8 uses for one piece of Material

Perhaps one of the most useful items to pack in your bag is a large piece of material.  One piece of material about 2metres by 2 metres; bigger than a towel but smaller than a bed sheet.  This could be the most practical item you in your daypack.  Here are eight uses for this piece of material:

1. Ground sheet:  we know that there will be many venues where seats are not provided.  This piece of material could be a nice ground sheet for you and a friend.
2. Blanket:  this won’t be the warmest blanket but we are not heading into a cold climate.  Most of us will pack for the heat and yet when it turns a bit cooler you can wrap this piece of material around you to be a little bit warmer.
3. Sunshade: the sun will be the hardest thing to handle in the Spanish summer.  You can use this piece of material as a shade cover to reduce the risk of sunburn.
4. Covering up in a church: you might like to wear singlets and short shorts but you won’t get into many churches.  In this situation you can use this piece of material as a dress to cover your knees or as a wrap to cover your shoulders.
5. Cooling off: you might not be able to go for a swim so soak this material in water and damp down your neck, shoulders and forehead.
6. Carrying things: you might visit the supermarket to buy something and they don’t sell bags, wrap the items in your piece of material like a swag.
7. Bandage: you hope that there will be easy access to First aid but perhaps you need to stop some bleeding or bandage up a limb.
8. Marking your turf: in a large crowd every spare centimetre of space will be taken.  Instead of saying that an area is take use your material to mark out your turf, allow room to stretch out.  This will be very helpful at the final sleep out.

You will be able to pick up a piece of material about 2 metres by 2 metres at your local material shop.  Look for a fabric that can take a bit of water, is durable and not too heavy.  Wash the piece of material before you go and you are ready for a multitude of situations.

Please leave a comment if you have another use for this piece of material.

Taking care of your sole and your Soul

What are the best shoes to take on pilgrimage?  When we are at home we can wear whatever shoes we want and change them whenever we want.  However when we are on the other side of the world it is even more important to get your footwear right.  Here are a few simple tips on selecting the footwear to look after your soles:

1. No new shoes - never take a brand new pair of shoes with you on an overseas trip.  A person I know took a brand new pair of walking boots to WYD in Rome and ended up with ingrown toe nails.  The boots seemed fine in the shop but without being worn in the shoes, they started to hurt her feet.  I made the mistake of taking a new pair of shoes overseas and the shoes made my feet sweat.  I went through double the amount of socks that I normally would. TIP 1 - buy your shoes two months before heading overseas.
2. Walk a few miles in your shoes - at home you may wear a pair of shoes all day yet hardly walk anywhere in them.  On any given day of the pilgrimage you will cover a few kilometres at least.  Is the footwear you are taking comfortable enough to walk all day in?  Whilst at home flipflops may be comfortable, they are not suitable for hours of walking.  TIP 2 - buy shoes for comfort not for fashion
3. Protect your toes - whilst it will be hot in Spain, you will also spend a lot of time in crowds.  Sandals may look nice and keep your feet cool, but do they protect your toes in a crowded metro?  People will be in front of you, next to you and pushing from behind, your feet will get stood on.  TIP 3 - cover your toes in a crowd.
4. Casual shoes for nights and showers - one pair of thongs or flipflops will cover the trips to the shower and walking around just before bed.  There are times when a trusted pair of thongs will be just the thing  to relax in. TIP 4 - never walk around bare feet.
5. Don't forget the socks - don't spend hundreds of dollars on shoes and wear a pair of 50cent socks.

Whilst the main aim of the pilgrimage is the care of your Soul, if you don't look after your feet you will find it hard to survive the WYD pilgrimage.

6 items of clothing challenge

Could you live one week with only six items of clothing?  Perhaps to be more specific could you live for the WYD week on only six outer garments?

Over the coming weeks we will look at a number of travel tips for the WYD pilgrimage.  Whilst we will look at a number of travel tips it is important to begin with one important point:

You can't take your entire wardrobe with you on pilgrimage.

So when thinking of packing for Madrid, can you reduce the number of items you would wear?  Can you think of six outer garments that could last you a week?  here are three tips for last one week on six outer garments:

1. Wear and tear:  will the six outer garments stand up to the wear and tear of WYD week?  Will the six items survive a week of sitting on the ground?  Will the six items hide the dirt and sweat stains?  Will the six items cope with being wore for 10 hours at a time?
2. Multi purpose: When we are at home we have some clothing items that have a specific purpose.  However whilst on pilgrimage the six items have to be used for visiting a church, walking through a museum, eating out, sitting on the street and being in the sun for hours at a time.  Are your six items the most multi purpose clothing possible?
3. Wash ability - when we are at home we can wash and iron our clothes every day.  What will your six outer garments look like after a week with no washing machine and no iron?  Some nights you might wash the six items in the sink of a bathroom, how will they cope?

Whilst you might be reading this thinking that "I will take more than six outer garments" how many items do you really need?  How big is the suitcase you are planning to carry?  Before you answer these questions, try spending one week using six items of clothing and see if you or anyone else really notices. Whilst you might need seven items to survive the week it is a lot less than the 14-20 items that you would normally wear whilst you are at home.