the location change.

5) Who are you going with?

Others students also taking a gap year. The age range is 17-22 (But, I believe the oldest on my trip is 20).

6) Where are you staying?

I'll be staying with host families for the majority of the trip.

7) What will you be doing?

To put it simply, exploring the question: How to affect change in the world? (TBB's page breaks it down by country). But, TBB isn't a service program. I will not be "volunteering" exactly. We enter these countries as students, learning from local professionals about how they are implementing change within their own communities.

8) No phones! How will we know what you're up to?

This blog! TBB encourages students to let the folks back home know all about what they're learning. My internet access will be limited, but I plan to update once a week! Also, if you didn't know before, I will not be allowed any personal devices that can connect to the internet, and I will be writing my posts on the TBB shared laptops they provide for academic use.

Hopefully that clears it up for everyone!

Keep thinking,

Meg