Backpacking can be one of the most exciting experiences that you can have and when you go alone, you can learn a lot about yourself. When you go backpacking, you simply have yourself and a backpack full of your things meaning that you are much freer to travel around the country. Some of the most common places to go backpacking include Thailand, around Europe and across the USA.
Here, we’ll give you some tips that you can use to plan your ultimate backpacking trip this year. Keep reading if you’d like to find out more.
Your Budget
The first thing that you are going to need to think about when you are planning your backpacking trip is the budget that you have. You might have saved up a lot of cash for this trip, but you need to know exactly how much you are going to spend. Having a budget is really important for backpacking as you tend to pay for things like accommodation as you go rather than in advance, This can make it hard to figure out how much to bring with you so you need to think carefully and do your research.
To set your backpacking budget, take a look at your savings, gather any donations that you can from friends and family who want you to have a great trip and figure out just how much you can afford to spend. You should then divide this up into smaller budgets for where you’ll stay, transport and general food allowance. You should be able to find more tips on how to set a backpacking budget online so make sure to have a look.
The Destination
Now that you have your budget, you’ll need to figure out where exactly you are going to go. Perhaps you have a dream destination that you’ve always wanted to visit – if so then it is a good idea to start there. If not, you might want to look at some of the popular backpacking destinations as these places are where you’ll find other backpackers, cheap accommodation and lots of activities for people like you.
Take a look at places like Thailand or Cambodia as these are quite cheap to visit. Once you get past the initial cost of the flight, the living costs are low and there are many different locations that you can visit. As a backpacker, you won’t just be staying in the one spot so make sure to find a location that has other cities or towns near to it.
The Route
Backpacking is all about travelling the world and living life in the moment, however, it can help to have a basic route that you are planning on following. If you have bought a two-way ticket, then you need to make sure that you can get back to the airport on time wherever it is located. For this reason, we suggest that you plan a route that you will follow. You don’t need to set dates in stone, this route can be changed as time goes on.
For those who have never been backpacking before and for those with families who worry about them a lot, we suggest creating a route and sharing it with them. This is a great way of creating a general plan and making sure that you have time to get everything squeezed in.
Flying
The next step in planning your ultimate backpacking trip is to book your flights and make sure that you are flying to the right airport. Luton airport flies to many destinations and so you should be able to find a cheap enough flight from this airport or any of the other London airports.
If you want to save some cash when you are getting to the airport, we suggest using the Mid Term Parking Luton Airport service which allows you to keep your car there for the duration of your travel. If you book online in advance you can even save money on the Valet Parking Luton Airport service. Take a look at Luton Parking to find out more about this.
The final thing that you need to think about when booking your flights for your big trip is the luggage that you have on your ticket. You might need to ask for a bigger allowance for your backpack or put in a special request to bring it on board. This all depends on the airline that you are flying with, but you shouldn’t come across too many problems when you are bringing your backpack with you.
Where You’ll Stay
Once you have booked your flights for your big backpacking trip, you’ll need to think about where you are going to stay when you get there. Most backpackers decide how long they’ll stay in each place once they’re already there so you might not want to book out your accommodation for the entire trip in case your plans change.
For this reason, we suggest booking somewhere to stay for your first few nights to make sure that you can get settled. Then, you can book your rooms as you go and give yourself a bit of freedom. Make sure to consider the different options available to you as you will come across everything from hotel rooms to hostels and villas that you can share. We suggest trying hostels to begin with as you will meet other travellers there and you can do some activities together. Websites like Booking.com can be very handy for finding last minute accommodation so make sure to have a look at this.
Be Open-Minded
Our final tip for those who are planning their ultimate backpacking trip is to try to be as open-minded as possible. If you want to have the best possible trip, then you are going to need to live in the moment and open yourself up to the opportunities that come your way. If you meet a group of people who are travelling somewhere outside of your route, but you’d really like to go with them – do it! You can always double back and head to your next location once you’re done.
Of course, being open-minded should also come with some thoughts about your safety. Backpacking can be dangerous if you don’t keep your wits about you so make sure to always let your friends and family back home know where you are. Only go places with people you trust and always remember to keep in touch. This way, you can have the best possible trip and make the right decisions.
Final Verdict
Summer is almost upon us so make sure to start planning your ultimate backpacking trip today. If you have someone else to travel with then you could plan it together, otherwise, the decision on the route and the time that you go is down to you. This is your trip so make sure to plan it in a way that suits what you want.
Remember to try to stick to your budget and plan parts of your trip in advance to make sure that you can do this. Hopefully, you end up going on the backpacking trip of a lifetime this year.
To read more on topics like this, check out the travel category.
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