The backpacker survival guide everyting you need

THE

EVERYTHING
you need

to

KNOW

Tamsin King


THE BACKPACKER’S SURVIVAL GUIDE
Copyright © Summersdale Publishers Ltd, 2017
Research by Sophie Martin
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Contents
Part One:

Before You Go..........................................4
Part Two:

On the Road.........................................110


Part One:
Before You Go

4


In this chapter you’ll find everything you need to
know to prepare for your exciting adventure, be
it the first of many or a once-in-a-lifetime trip.
From choosing where to go and how to save on

flights to handy hints on packing and choosing
how you travel, you’ll be a holiday-planning,
adventure-grabbing aficionado in no time at all!

5


,

LIFE ISN T ABOUT
FINDING YOURSELF;

IT’S ABOUT
creating yourself.
George Bernard Shaw

6


BEF OR E YOU G O

THE WOrlD IS YOuR OYsTer
If you have already booked your adventure of
a lifetime, congratulations! Choosing where to
go out of all the places in the world can often
be the most difficult part of planning your
trip, especially if you have to factor in a strict
timescale or budget. However, don’t stress if you
haven’t done so yet – the best part of travelling
is its flexibility. Being organised is great when it

comes to the preparation for your travels, but
you should always allow for the possibility of
extending your stay if you find a place you love
or adding a few more places you want to visit to
the list, so see your itinerary more like a work
in progress. This will help reduce the pressure
while you are still deciding which hemisphere to
tackle first.

7


TH E BACKPACK E R’ S S U R V I VA L G U I D E

Start narrowing down your list of destinations
by thinking about what your interests and
hobbies are and what you want to achieve. Are
you a chilled-out sun worshipper? Then you
might want to head straight for the beach and
leave bustling cities and activity adventures for
culture-lovers and adrenaline-junkies – although
it’s not a bad idea to keep an open mind when
you travel. You might find you develop a passion
for something that you wouldn’t have considered
doing back home.

8


BEF OR E YOU G O

To start you off, here are
some top-spot lists for
various types of location
around the world:
TOP 7 BEACH DESTINATIONS


Nha Trang, Vietnam



Fernando de Noronha, Brazil



Ngapali, Myanmar



Whitsunday Islands, Australia



Elafonisi, Greece



Agonda, India



Ko Lipe, Thailand

9


TH E BACKPACK E R’ S S U R V I VA L G U I D E

TOP 7 CITY DESTINATIONS


Istanbul, Turkey



Siem Reap, Cambodia



Prague, Czech Republic



London, UK



New York City, New York, USA



Tokyo, Japan



Bangkok, Thailand

10


BEF OR E YOU G O

TOP 7 SURF DESTINATIONS


Hanalei, Hawaii, USA



Byron Bay, Australia



Biarritz, France



Muizenberg, South Africa



Bukit Peninsula, Bali



Santa Cruz, California, USA



Thurso, Scotland

11


TH E BACKPACK E R’ S S U R V I VA L G U I D E

TOP 7 ROAD-TRIP DESTINATIONS


Cabot Trail, Canada



Garden Route, South Africa



South Island Circuit, New Zealand



Route 66, USA



Ring Road, Iceland



Great Ocean Road, Australia



Stelvio Pass, Italy

12


BEF OR E YOU G O

TOP 7 PARTY DESTINATIONS


Tel Aviv, Israel



Berlin, Germany



Goa, India



Amsterdam, The Netherlands



Rio de Janeiro, Brazil



Las Vegas, Nevada, USA



Ko Pha Ngan, Thailand

13


tHE BrAVe mAN iS nOT

HE WHO DOES NOT

feel afraid,
BUT HE WHO CONQUERS

THAT FEAR.
Nelson Mandela

14


BEF OR E YOU G O

TOP 7 EXTREME SPORTS
DESTINATIONS


Canyoning in Germany, France, Ecuador, Colombia
and Norway



Snowmobiling in USA and Canada



Ice swimming in Finland



White water rafting in Zambia, Nepal and Colombia



Skydiving in Australia and New Zealand



Bungee jumping in New Zealand and Zambia



Cave diving in Australia and Mexico

15


TH E BACKPACK E R’ S S U R V I VA L G U I D E

TOP 7 HIKING DESTINATIONS


Grand Canyon, Arizona, USA



Everest Base Camp, Nepal



Petra Through the Back Door, Jordan



Grindelwald, Switzerland



Queen Charlotte Track, New Zealand



Inca Trail, Peru



GR 20, France

16


BEF OR E YOU G O

If you are still flummoxed by the idea of having
to choose your precise route before even setting
off: don’t panic! Lots of people start by planning
just one country or one region to travel. Once
you start your adventure, you’ll begin meeting
fellow travellers and hearing about other mustsee destinations. As long as you have the budget
and time to allow for it, you can redirect your
compass/tailor your itinerary while you are on
the road. Let the travel bug bite and there’ll be
no stopping you!

