So you're thinking about backpacking?

I'd have loved to see a little guide like this before I left on my travels, so I thought I'd write some advice based on my experience if you are thinking about venturing off into the world for six months or more with just a backpack.

First and foremost if you are serious about this, you need to read "Vagabonding" by Rolf Potts. This will cover all the basics in much more detail than I will cover them here.

Equipment

 

What you NEED:

• Small backpack. This is the best investment you can make. 60L is the absolute maximum size you should have, 50L is better. You want a tough, good quality one. Don't skimp on this. I have one by Osprey with a detachable daypack and at 65L it's a little big, but otherwise excellent. Do NOT rush into a decision, try out the bag extensively and make sure it is very comfortable. You will be wearing it a lot.
• Day pack. Some backpacks have detachable daypacks, these are great, but if your backpack doesn't have one, you should get a small, comfortable pack that you can carry valuables around with you in the day time. One with an anti-theft zip is perfect.
• Minimal clothes. I have three T-shirts, one pair of trousers, a belt, another pair of shorts/trousers, seven pairs of boxers, seven pairs of socks, swimming shorts, a fleece, a lightweight raincoat... and that's it.
• Mosquito net (if you are going into an insect infested part of the world).
• Comfortable shoes and flipflops/sandles (that's thongs for our Australian readers)
• Wide brimmed sun hat and sunglasses.
• Small towel. You know it's the right size if it only barely covers your privates when you wrap it around your waist. A large towel is heavy and takes forever to dry, don't waste your time with one.
• Torch (a reliable one with spare batteries), swiss army knife, lighter, plastic bin liners, memory stick (for photos, and a spare one to post home as backup).
• Duct tape.
• Waterproof, shockproof, everythingproof camera. Your camera will be taking some knocks. Get one that can survive anything. Also take spare memory cards, you will use more than you think, and backup regularly onto a USB memory stick. Memory cards are notorious for becoming corrupted and I would have lost all my photos one time if I hadn't made religious backups.
• Guide book. But important to use this as a guide not a bible. See "Vagabonding" for more details on how to properly use a guide book. Lonely planet is a safe bet.
• Medical kit. Extremely important, include lots of anti-diarrhoea meds, plasters, scissors, savlon, antiseptic gel, paracetemol/aspirin, oral rehydration salts, cotton buds, water purification tabs. Anti-malarials optional.
• Wash kit. Shampoo, toothbrush, toothpaste (mouthwash/floss if you use that), razor.
• Money belt for your passport, cash and cards. Get a good one, don't skimp on this.
• Card with an account that doesn't charge fees for withdrawing overseas. There are credit cards that will do this. I used Australian NAB's gold debit account.
• Emergency dollars. $300US in cash hidden somewhere. You never know when you might need it.
• Disposable ear plugs. If you don't take them you will wish you had.
• Sun cream and mosquito repellent.
• Toilet paper.
• Waterproof watch with alarm function, or alarm clock.

Recommended extras:

• Condoms. Can be hard to find quality ones in some countries.
• Small waterproof bag. You can keep your electronics/valuables in here so in the unlikely event you get caught in a torrential downpour, at least nothing gets permanently broken.
• Padlock for your bag. Get one that is TSA approved if you plan on going to America (otherwise they might slash open your bag).
• Diary/journal, pens and a workbook for writing. Keep a journal. You will learn a lot about yourself.
• Books, or better, a kindle. You will have a lot of spare time waiting around while you are backpacking. You may as well use it to get some serious study in. I cannot recommend the kindle enough especially for travelers, I'm so glad I bought one while I was in Bolivia. Lightweight, and any book is instantly available.
• Dictionary and maybe a grammar book if you are about to start learning a new language. Get a dictionary that can easily fit in your pocket, it will be going with you everywhere. Also a little notebook for writing down vocab when you run into it in everyday conversation. This is the best way to learn.
• Something to learn/study. You will have a lot of spare time and it would be a waste not to be learning something. I have my guitar and Gibson's Learn and Master Guitar course in addition to my Spanish notes and a bunch of philosophical literature. I met a girl who was learning yoga from a book while she traveled. Something like this is a fantastic idea.
• Snorkel and mask if you are planning on spending a lot of time near the ocean and like swimming. It can be hard to find quality ones that don't leak.
• I brought an ipod. I like listening to music on long bus trips and I try to learn songs from it sometimes. This is optional, don't bring something so valuable you can't afford to lose it.
• Sheet sleeping bag. This is just a thin sheet sewed into a sleeping bag shape. I wish I had brought one of these, comes in handy when you have to sleep on a couch, floor or a really disgusting hostel bed, plus it weighs almost nothing.

