By Lucia

As a kid coming from the USA, I never thought that I would be taken on an around the world trip by my crazy parents. But I did, and I have picked up on a few things about fashion, food and fun that can make trekking more enjoyable.

Fashion

When we were in Nepal, we went on a twelve-day trek and brought way more stuff then we needed. Here is a list of some of the things that we actually used.

• Comfy clothes for at camp
• Quick dry pants and a warm shirt for on the trail
• A really warm down jacket
• A pair of warm gloves
• A warm hat
• 5-7 pairs of socks (depending on the length of the trip)
• Firm but comfy shoes
• Comfy shoes for at camp
• Sunglasses and sunscreen

Food

My family and I have trekked through several different countries – Peru, Nepal, Chile, Ecuador and New Zealand – and food has been part of the fun. You might think that freeze dried food is horrible but it is really not bad and the lasagna is actually good once you unstick it from the fork. The same goes for local food. In Nepal, the momos, meat or vegetable filled dumplings, are tasty. Kids, I would watch out in Nepal, India and other Asian countries because you can never quite trust the ketchup and other condiments. They might be spicy or not quite what you were expecting.

When you are on the trail, candy that tastes really good to you is important to keep you going. Mentos or some other kind of small candy to pop in your mouth when you feel tired has really helped my brother and I keep going.

Fun

I really love to read and draw so I brought a book and a pad of paper which helped the time at camp go by more quickly. We also brought our iPads and a pair of ear buds to listen to music or a story.

Every trek has at least one or two really hard days and my brother and I do some of these things to help us through. Mac and I like playing a computer game called Mine Craft so we spend a lot of our trekking time planning what we are going to build or do. Another thing I do is practicing my spelling words or multiplication tables.

One of the things that I found while trekking is that even if you give up your feet will just keep moving. When this happens it feels like your brain has shut down and you are moving on autopilot. I also like picking a bush and just making it to that bush and then I say good job to myself and pick another goal. When the trail looks endless, this keeps me going.

On this crazy trip we have trekked Colca Canyon, The Inca Trail, Torres Del Paine, The Fitz Roy, Mustang, part of The Annapurna Circuit, The Whanganui and the Routburn-Greenstone Circuit. After many kilometers of walking, I have found that a positive attitude is critical and having the right combination of fashion, food and fun makes it more enjoyable.