1st of all backpacking isn’t for everyone. As strange as it sounds most people can not spend days at a time just hanging out. Most backpackers will not be able to afford to party hard every night or do every single activity in a town or eat at restaurants every night of the week.
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There is quite a bit of preparation that goes into a successful backpacking trip. From sourcing the cheapest flights, choosing the season you want to visit in and whether you can apply for a work visa or not. Of course the obvious thoughts are am I excited to go there, is it cheap and what can i do there, and how long am I going to travel for. After your 1st trip its a lot easier to get up and go with out so much planning.
- How long can i go for- Whether its time off work or just finished school. The major factor with this choice is money. Even though it is reasonably cheap to backpack some places you will still need money especially if you aren’t planning on working or can’t get a work visa or holiday work visa.
- Where do I want to go- This is probably the hardest thing of all to decide as the world is so big and you only have so much time. Below there is a brief outline on the different places you can visit.
- Am I going alone- Don’t be scared if you are going backpacking alone, even if you are a female. The first hostel you walk into you will be forced to meet the people in your room at least and if you want to you can meet heaps more in the different sections of the hostel. If you have never been into a hostel it is a wicked vibe, everyone is there for the same reason” TRAVEL”.
- Do some research on the place you have decided to visit. A good way is to buy a guide book, Lonely Planet on a shoestring is a wicked guide book to give you the basics. Don’t use this as a bible though, you will find in hostels it is the main topic, where everyone has been and what they have done,
Places to go Backpacking.
- South America- South America is an amazing place, the culture and the scenery is enough reason to go there, let alone it is one of the cheapest places to travel in the world. Most tourists you meet there are true travellers as it is such a challenging place to visit. Do not be fooled South America in general is a very dangerous place. In my experience I had no issues but a majority of the people had some issues ranging from pickpocketing, mugging and hijacking. A lot of this can be avoided by being street wise and using common sense. But all in all it is an amazing place and well worth seeing.
- SE Asia- SE Asia is an amazing place. It boasts some of the nicest scenery in the world from the beaches in Thailand to caves in Vietnam. SE Asia has some of the best activities and events in the world also with tubing in Laos to Full Moon Party in Thailand to surfing In Bali. The entire region is easy to travel around, the food is delicious in most areas and it is very cheap. The only downside as it is such a party area you don’t meet as many travellers you mainly meet tourists who are there for 3 weeks or a month. But all in all is an awesome place. You still need to be street wise and use common sense as with all poorer areas there are some desperate people.
- Europe- Europe is an absolutely amazing place. For backpacking it is easy to travel around internally and from country to country. Europe has some of the most amazing places in the world to see. For example Paris itself is amazing, the cobblestone streets of Prague is beautiful to the sexy red light district of Amsterdam to the atmosphere of an Irish Pub. Some of the more popular events in Europe are running with the bulls in Spain, St Patty’s Day in Ireland, Oktoberfest in Germany, Anzac Day at Gallipoli. Also the Mediterranean is right there. Europe is expensive to travel but it is reasonably safe if you are street smart and use your common sense.
- Australia & New Zealand- Australia is massive. The possibilities are endless with travelling it and there is a massive range of things to do there. The main backpacking areas Airlie Beach, Cairns, Byron Bay, Darwin and Broome. Some amazing things to see and do in Australia is visit the Great Barrier Reef, check out the Sydney Opera House or take a drive down the Great Ocean Road or have dinner beside Uluru and don’t forget the hundreds of surf beaches all around Australia. It is quite expensive to travel but reasonably safe if common sense is used. New Zealand is one of the most scenic places in the world, Compared to South Americas Patagonia it has some of the best snowboarding and Skiing in the world.It is quite small so you can travel from the bottom of the South Island to the top of the North Island in a few months if taking your time. You have to check out Milford Sounds and do the jet boating and Bungee Jumping there.
- Canada & USA. Canada is massive and the landscapes are breathtaking. The winter usually lasts about 6-8 Months which attracts Skiers and Snowboarders from all over the world to take on some of the best Winter action in the world. In Summer the activities range from Surfing to some of the best hiking in the world. Some of the main events in Canada include Calgary Stampede, Winter Carnival in Quebec. Canada is famous for its Poutine (chips, gravy, topped with cheese) and Ceasers(Like a Bloody Mary but with Clamato Juice). You have to try both. Canada is safe to travel if common Sense applied. USA is another massive place. You can visit places like Disneyland, Universal Studios, New York , San Fransisco and of course LAS VEGAS. You have to check out New Orleans and Hawaii also (You will not regret it). Once in America it is quite cheap to travel around compared to Canada. It is an amazing place and changes from state to state. America is reasonably safe to Travel once again if common sense is applied.
