Okay, so being a pro at Summer camp (been once) I kind of figured out there was a lot of crap that I had packed and flown 19 hours with and really didn’t need it. Just for you guys, I thought I’d save your time, money and baggage allowance by giving you a handy guide to all the stuff you need, which you can easily get at our Godsend, Walmart.
Toiletries
Big one. So, we get hygiene is extremely important. But is carrying everything 4,000 miles a good idea. Think about it, you’re there for 2-3 months in the heat, long days – so that’s 2 shampoo and conditioners, 2 body washes, 2 tubes of toothpaste, face wash, deodorant, etc. What is the point in worrying about a disastrous shampoo episode? Instead, you can take some of the travel bottles where you can decanter some of your essentials you already have into some handy, reusable bottles. Then once you get there you can bulk buy the items and share them with your friends. Using less plastic, time and worry.
Sun cream/Insect Repellent (Sunscreen/Bugspray)
As you will be in the heat for a long portion of the day, you don’t want to end up burnt. Not a good look. Your best bet would be to put on sun cream at regular intervals, who knew? Like the toiletries, you’re there for a long period of time and you won’t be needing any suncream in the airport, so you may as well pick it up once you’ve arrived and use a travel one until you can get. Insect repellent is a little different in the US, as you will need one with Deet in, which you can easily buy from Walmart. (Not 100% sure on this, this was what I was told at my prep day).
Flashy Clothes
More likely than not your camp will be in the woods. Unfortunately, NYFW doesnt host in the woods, too muddy. This has its upside though, as you can get away with wearing joggers for 2 months of your life. Honestly, never worn Nike running shorts as much as when I’m at camp. This means all your out-out dresses can stay at home, in their clean wardrobe, rather than your dirty bag on the floor of your cabin. Also, on your time off you may want to dress up – understandable you’ve been wearing paint for a week – so by all means bring something cute to wear, but keep in mind you can buy stuff here, and you will probably get 1,000 new t-shirts. I came back with 11, and I bought 1.
A Significant Other
One can dream.
Straightener/Curler
There isn’t a tonne of time in the morning while you’re getting ready, unless you get up extremely early, which I applaud you for. But, more often than not, someone else will have one, usually, an American staff member will have brought one, which you could ask kindly to share.
What you do need
Thought it best to add this in:
- Important Documents – duh
- Medication – Obviously
- Money – Dollars
- Pictures of your life back home – everyone loves that stuff
- Travel Adaptor – they’re long flights so you could need them in the airport
Unfortunately, I have no affiliation with any of the brands used, I just love them while I’m there. This is just a handy guide of items I found at Walmart as I wanted more baggage space to bring more shit home. Most importantly, you need the best camp joke and you need to be known for that one joke, so plan ahead!
