Absolutely no amount of research, nor stories, nor pictures can fully prepare you for how Teens Westward Bound will affect your life. You become so connected to others by becoming disconnected from technology and your everyday-life, and there is a huge change of heart somewhere in those 23 days. Maybe it happens when you’re crammed in a hot van with 12 other teens driving for hours across wheat fields, or maybe it’s when you cross the Golden Gate Bridge holding 82 pair of hands, or maybe it’s when you are set free to run around Vegas with your new-found best friends. Wherever it may be, it will inevitably happen. So, while there is no way to prepare you for how you will feel during or after, we can prepare you for enhancing your trip. So here are our best tips from some 2013 Trip 2 TDubber’s.
- DO NOT OVERPACK!! Seriously, don’t do it. It’s hard, but think about all the souvenirs you’ll want to buy and bring home. Stick to the guide given to you!
- Pack your outfits in Ziploc bags. It saves space, easy to organize, and if it rains, your clothes won’t get wet!!
- Buy cheap washcloths and throw them away throughout the trip so you won’t have to carry them around.
- Bring clothes that you don’t mind getting dirty
- Bring good shoes- I brought two pairs of tennis shoes, but now that Chaco’s are a thing, Chaco’s and tennis shoes are a must!
- Please, please, please bring and wear shower shoes, too.
- Enos are also a thing. Invest in one. And a headlamp for when you’re packing/unpacking in the dark.
- Pay phones are somehow still a thing- learn how to use one.
- Venture out to as many friends as possible. You have 82 options, don’t clique up!! Everyone is amazing!!!!!!!
- If you don’t like sandwiches, get over it.
- Walmart is now your go-to. You will be a Walmarts-Across-America pro.
- Take lots of pictures- you’ll cherish them when your 23 days are up
- Girls- don’t worry about bringing makeup or hairstyling tools. It might come in handy in two places, but other than that, just be your natural self 🙂 half the time, no one will care, and the other half, you won’t have time to do it.
- If you’re planning on bringing an iPod for music, try not to use the WiFi. We know, it’s so tempting, but live in the now while you can!! You’ll miss so much if you spend time trying to be somewhere else.
- DRINK WATER DRINK WATER DRINK WATER
- Drink more water!!
- Get a Nalgene for you water.
- It is okay to miss your family back home, and this can go two ways sooo: if you miss them a lot, call occasionally, but try to enjoy your new friends and not be hung up on missing home. You’ll be there soon enough////if you don’t miss them as much as you should, remember to call them because they miss you 😉
- Don’t spend a fortune on souvenirs, your memories will be from experiences, but do buy some things at your favorite places. T-shirts are great, but remember anything you buy has to fit in your suitcase. Postcards are great, too.
- Don’t be afraid to be yourself!
- GO ALL OUT FOR THE 4TH OF JULY!!! IT’S THE BEST HOLIDAY FOR THE BEST COUNTRY!!!
- Dennis is the man. No doubt. Grant inherits the awesomeness, too.
- And David is a close second.
- Cold showers are something you can’t avoid in some places, but a cold shower is better than no shower!
- During the days you can’t shower, baby wipes and dry shampoo are a life (and nose) saver
- When showers are limited, washing machines probably are as well, so get used to re-wearing some clothes.
- If you can’t sing, no one cares. Sing in the sing-a-longs. And if you don’t, you’ll have a solo!!
- KEEP A JOURNAL AND WRITE IN IT EVERY NIGHT!!! That includes every inside joke or anything that happened so you can look back and laugh at even the little things.
- The first few days can be super awkward, so don’t worry about being yourself. You will be living with these people for a month. PUT YOURSELF OUT THERE!
- No one back home will understand any jokes you will make about the trip, and you will be laughing at an inside joke by yourself
- This will be the best trip you ever go on.
- Thank your parents and anyone who helped send you on TWB.
M See the World 