Here are some top tips for Jamboree that you may want to think about. I will avoid too many kit tips which are on some of my other blog pages. See all my blog pages here…
- Have two packing lists/tick sheets. One for a rough first pack as you collect items and put them in/near your bag. Then a second one as you pack your bag for the final time. This allows you to work out how best to pack your stuff, and if you need to swap/change anything out.
- Take a variety of swaps. Don’t put all your eggs in one basket as such. If you are interested in swapping a variety of stuff can be really helpful.
- Take two uniform shirts. You were given at least two badges of your UK Contingent uniform badge, this means you can sow two identical uniform shirts. This is useful for staying clean in a hot climate when you need to wear your uniform to/from Korea/Jamboree and at ceremonies, It also means you can trade one of your uniforms should you want to.
- Get yourself a travel sim. Make sure you are connected in Korea and have the internet to make calls over WhatsApp, share your location, and blog about your journey. You can get wifi units with local sims in, but this is generally just another device to have to try and keep charged up!
- Take some downtime when you need it, and get some sleep if nothing is going on! It can be tempting to stay up late chatting to your unit mates as you did in the UK in the early hours of the morning, but Jamboree burnout is a real thing and can mean you miss out on activities and meeting friends. Take every opportunity to make sure you get a good night’s rest, and if you need it, slip off for a quick siesta to ensure you stay in tip-top health.
- Similar to the above. Make sure you eat well! You can use up a lot of energy just walking around a Jamboree site. Then add on activities and the heat and you will be quickly burning the calories. Make sure to eat every meal, and if your struggling with the cuisine, then head over to an onsite store for a snack or a food house.
- Don’t be Shy! You will meet lots of new friends from around the world at the Jamboree. Make the most of it as you don’t have time to hide yourself away.
- Say thank you and be respectful. Be kind, there are lots of cultures and religions attending the jamboree, and it is easy when you get tired to get frayed nerves. Support each other and keep it positive!
- Make use of queues to make friends. It is unavoidable to need to queue for activities at the jamboree, so use it as an opportunity to meet people.
- Make sure you have space in your bag to bring things home. Whether it is souvenirs, swaps, or things you’ve bought. Think about things you could pack to use at the jamboree that you could leave behind / donate to create space.
- Bring some cheap disposable clothes. This can create some space and free weight in your bag on your way home, and could also be donated to those less well off or even traded!
- Pack a spare pair of clothes in your hand luggage for the plane. It can be useful to change if you have a stopover, or even if your hold luggage gets lost/delayed by a few days.
- Take an empty bottle in your hand luggage. You can’t take large amounts of liquid through security, and buying drinks can be expensive, but you can usually fill up your bottle after security.
- Take lots of photos/videos. Share some on social media, and keep a bunch for yourself. It is easy over time to forget about the small things as you get older. Photos don’t only allow you to tell the story to the next generation of participants, but help you to remember and reminisce.
- Take advantage of every opportunity! However small, from joining in a game someone is teaching, to having a sing and dance. A jamboree is what you make it, so if you sit back at your camp doing nothing, then you won’t have a great time… Sure you will have some scheduled activities, but go beyond them and do more!
- Participate actively: The Jamboree offers a wide range of activities, workshops, and challenges. Take advantage of these opportunities to learn new skills, engage in team-building exercises, and explore different cultures.
- Experience culture day to the fullest. During culture day if you are a participant you will have to run something back at your unit campsite, but this should be done in shifts so you can go out and enjoy the day. You will get the opportunity to go and enjoy culture from around the world at all the different units camping around you. From games to food, this is an amazing day and make the most of it by visiting as many units as possible. Be prepared to walk, and taste a lot of things you’ve never heard of before. If you do not want to try something, be polite, and don’t make a big deal of it, otherwise you may offend. I remember getting henna (temporary) tattoos at the jamboree when I was a participant on culture day as well as trying some amazing cuisine I never had before.
- Keep a diary. Similar to taking a lot of photos, keeping a written diary can really help you look back at what you did each day when it all starts to merge together in your memory.
- Drink Plenty. You will sweat a lot in Korea as it is hot and humid. You need to replace all the water you are losing, and even better the salts and minerals you are losing too if you have some to add to your drinks.
- Hygiene – Make sure to shower regularly as well as just before you leave home for your long flight. It can be easy to get caught up in the jamboree and forget to shower regularly. Be honest with your tent mates and give them a nudge if need be.
- Look after your feet! You will be doing a lot of walking, and you could easily end up with blisters. Make sure to regularly change your socks with clean ones, and let a leader know if your starting to get some foot discomfort. Deal with it before it gets too bad.
- Don’t rely only on solar power. A lot of people take solar chargers to the jamboree, and while it can be a good idea to make use of the sun, don’t let it take away from enjoying the jamboree. What do I mean by that? Well, solar charges work best when left in the sun and aren’t moved too often. But leaving a solar charger and battery bank at your camp can be an indication to someone else you have left something valuable behind (remember some people there are less well-off), and if you take it with you on your rucksack then you will be moving around a lot in and out of direct sunlight.
- Antihistamines and creams. There is a huge bug problem onsite at the moment in Korea. Make sure you have plenty of repellants, as well as bite creams and antihistamines to help with any bug bites you get.
- Waterproofs! While Korea will be very hot, it is their rainy season. You can easily get caught in a heavy downpour and it may also take a while for the water to drain offsite. Make sure your kit is protected in your tent, and that you have something to keep yourself and your day bag dry.