What you DON'T need:

• Laptop computer, iPad, mobile phone, any other internet connected technology (kindle excepted because it's really a book). If your aim while backpacking is to push your comfort zone, experience new cultures and have a wild and crazy new experience, leave technology, twitter, facebook, phones, texting and mindless internet trawling at home. I see many travelers sitting in their hostel all day on wifi with their laptops, learning nothing and experiencing nothing. If you take one, the temptation will be too great and this is what you will end up doing. Besides, there are internet cafes everywhere and they are cheap.
• A huge backpack. Resist the urge to get a huge backpack. Trust me on this, 60 or 65L is the absolute most you need. I have seen people struggling under huge and heavy backpacks weighing more than 20KG and I shake my head in pity and disbelief. Don't be one of those guys.
• Huge amount of clothes. Honestly, the basics are enough and when they start falling apart, you can just buy new ones, and they will probably be cheaper wherever you are than they were at home.
• The kitchen sink. You can buy almost whatever you need wherever you go, except for some of the essentials I listed above, and probably cheaper than in your home country. You do not need to plan for every eventuality, and it's impossible to foresee anyway.
• Tents, sleeping bag, camping gear etc, unless you are actually going on a camping trip. It usually makes more sense just to hire this stuff when/if you need it.

Tips

 

Travel light, travel light and travel light. You can buy almost all the basics wherever you are in the world. You are not hiking up the Eiger, you just don't need all that much stuff for day to day living.

Seriously, leave the laptop and mobile phone behind. My phone was stolen in Buenos Aires and I'm so glad that it was, because it freed me. Do you ever find yourself logging onto facebook eagerly looking for those little red tags in the top left, then feeling vague disapointment and plummetting self-worth when there aren't any? In my opinion this is as bad a habit as any drug, go cold turkey and try getting your validation from real life for once. Leave the laptop at home.

Don't rely on your guide, or the internet. Learn the language and talk to the people about what you want to do and where you can do it. You will find this enlightening and rewarding. The guide book is always nice to have as a backup when you run out of other ideas, but should not be your bible.

Traveling alone is a very adventurous way to go and I didn't fully appreciate this before I left. It is by no means for everyone.

Pros are that you will mature very fast, you will develop an ironclad sense of self and confidence, you will become extremely good at meeting people and making friends fast, you will meet more people and you will become very self-reliant. You will learn to handle situations where you might be in real trouble and there is absolutely nobody else that you can rely on. You will learn foreign languages much faster when you have nobody to talk to in your native language. Also, you can do whatever you want whenever you want, you never need to wait for anyone or hold a comittee about what to do or where to eat.

Cons are that sometimes it can be devastatingly lonely. If you get in trouble, or fall ill, you are on your own. There is nobody that will help you out. Three days lying feverish in a shitty bed in a damp hostel room on your own is not pleasant.

Don't try to plan everything. Make it up as you go along, you will learn as you go and you will have a lot more fun this way.

Read philosophy. Many people visit exotic and far flung places because they feel an emptiness inside them at home and think that rambling across the globe will fill it. It won't. You only have what you brought with you, wherever you go, and traveling will teach you this. Travel as a supplement to your education and self-discovery, not as an escape.


That's about it, if anybody is planning a trip like this and has any questions, feel free to ask in the comment.