17

If it scares you,
IT MIGHT BE A GOOD

THING TO TRY.
Seth Godin

18


BEF OR E YOU G O

Do I Have Enough Money?
Some of the most memorable experiences you’ll
gain from travelling are those that don’t cost
anything, but unfortunately money makes the
world go round, so make sure you save more
than you think you’ll need.
If you don’t think it’s possible to save enough
money for what you have planned there are
always options. For example, if you are going
round the world, consider staying in a country you
are eligible to work in or where you can arrange
a work visa. You could save enough money at
home to get through most of the countries on
your list, then plan a detour to a country where
you can work until you have saved enough to
travel the rest.

19


TH E BACKPACK E R’ S S U R V I VA L G U I D E

Sometimes you can even save more working in
another country than what you would at home,
especially if you fancy trying your hand at farm
work as you will settle in a remote area where
there isn’t much to spend your hard-earned cash
on, even if you wanted to!

20


If you can dream it,

YOU CAN DO IT.
Tom Fitðgerald

21


TH E BACKPACK E R’ S S U R V I VA L G U I D E

TRaVel ALoNe OR BUddY UP?
The prospect of travelling alone to a country (or
a number of countries) you have never been to
before can be daunting, especially if this is your
first time. Many people decide without hesitating

that they want to share their adventures with
a friend or partner. But if even a small part of
you is wondering whether you would prefer to
experience it alone, don’t let what-ifs put you
off – there are so many other lone travellers out
there exploring the world that you WILL meet lots
of new friends along the way.
Weigh up the pros and cons of travelling with
a friend from back home: will you be happy
spending a long period of time with them or do
you see them getting on your nerves? Are you
willing to persevere if you each want to do different
activities or visit different places? Will they be able
to do things independently, or are they a liability
as soon as they’ve had a few drinks?
22


BEF OR E YOU G O

Although you might be anxious about travelling
on your own, if you think that another person
will hinder your experience, take the time to
think through your options and make sure you
are happy with your choice.
If you are still in two minds, you can opt to
begin travelling with a friend, explore maybe
one country with them and then go your
separate ways; you might even plan to meet up
again further down the road. This will help you

to acclimatise to the travelling lifestyle but will
still allow you to be independent, giving you the
best of both worlds.
As soon as you begin your adventure, you’ll
realise how simple it is to meet fellow likeminded backpackers and will wonder why you
had any doubts at all!

23


TH E BACKPACK E R’ S S U R V I VA L G U I D E

Where to Begin
Booking your flights early – three to six months
ahead for long-haul international flights – is the
best way to make your travel dreams a reality.
Not only are the tickets cheaper (bonus!),
doing so will help you to organise all the other
bureaucratic must-dos well in advance. (Don’t
worry: the preparation leading up to the trip
isn’t as time-consuming as you might think. And,
come on, putting in a bit of legwork up front, in
exchange for a stint away from worries or cares,
is hardly a bad thing!)

24


BEF OR E YOU G O

DIFFERENT TYPES OF TICKET
For those who don’t have a fixed itinerary or
are still uncertain of where they want to visit,
or the route they want to take, single tickets (as
opposed to round trip) are the best option as they
allow you the freedom to travel where and when
you want with ease. Despite these advantages,
planning your journey this way does mean the
overall cost of your flights will probably be a lot
more as you are paying for the outbound and
return tickets separately. It’s also important to
make sure the countries you visit allow you to
enter without an outbound ticket. Some places
are stricter than others and you don’t want to
arrive at your destination only to be told that you
can’t enter! To avoid this, a ‘flexi-pass’ type of
ticket, which allows you to extend or shorten a
stay as you go, is another viable option.

25