- Pack your stuff as soon as you wake up, or the night before, for the whole day. When you leave the site you may not come back until dinner time, and it could be 1 to 2 hours across the site from your activity, so not really useful if you forget something. But also, just like the Jamboree in Japan, we expect tents to get super hot by early morning and it just won’t be viable to go back in your tent other than for a few seconds.
- Carry your charging gear. You never know when you will get a chance to charge. Be ready to plug in if you get an opportunity, and bring an extension lead. An extension lead helps you plug in with another UK participant and helps you make friends.
- Carry your swaps, or at least some of them. You never know when you will need/want to make a swap during your day-to-day activities.
- Carry some toilette roll. Both on Jamboree or in Seoul you may find that the toilet you have gone into doesn’t have any toilet roll (either deliberately or has run out). Don’t be caught short!
- Take a photo of your Jamboree ID card when you get it, and save it as your phone’s lock screen background. This will help your phone get back to you if you lose it.
- Suncreams and Hats. The risk of sunburn will be high, and getting heat stroke will not make your Jamboree an enjoyable time. Make sure to regularly use suncream and cover up as much as possible. Remember you can get sunburn on your head though your hair!
- Make friends! There is over 40,000 participants attending from around the world! Don’t just hang around with your unit friends but go out and meet people. Get yourself invited to dinner with them and/or invite your new friends for dinner (make sure to tell your leaders)
- Bring gifts. This could just be some extra badges on top of your swaps, but there may be circumstances where giving a small token of appreciation is appropriate. Some small things from your home country can also be good.
- Look after each other! Look after your buddy and they should look after you too. Make sure everyone is staying healthy and happy, and give each other a nudge to go out and try new things.
- Tell someone if you have a problem. Your unit leader if you are a participant, or another IST if you are an adult. Don’t let things fester, and remember that those back home cant do a great deal for you, so speak to those around you!
- Shower Shoes! Usually, flip-flops. You don’t know whats on the floor of the showers, and sometimes other cultures have difficulty with western style toilets and are used to holes in the floor, so if you are unlucky you might find something you don’t want to on the shower floor.
- Bring some strong clips and magnets. Sometimes showers (and even toilets) only have a shower curtain between you and everyone else. with cultural differences and accidents, this can sometimes mean the curtains get accidentally knocked or blown in the wind. A clip can help you keep the curtain closed, or a magnet if it is a curtain and a metal wall/post.
- Lock your tent and hide your valuables. Generally, I recommend carrying anything of value with you, but this won’t always be possible. So hide your valuables in your tent where someone wouldn’t think to look like your sleeping bag. Some people bury things under the tent (use a dry bag!). But also lock your tent with a combination padlock (not a key encase you lose it), you will need two for the Korean tents, and while a padlock won’t stop someone from ripping open a zip or cutting your tent, it will make them think twice as it will take them longer, and it lets you know someone has been in there.
- Get a travel money card/bank account. You will need some cash to hand, but having a card is great. Often fee-free cards have a better exchange rate than travel money exchanges, and if you lose the card you can freeze it. Insurance wise you are also limited in the amount of money they will replace in cash. Having a card/bank account with fee-free transactions and withdrawals can also mean your family back home can send you money if you run out.
- Shower in the evenings just before bed when there is nothing going on. You can then go to bed fresh, it will be slightly cooler so you won’t start sweating again straight away, and you shouldn’t miss out on activities. The showers are also sometimes quieter in the evenings.
- Keep organized. It can be a pain to find things, especially in a rush if your tent feels like an oven. Try to keep stuff together and use things like packing cubes to make it easier to find.
- Mark your stuff. You will be sharing a tent with someone else, and other people in the contingent / your unit will have very similar things, so make sure to mark up everything that is yours so it doesn’t get muddled up.
- Do some washing. At some point you will run out of clean clothes, so make sure to do some washing BEFORE you run out to give it time to dry. Use a dry bag or scrubber bag (see kit recommendations) and some paracord as a washing line.
- Take headphones and other things to keep yourself entertained on flights. Sometimes you may find the in-flight entertainment system doesn’t work, or even that the headphones aren’t included on the flight (or aren’t great).
- Undo the valve on any inflatable roll mats or inflatable pillows each morning. The last thing you want is for these to pop during the day when it gets hot.
- Make your holdall identifiable! Your bag is going to be one of more than 4000 bags that all look the same when you arrive in Korea. Make sure you make it easier to find with some strapping/doodles (appropriate drawings)/your name, etc.
- Be open-minded and inclusive: Embrace the diversity of cultures, backgrounds, and perspectives represented at the Jamboree. Engage in conversations, make friends from around the world, and respect everyone’s values and beliefs.
- Respect the environment: The Jamboree often takes place in natural surroundings. Be mindful of the environment, follow waste disposal rules, and leave the area as you found it. Promote sustainability and be an advocate for responsible behavior.
- Embrace the spirit of scouting: Engage in scouting traditions, such as campfires, flag ceremonies, and service projects. Embody the scout values of honesty, integrity, respect, and helpfulness throughout the event.
- Explore the host country: The Jamboree is held in a foreign country, take some time to learn about its history, culture, and customs. Explore local attractions, try traditional foods, and appreciate the unique aspects of the host nation.
- Respect quiet hours: The Jamboree is an energetic and lively environment, but it’s important to respect designated quiet hours. Be considerate of others when it’s time to rest and recharge.
- Learn basic phrases: If you’re attending a Jamboree in a foreign country, learn a few key phrases in the local language. Simple greetings, thank-yous, and phrases for asking for help can go a long way in building connections with locals.
- Pay attention to the Jamboree app for any updates and news about what is going on around you so you don’t miss out.