Imagine if you had 7 days to make it across Europe using only Red Bull cans as currency.
At WayUp, we always encourage college students to try new experiences that will test their skills and their endurance – and we love featuring students who seek out those challenges. That’s exactly what three University of Florida students, Kate and Tessa from the USA and Natalie from South Africa, did for the Red Bull Can You Make It? Challenge, trekking from a starting point in Vienna, Austria, traversing Italy and Switzerland, and then reaching the Finish Line in Berlin, Germany as Team Beach Bull Blondies. Along the way they hitchhiked with a French priest, got an unexpected airplane ride, rode trains, swam in a glacial lake and made lasting friendships with people they would never have met otherwise. Although Tessa is currently on the road once again, Red Bull caught up with Kate, now a freelancer in video production, and Natalie, who is pursuing a career in medicine, to hear firsthand about their experience.
So you submitted an application video to participate in Red Bull Can You Make It and found out you’d been selected to compete. What was your reaction?
Kate: We were freaking out. I was studying for a test and literally threw my computer across the room and started screaming. Then I called Tessa and she started screaming, which her boss didn’t really appreciate since she was at work.
Natalie: I didn’t really know what I was getting myself into when we applied, so when we got accepted it was like, “Oh my gosh, this is actually happening.”
Once it sunk in, what did you do to prepare?
Kate: [laughs] We really had no preparation. Other teams prepared. We just hung out and realized that until we’re put in a specific situation we won’t know what’s going to happen anyway. So we just went into it with a good attitude.
Natalie: Because I’m from South Africa, I had to make VISA arrangements, and I would definitely advise any future participants who have visa requirements to start resolving them as soon as they can – it’s possible, but in many ways it was the hardest part of the experience for me. Besides that, the best way of preparation is not thinking about what you’re putting yourself into! The whole thing was awesome, but not planning actually made the trip. The times I had the most fun was when I was enjoying the moment, meeting the people around me and enjoying the culture – not planning the next move.
Any packing advice for the teams who are participating this time around?
Kate: Make sure you pack enough warm socks, and a proper jacket. Or a sleeping bag – yeah, that’s my answer. You’re going to be sleeping at random places like on hardwood floors, and with a sleeping bag you don’t need a tent if you end up sleeping outside.
Natalie: Definitely bring a skateboard. That was the best decision we made. Oh, and pack light. I left 90 percent of my stuff in Austria before we even started so that I could cram more cans of Red Bull into my backpack.
Can you give an example of a Checkpoint Challenge?
Kate: In Italy, our challenge was to find a guy in the middle of Venice, which is like a maze going through the streets and canals. It was mostly mentally challenging because you’d think you were in one place and you were in another.
Natalie: In Frankfurt, Germany, it was a sort of scavenger hunt that we were told would eventually lead us to a monumental thing in the city where we had to take our picture. We really got to see Frankfurt that way.
How did you handle down times?
Natalie: One of us was always strong for the rest, and if something didn’t work, we tried something else. For example, on our first day we hitchhiked with a French priest and then spent five hours trying to find the next ride after he dropped us off. But three hours later we were in an airplane because we went to the airport to sleep, and some air hostesses helped us get a flight.
The rumor is that you also talked the Austrian Air staff into skateboarding through the airport! So on that positive note, what was one of your best experiences?
Natalie: One of the moments that caught me off guard was in Lugano, Switzerland. We’d made really good friends with the guys we’d met, who took off work and school to show us around, and they took us on top of a mountain overlooking a huge lake. It just happened to be Tessa’s birthday, and as we were looking down, both of us started crying – laughing-crying – because we had this moment to stop and look around, and it hit us how blessed we were to have the opportunity. It was surreal.
When you finally reached the finish line in Berlin, how was it?
Kate: At the end everyone was so stoked to be there and hear all the experiences. There were 300 people in a room who had gone through that together. It was the coolest feeling in the world.
What’s one tip you would have for a team participating in 2016?
Kate: It’s not a walk in the park – it’s challenging but rewarding. So be present. When you’re finding Checkpoints, it’s so easy to worry about the future, but being present is a huge thing. Enjoy where you are and what’s happening.
Would you say that the experience actually changed your life?
Kate: Absolutely, it’s changed the way I view life. When you have privileges as we do – I mean things like our phones – you lose track of human interaction, and having to interact to eat and have a place to sleep makes you so thankful for what you do have. Since then I have not been complacent. I have a thirst for adventure. It’s also affected my worldview. People have this connotation of the world as a bad place, but I think that “don’t talk to strangers” is terrible advice. If you put yourself out there, all it takes is one conversation to see that strangers are the best.
Natalie: It’s probably the coolest thing that’s ever happened to me. The whole thing gave me perspective: I met people from all over the world who enjoy the simple things in life and enjoy traveling and adventure. I still can’t believe it – it was like a dream.
Click here for your chance to be part of Red Bull Can You Make It? 2016 – applications close on 2/14! If you want to learn more about the Beach Bull Blondies’ experience with Red Bull Can You Make It?, tune in for a Reddit AMA on 2/3 at 3 pm ET.
