What Ortiz packs when he travels: Not much
© Rafa Ortiz / Red Bull Content Pool
Kayaking

How to Pack Like an Adventure Athlete

Kayaker Rafa Ortiz loves to hit the road almost as much as a river. Here are his four travel tips.
By Laurie Snyder
3 min readPublished on
Ortiz preps to hit the road

Ortiz preps to hit the road

© Red Bull Content Pool

Ask anyone who wins the lottery what they plan to do with their windfall, and almost to a person, travel is on their bucket list. Travel's not limited to the nouveau millionaire, though it can be excruciatingly tough to pry yourself off the couch.
Enter kayaker Rafa Ortiz. Ortiz has run some of the most dangerous stretches of water in the world, but in a new Red Bull webseries, Ortiz shares his surprisingly practical travel tips to get even the most Netflix-addicted soul out on the road. In this first episode of a four-part series "Hit the Road," Ortiz starts with the basics from how to plan to what to pack.

Watch: Episode 1 of "Hit the Road"

5 min

How to Pack Like an Extreme Athlete

Kayaker Rafa Ortiz loves to hit the road almost as much as the river. Here are his travel tips.

Travel tips by Rafa Ortiz

Tip 1: Choose how to travel
First you need to decide how you're going to travel. Choose your destination by asking yourself if you feel like going to the beach, a forest or whatnot. Also do you want to travel somewhere near, in your own country or abroad?
Then, figure out if you want to travel solo or with a companion. All of these options can effect how you spend and enjoy your trip.
Tip No. 2: The money factor
Do you think traveling means spending a lot of money? The reality is: Money is no excuse. You can travel cheap if you just do a little bit of research. Plus, by traveling cheap, you can go for longer trips or go more often.
Tip No. 3: Ask for travel tips
This could sound very obvious, but sometimes the best tips come from your own friends, family or even strangers. Or, if you want to keep it safe, you can travel with a guidebook. There are tons of travel guides that will help you travel like a local.
Tip No. 4: Don’t be afraid to buy a last-minute ticket
While it’s a good idea to buy plane tickets in advance, buying them too far ahead can end up costing your more money. Try to wait for airfare sales, which usually occur at the beginning of the week. Or you can wait for last-minute deals.

How to pack the Ortiz way

What Ortiz packs when he travels: Not much

What Ortiz packs when he travels: Not much

© Rafa Ortiz / Red Bull Content Pool

Packing can be stressful sometimes, but bringing just the basic stuff packed strategically will help you.
  • Always travel light
  • Place the lighter items at the bottom and the heavier ones on top
  • Roll clothes instead of folding them to take up less space
  • Keep basics in a travel bag
  • Best advice when it comes to packing: Keep everything in Ziplocs!
Final note: Safety is one of the most important things when you go traveling. No matter what age you are, it's important to let someone know where you will be. Remember the movie “127 Hours”? Well, just be a little bit cautious.