You picked your destination, booked your ticket and are ready for a once in a lifetime backpacking adventure! But a bit of preparation is very necessary to leave happy and relaxed!
Wether you are going to travel for a few weeks or a few months, it is worth to prepare your trip upfront. This will save you a lot of stress and problems on the way. Here are five tips from my personal experience.
1. Check passport & visa requirements
It may sound obvious but it's essential to make sure you have the right papers to enter the country your traveling to. Every country has its own requirements and it's worthwhile to check it online well before your trip. A common requirement is that your passport must be valid for at least six months after entering the country, regardless of the time you will stay, I learned about this the hard way.
When I was 18, I went to visit a friend in Malaysia. It was my first flight alone and my first time out of Europe. I was all set and ready to go but then it happened.. At the check-in counter the lady looked at my passport and said, I'm sorry you are not allowed to board this plane. My passport was only valid for another 4 months or so meaning that I could not enter the country. Shocked, angry and upset I had to get an emergency passport. Thankfully I was very early and at a big airport that could provide me with a new document before my flight left. But rest assured it was quite a stressful start of my trip.
'At the check-in counter the lady looked at my passport and said, I'm sorry you are not allowed to board this plane'
Visas are also important to check before you go. As I am Dutch, I can enter most countries without a visa or with a 'visa on arrival', this means you will get a stamp in your passport when you arrive at the airport/Harbour/border. Sometimes you have to pay a fee for this. Check official websites as there are always many scams around visas. In some cases however, you will need to request a visa upfront. The procedures differ per country so it's again import to check. For our trip we have to request a visa upfront for Vietnam (online) and for New Zealand. Please note that as of October 2019 travelers to New Zealand need to register via the electronic travel authority (NZeTA). There is an app for it, which is very user friendly!
Visas allow you to enter the country for a certain amount of time, varying from a few days to several months. If you are planning your trip, keep these things in mind. For example, if you go to Vietnam, the standard visa is valid for 30 days, single entry (so you can not cross the border to e.g Laos and come back afterwards). Another tricky thing is how you enter the country. Thailand for example allows you 30 days if you come by plane, but only 15 days if come via a land border.
2. Make a budget plan
It can be very difficult to assess how much money you need to travel, especially if you go for several months and multiple countries. Still it's important to make some estimations and save up enough to keep you going. How much you need depends on the cost of living at your destination, your travel style and your choices along the way. In my experience the most expensive parts of traveling are the accommodation, transport (flights, busses, trains etc) and tours/activities.
To plan your budget, look up some prices online for e.g local transport or a hostel and try to calculate a daily cost, multiplied by the days you will stay. Keep those Visa costs in mind too! We will be traveling fairly low budget, staying in hostels or B&Bs and flying only when necessary, but still traveling comfortably. We estimate the cost per month and per person like this: around 1000 euro for Asia, 2000 euro for New Zealand and 1500 South America (excluding flights). You can of course do it cheaper or much more expensive, it's a matter of your choices.
3. Vaccinations
The last thing you want is to get sick on your trip and when you are traveling (especially to the southern hemisphere) you can be at risk of nasty diseases. The main recommended vaccines for the countries we travel to are Hepatitis A - 2 shots give you protection for at least 25 years; Diftery, Tentanus & Polio (Dtp) - needs to be renewed every 10 years; Malaria pills - depends on the area and type of pills how much you need. There are various others that you can consider, always check a reliable source upfront. Get your vaccines several weeks or months before leaving as they need some time to work.
4. Packing your bag
Having a good backpack and day pack is pretty important for long trips, and even more so, what you put in them. The main advice is not to bring too much. You have to carry everything with you all the time and all those things can quickly become a burden. Keep in mind that you can always buy things if needed. Having said that, here are some essentials to pack:
1. Good and comfy shoes (you will walk a lot!)
2. Lots of under wear. You can do laundry, but it's nice not having to do that every week.
3. An First Aid kit with band-aids, scissors, painkillers, tweezers, desinfectant etc.
4. A torch, for your nightly adventures
5. Clothes that can be layered for warm, cold and wet weather.
6. A quick drying towel, so you can take a swim or shower shortly before traveling
5. Having fun!
Get excited by reading up on your destinations and making plans on what you want to see and do on your trip. But also by still enjoying your time at home with friends /family. Don't get stressed out. With a bit of prep and common sense, things will generally work out just fine.
Hope these tips were useful for your next trip.
Xx Yvette
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