Trek America – Questions & Checklist

So you have booked the trek of your dreams..

What’s next?

Here is a ‘Trek America – Pre-Departure Questions & Checklist’ for the lucky you!

I know exactly how excited you are, not a day went past before I got on the plane that I didn’t visit the Trek forum or just researched every little thing possible. I also know that some questions might be hard to find the answers to..

As part of the ‘Trek Tuesday’ I will try to make sure you know exactly what to do.

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Flights 

Incase you haven’t booked them already, it might be time to do so now.

The sooner you’ll get them, the cheaper they might be (usually).

You can book with Trek America, which is a good idea if you prefer to pay in instalments.

If however you’re not worried about paying the full price straight away, there might be some good deals out there waiting for you. I always recommend checking the flight prices before booking the trek as some days might cost double the price.

Check www.skyscanner.net for the best deals.

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Travel Insurance

Yes, might seem boring but trust me on this one – you need it.
If you cannot afford it, don’t go.. wait till you save enough money.

For Trek America, I decided to purchase the insurance with Trek due to the amount of activities
we were going to do – I knew that their insurance will cover all of them without worrying.
It cost me about £100 with a 7 days add on, 28 days altogether.

You might have read my ‘Cancelling ‘my trip of a lifetime’ post, if you haven’t – I had to cancel my dream trip two hours before departure due to medical reasons. If I didn’t have a good travel insurance, I would have lost all my money spent towards the trip, but thankfully I found a good company ( HolidaySafe ) and got all my money back.

Make sure you always read the terms & conditions, even if it will take you days. Also, check how much excess is required, sometimes its better to pay a few pounds extra instead of £200 for putting in a claim.

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Accommodation Prior & After Trek

Most likely you will get to your departure point a night before as the trek starts at 7am, you might also do what I’ve done and extend your trip. Make sure to book accommodation both before and after the trek as you don’t want to be left worrying instead of enjoying yourself.

Trek America has their so called ‘Getaway Hotels’ where the treks begin and end. You can book a private room or share with another person from your group.

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Sign Up To Trek America Live Forum 

This was literally my life before I went away as sad as it sounds. I was so excited and wanted to have the answers to everything, even if i didn’t have any unanswered questions left.

Go to: www.trekamericalive.com

As soon as you have booked your trip, you should get a personal ID to use at the registration/activation stage on the forum. From being able to find your fellow group mates to reading reviews and asking questions – it’s honestly great. It’s also the best way to procrastinate.

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Figure Out How Much $$$ You Need & Start Saving 

You might have already done this and are putting the precious $ away as we speak (go you!)

If not, make sure to go over the itinerary of your trek and tick the activities that you’re interested in and add it all up, then add extra $ for any activities you’re not sure about.

Remember petrol station stops! Ask anyone and they will tell you this is where they left a substantial amount of spending money without realising at the time. Petrol stations in America are unlike any in Europe (compering this to my Eurotrip last year) you get mini buffets, self serve milkshake/juice/soda machines, endless amounts of drinks, ready to go fruits and coffees (this is where I discovered my love for Starbucks White Chocolate DoubleShot Coffee <3) and so much more!

Read the below to help you save and add up all of the spendings:

Read : 5 Realistic Ways To Save For Travel 

Read : Trek America – What, How & Why

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QUESTIONS:

Suitcase Or Backpack? 

This must be one of the most asked questions in regards to trek.

I personally would say a suitcase or holdall on wheels. Not many of the treks (if any) will require you carrying your luggage anywhere other than to the tent/hotel and back. It all depends on personal preference – a suitcase makes it much easier for your stuff to be organised but a backpack takes up less space in the tent for example.

Whichever you go for, make sure it’s good quality.
I specifically went and bought a more durable suitcase that will survive being chucked in and out of the trailer every single day. It will also end up on the bottom (with 12 other suitcases on top) if it’s one of the heaviest ones, like mine. I paid £70 (down from £180 in good old TkMaxx) and it was worth every penny.

You’d be surprised how many people get cheap suitcases and end up having to buy new ones out there!

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How Big Should My Luggage Be? 

I will admit that as amazing as my suitcase was, it was way too big. I kept telling myself that it will be small until I saw this pretty (not so) little thing in the shop, went ahead and bought it.

