For the more adventurous among us, or simply those used to traveling low budget, the backpacking road will be a familiar one. Whether by hitchhiking or with InterRail passes, camping or hostel-hopping, there are infinite number of ways to keep the travel budget to a minimum while allowing yourself maximum flexibility.
Here are 5 tips to make the most of your backpacking experience.
1. Sometimes plan, but sometimes wing it
Although a certain level of preparation and planning is needed for backpacking trips, especially when moving across countries, it is worth leaving yourself a bit of room to be flexible. You never know what will come onto your path while you are on the road, after all.
2. Go off the beaten track
When traveling from city to city, try to get away from the more “touristy” areas. The best way to get to know a city quickly is to wander around, speak to locals, and take their advice, not your travel guide’s. Same goes for food and restaurants.
3. Accept that you’re bumming it
Many hostel reviews will scare you with claims of bedbugs, terrible service, overbookings, etc. This is rarely the case, and these reviews are often written by older people expecting an entirely different travel experience. In choosing hostels all you really need is some common sense and the right attitude. A hostel is not a four star hotel, but most of them are perfectly acceptable wherever you go.
4. Record your experiences
If you are traveling across countries, often in the same place for only a few days at most, it is easy to lose track of the things you’ve done. Most people will of course take enough pictures to fill up your facebook newsfeed for days, but it is worth keeping a diary or simply jotting down key moments in a notebook, if only to keep yourself busy on long train/bus rides.
5. Speak to strangers
A foolproof way of taking traveling to the next level and discovering new things is to step out of your comfort zone and speak to the people around you. Even if you are with friends, you can always meet new people, share experiences, and often you will find these encounters will result in adventures you would otherwise never have had.
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