Charity Challenge Blog

Packing for an overseas expedition, particularly if it’s your first one, can be a challenge in itself. Thankfully we’ve picked up lots of advice over the years, when it comes to packing effectively. Erika, our Charity Account Manager, shares some of her top tips to make packing your kit as easy as possible…

USE YOUR KIT LIST
Every expedition has a suggested kit list, which outlines everything you need to bring for that particular challenge. Use this to ensure that you have everything you need to be able to complete your challenge, and tick items off when you’ve bought them and packed them.

ENSURE YOUR KIT IS CLEAN AND DRY BEFORE YOU START PACKING
Your clothing should be clean and dry, and footwear should be cleaned properly in advance too. Don’t place muddy trainers in your rucksack next to your clearn clothing (place them inside a carrier bag to protect your clothes from any dirty marks).

TAKE EAR PLUGS AND AN EYE-MASK
Whilst these are useful for any long-haul/overnight flights, they’re also handy to have if you happen to be staying in a noisy campsite or hostel. It’s important to try and get a good night’s rest and some decent zZzzs when taking on physically adventurous challenges.

ROLL, ROLL, ROLL (DON’T FOLD)
Rolling clothing takes up less space then folding clothes, and also prevents creasing.

MAXIMISE EVERY BIT OF SPACE
Fill every bit of unused space within your rucksack. Pack socks, tops and other small items inside trainers and shoes to utilise all the space.

WEAR YOUR HIKING BOOTS ON THE PLANE
Don’t pack your walking footwear in your luggage that is getting checked in to the plane’s hold. Whilst we rarely have any lost luggage disruptions, the last thing you will want to do is lose your well-worn-in, trusty walking boots if your main baggage goes missing.

PACK A BUFF AND/OR BANDANA
Whether you’re going somewhere hot and humid, or icy and cold, a buff or bandana will provide you with a variety of uses. In warm climates, you can wear it as a sweat band on your wrist to wipe away perspiration, or to tie your hair up and keep it off your neck/back. In cooler regions, you can wear it around your neck/face to provide extra warmth or as an extra layer under your hat for added protection from the cold.

FIND A HANGING TOILETRIES BAG
Sometimes washing/showering facilities aren’t always functional, so pack a toiletries bag that has a hook so you can hang it on a door or rail.

‘SOCK AND STUFF’ YOUR (DAILY) OUTFIT
(1) Lay all your clothing out for the day.
(2) Place on top of each other in a neat line.
(3) Roll clothing in to a very tight roll
(4) Stuff rolled clothing inside sock
(5) Grab a pair of socks, which will contain your entire day’s worth of clothing

Hopefully these packing tips will give you some useful ideas on how to pack for your upcoming expedition. If you have any other queries related to your kit, or packing, please don’t hesitate to contact the Operations Team who will be able to offer you some advice.

Be part of an award winning UK based travel company which specialises in organising overseas challenge events in support of charity organisations.

Charity Challenge is looking for an experienced, passionate, and commercially minded Operations Manager to join their highly driven, ambitious and dynamic operations team.  With your primary focus being on safety and risk management as well as improving and maintaining excellent standards of quality and customer experience, you will manage around 10 different itineraries with 40+ departures throughout the Americas and India.

Ideally you will have previous group/charity tour operation and adventure travel experience and knowledge of principles of safety and risk management. Knowledge of adventure travel in the Americas (North and Latin) and India would also be highly desirable yet not an essential pre-requisite.

For more information, please see the Job Description.

To apply please email your CV together with a covering letter outlining your relevant experience, skills and abilities which match the requirements of the role to Holmes Rogers at holmes@charitychallenge.com

Passionate about adventure travel? Want to make a difference? Love providing exceptional customer service and support?

This is your opportunity to shine as an Adventure Travel Consultant for Charity Challenge, a leading tour operator and event management company who specialise in tailored national and international challenges. We are looking for a passionate individual to join our dynamic Sales, Marketing and Partnerships Team and to help take this exciting part of the business forward whilst providing exceptional customer service. You will inspire, support and prepare participants and groups throughout their pre-travel experiences and become integral in preparing them for their adventure of a lifetime. To achieve this you will exceed in receiving excellent customer feedback, maintain a high degree of accuracy and never ceasing to go the extra mile our participants. If you have an appetite for travel, are driven by providing great service, have fantastic administrative skills, are results driven and genuinely enjoy supporting people, then we would love to hear from you.

For more information, check out the Adventure Travel Consultant Job Description.

To apply please email your CV together with a covering letter outlining your relevant experience, skills and abilities that make you the stand out candidate to susan@charitychallenge.com. Applications close on 15th June 2017. 