Trust me, you do not need a massive luggage, if you are a girl and want to take more than just 4 tops – you can still do that. Remember that the bigger your suitcase, the more useless stuff you’ll take and it will all seem extremely important at the time of packing whatever the excuse.

I was also clueless and didn’t think about having to chuck it in and out of the trailer everyday, that was very selfish of me especially because the guys were so nice and wouldn’t let us girls do it.

Back then I couldn’t imagine having a smaller suitcase – this now seems ridiculous considering I backpacked Europe for a month with a 38 litre backpack and had everything I needed!

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How Many Seasons Sleeping Bag? 

After reading so many answers to this question I decided to go with a 3 season sleeping bag. Considering that I am generally always cold, no matter if it’s summer or winter – this was too much even for me.
If you are going during the summer months – 2 season should definitely be more than enough.

After searching for the ‘perfect’ sleeping bag for literally weeks, my zip broke just after the second night of camping. During the 21 days, there was only one night I wished that it worked but after putting a hoodie on I was completely fine.

Don’t feel the need to spend a lot of money on a sleeping bag, when my one broke I binned it straight after the trek finished and I can’t even explain how glad I was to not have to trek it back home.
I would recommend getting a cheap one and leaving it behind after. The one below seems pretty good:

Mountain Warehouse Sleeping Bag

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Do I Need Hiking Boots? 

Again, it depends on what trek you are doing but I have hiked the Grand Canyon and planned to do the Angel’s Landing (which had to be cancelled due to the weather conditions) in my running shoes and did not regret that one bit.

Unless you use your hiking shoes/boots a lot prior to trek, you might actually suffer from them a lot more than you would from wearing good trainers. A lot of people decide to do a hike in a brand new pair without wearing them in – bad idea.

As long as your shoes are very comfortable and have a good grip – you have a winner.
Running shoes are also super light and don’t take up much space, which is another plus.

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Do I Need A Sleeping Bag Liner & A Pillowcase?

I would recommend both, they are super useful.

A pillowcase is useful as you will probably go to Walmart on the first day and buy a pillow to use in the van and tent if camping. It makes it a bit more ‘nicer’ and comfier.

A sleeping bag liner can be used when it’s really hot or if you simply don’t like the feeling of a sleeping bag. It is also perfect for hostels incase the bedding is slightly suspicious. I have the one below which is also suppose to protect from mosquitoes, bed bugs etc:

100% Cotton Sleeping Bag Liner

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Is A Travel Towel Useful? 

Yes, yes, yes! I personally used my Hammamas 100% turkish cotton towel due to my allergy to synthetic fibres, which is what the standard poly-cotton travel towel is made from. Hammamas feels so much nicer, still dries really quickly, is super light, doesn’t become smelly like a lot of people mentioned about the poly-cotton ones (well unless you never wash it of course!) and it can be used as an accessory as well!

I always get complemented on it as they are so much nicer than any other travel towels I’ve seen.

Hammamas Towel 

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Do I Need A Hairdryer / Straighteners? 

It depends on the type of hair, but because it will most likely be quite warm – it will dry in no time! I just went to bed with wet hair and was sorted for the next day.

Straighteners – If you absolutely must straighten your hair, speak to the girls from your group, who you will probably find out about through the ‘Trek America Live’ and see if one of you can bring straighteners and the other a hair dryer for example. A couple of girls on my trek had straighteners and I must admit it was a nice luxury when I did borrow them!

(Make sure you check the voltage before packing them.)

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Do I Need A Head-torch? 

If you are camping (but not only) a head-torch is a must in my opinion. You will use if for taking out whatever you need for bed in the evening, cooking when it gets too dark, going to the toilet at night or as a general ‘tent light.’ Head-torches are much easier as you still end up having both hands spare to do whatever you need to do.

LED Headlamp with Adjustable Brightness 

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So this is it for now! 

To find out about my absolute favourite mosquito repellent and more click below:

Read : Travel Must Haves For Sensitive Skin

Most importantly, don’t forget to bring your good attitude & get ready for the best summer so far! 🙂

If you would like me to do a full packing list, let me know below 🙂

Make sure to subscribe so you don’t miss out on future posts!
Tune in next week for more Trek Tuesday

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