Backpacker 101 (part 2)

Step 3: Route and transportation

Once you have enough information, you can start to plan your route. My suggestion is: don’t make your route plan to tight since it’s quite frequent to change your route during your trip. Furthermore, it’s not like “the more places you have been, the better trip you will have”. So you’d better determine where are the places you have to see and where you don’t really have to. A flexible route plan will be really helpful for planning for a fun trip.

Step Four: Before you go

The next step is to prepare for the paperwork, such as applying the visa, booking flights, applying for International Student Identity Card and International Youth Hostel Membership Card (these two cards will save you a lot of money in tickets and accommodations), getting a travel insurance and exchanging currency.

In addition, if you are going to somewhere like India or Africa, to inject a vaccine is essential to keep you safe.

Step Five: Pack your luggage

If you are going to somewhere like America, Australia or Europe, maybe a suitcase is not really a bad idea for those who don’t want to carry a huge backpack, since those countries have wheelchair accessible channels where you can pull your suitcase easily. But to go to somewhere not that well-developed, backpack is your best choice.

You need a good backpack (50L-70L) for a long trip. When choosing them, comfy and light are the most important. You don’t need an expensive and attractive one – you will have more chance to get robbed. Maybe you also need a small backpack for your phone, camera, passport and other stuff you need to carry every day.

Believe me, the lighter your backpack is, the happier you will be. I have a 70L backpack and when I put everything in, it’s huge and crazy heavy for almost 25 pounds. It drove me crazy when carrying them for an only 20 minutes walk. So only bring what you really need for your trip is the smart choice.

And also be aware of the plug seat difference if you need electronics to be charged.

Step Six：Go!

Check the documents and all your equipments, and then go! Enjoy your trip! But you also need to remember to respect the local culture and environment. Be a responsible traveler while having fun!

I will post some videos of how to choose your backpack in my next post.