Operations Manager, Phili Newell, joined Charity Challenge in 2016 and looks after all of our adventurous expeditions in Asia.

Name: Phili Newell

Location: London, UK

What’s your role at Charity Challenge?
I’m the Operations Manager for our expeditions in Asia, which includes looking after our events in Burma, Cambodia, China, Indonesia, Mongolia and Vietnam. The expedition that keeps me the busiest is the Great Wall Discovery in China, as it’s our most popular and the visa application process can sometimes appear slightly overwhelming, but it’s always worth it.

What’s been your favourite Charity Challenge expedition to take on (so far)?
I took part in the Lombok Lava trek in June 2016, and that was a fantastic challenge. We trekked to some of Indonesia’s highest peaks, and were continually inspired by our amazing team of guides and porters who helped us complete the hike! (Read Phili’s blog about the expedition here).

Did you always want to work in the travel industry?
I’ve always been interested in the travel industry, but I am particularly interested in the NGO sector. Before I worked at Charity Challenge, I spent two and a half years working with an NGO in Borneo, implementing a series of sustainable community and natural resource projects. We took groups of young volunteers to the projects to give them insight into the development sector whilst providing them with transferable skills in leadership and team work. At Charity Challenge, there are many similarities; we offer people the opportunity to experience so many different things, including meeting new people, learning about different cultures and pushing yourself outside of your comfort zone. When your resilience is tested, you realise your strengths – and it is this that will get you through challenges that you may face in the future (whatever they may be).

What’s your favourite thing about being the Operations Manager for Asia?
Hearing back from participants who have completed one of our challenges – their sense of achievement is infectious and inspiring.

How many languages can you speak?
I would say 1.5… English, and some Japanese!

What advice would you give someone who is thinking about taking on a Charity Challenge?
Make sure that you train properly for your adventure. The more training you do before you go, the more you will enjoy the challenge. And pack light (follow the advice on our Kit Lists, and you can’t go wrong).

If you could live anywhere in the world, where would it be?
London – if I could also have a massive garden and a dog!

What three things can’t you live without?
A sense of humour, Marmite and sunlight.

Tell us an interesting fact about yourself…
I hitchhiked on sail boats on the Canadian west coast and eventually got to sail to San Francisco after joining a yacht race. I then painted a house so I could get enough money together to leave the USA to get my return flight back to the UK!

We’re excited to introduce Kyrgyzstan as our latest challenge destination! A lesser-traveled part of the world, we asked Operations Manager Phili Newell for her top five reasons to visit this fascinating and beautiful country.

1) Its rich history

Life in Kyrgyzstan is still very much nomadic despite various countries dominating it throughout its history, making it a melting pot of culture in Central Asia. Kyrgyzstan gained independence recently in 1991 with the breakup of the former USSR having previously ruled by Mongols; Chinese Manchus; and then Russia since 1876. Evidence of Soviet era is prominent in the giant statue of Lenin and the Soviet styled housing blocks of Bishkek, but as Central Asia’s largest mosque is completed and opens in 2017 you can feel the grip of communism slip away.

2) It has 3 UNESCO World Heritage Sites

A landlocked country, Kyrgyzstan is home to 3 UNESCO World Heritage Sites; the Tien Shan mountain range; the network of trading routes making up the famous Silk Road; and Sulayman Mountain the most “sacred” mountain in Central Asia.

3) The scenery

Kyrgyzstan is a country less visited; the scenery is outstanding and as you trek through the rugged mountains you will wonder why you never thought of coming here before. Snow-capped mountains surround sweeping plains where herds of horses run wild and glacial rivers cut through the landscape, creating steep sided gorges where sheep and goats roam.

4) The food

Try Kyrgyzstan’s interesting cuisine, starting with the much loved fermented mare’s milk, Besk Barmak, lamb with noodles and broth; Samsy a tandoor cooked meat and onion filled pocket and found at the road side stalls for a quick snack; and dumplings known as Monty.

5) The challenge

The challenge itself will see you carrying all your own kit, including your tent, for the duration of your trek. You’ll be camping in gorges and trekking over mountain passes at an altitude of 3759m. Your average trek day will be about 6 hours before getting into camp where you’ll set up for the night, before gazing at the clear, star-studded skies.

Make sure you take a look at our Kyrgyzstan Trek challenge and maybe you could be ticking this exciting destination off your wishlist!

Everyone loves a good inspirational quote on top of a nice photo, so to inspire you to get your walking boots out of the cupboard and head out to bag a peak, here are our top inspiring quotes about mountains!

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

7.

Which is your favourite? Feel free to share with a friend you’d like to bag a peak with.