The backpack trips are often a type of low budget travel. They consist of traveling only with a backpack.
Before the journey
Choosing a good backpack
As the backpack will become your suitcase or even your home for the duration of your trip, and you will need to carry it continuously, it is important to make a wise choice when purchasing.
- Do not take a backpack that is too big. Not only will it encourage you to fill it up more, and it will only clutter you up on the go. In addition, it may be too heavy to carry, which can cause back pain.
- For a trip during which we walk a lot: a bag of more or less 50 liters will do very well.
- Try several bags when buying. Don't choose it based on beauty, low price, or promotion. Take the most comfortable, the one you feel good with. It's your back that we're talking about here!
- Bags with several side pockets, interior subdivisions and exterior straps are very convenient for carrying certain items.
- Some backpacks have a integrated over-bag. Very useful in case of rain.
- Make sure your back is breathing well.
- Take as much as possible a backpack on which several settings are possible.
Packing
You have to be careful to pack your bag properly to avoid loss of space, back pain and any other related inconvenience.
- Store heavier items near his back.
- Fill your bag only 2/3 full. This will give you space to bring back things.
- The weight of the bag should not exceed 1/3, or even 1/4 in the case of light bones and musculature of your total weight.
- Do tests before departure:
- Go for a brisk walk with your bag.
- Notice your comfort level.
- Repeat the test sometimes by changing the arrangement of things in your bag, filling it less / more, etc.
- This will prevent back pain that might surprise you during your trip.
Distribute the weights in a hiking bag (source)
What to bring?
Here's a comprehensive list of things to pack. Obviously, there is no question here of a mandatory complete list. Some travelers, depending on their destination, will need less than half of it. For example, the one who goes around Western Europe on a backpacker will not need anti-malaria treatment, nor a compass! It all depends on the destination and the level of comfort desired by the traveler.
CHECK TRAVEL LIST (source)
Documents
- Plane ticket
- Passport
- Birth certificate
- Citizenship documents
- Entry visa
- Tourist card
- Confirmation of reservations
- Insurance
- Disease
- Travel
- Cancelation
- file number
- travel assistance phone number
- Addresses of embassies and consulates
- Travellers cheques
- Duplicate list of traveller's checks
- Credit card
- Duplicate the list of credit card numbers
- Phone number of your travel agency
- Road maps
- Copies of prescription drugs
- International student card
- International driving license
To be left to someone you trust, who is stable and easy to reach
- Copies:
- Itinerary (although this is rather approximate)
- Travelers Check Numbers
- Credit card numbers
- Passport, visas, etc.
- Plane tickets
- Transport tickets (train pass, rental contract, etc.)
- Travel insurance
Clothes
It is best to bring only the bare essentials of clothing. Having enough to go a week without doing laundry is enough.
- Preferably dark and wrinkle-resistant clothing
- Underwear
- Sandals
- Comfortable walking shoes
- Short clothes in case of heat
- Warm clothes in case of cold
- Swimsuit
- Socks
- Waterproof in case of rain
Toiletries
- Shampoo
- Soap
- Shaver
- Deodorant
- Toothbrush and toothpaste
- Required for contact lenses
- Spare contact lenses (bring double what would normally be needed depending on the duration)
- Eyeglasses
- Sunglasses
- Beach towel (one is enough for washing and going to the beach)
- Toilet paper roll
- Liquid sunscreen
- Tampons, sanitary napkins, menstrual cup
Health
- Condoms and / or birth control pills (in the case of birth control pills: bring double what would normally be needed depending on the duration)
- First aid kit
- Diachylons
- Disinfectants
- etc.
- Lotions and sunscreens
- Prescription drugs (in their original box, along with a copy of the prescription to avoid trouble)
- Ear plugs
- Anti-malaria treatments
- Mosquito repellent
- Tick tweezers
- Pastilles to purify water
- Water filter
To cook
- Bowl
- Unbreakable plastic utensils (only one of each type per person: a fork, a knife and a spoon per person is sufficient)
- Can opener
- Bottle opener
- Plastic cups (one per person)
- Gourd
- Corkscrew
To sleep
In the case of the campsite:
- Sleeping bag
- Mini pillow
- Attempted
In the case of a youth hostel:
- Inn sheet or small sleeping bag or sack sheet
- Pillow
Miscellaneous items
- Swiss knife
- Elastics of all kinds
- Diaper pins of all kinds
- Plastic bags
- Basic sewing kit
- Passport belt
- Small flashlight
- Camera
- Alarm clock
- Luggage lock
- Tourist guides
- Day backpack
- Hand washing liquid
- Small calculator
- Lighter / matches
- Compass
During the trip
Or sleep ?
To see:
- Low budget travel (section Lodging)
- Youth hostels
- To find accommodation
Move
To see:
- Tips for hitchhiking
- Hitchhiking in Europe
- Low budget travel (section Transport)
- Traveling by coach in Europe
- Traveling by train in Europe
- Low cost airlines in Europe
Tips and tricks
Storage
- Stacking a small piece of laundry (eg: swimsuit) in previously nested plastic glasses saves space. Just rinse them before use.
- If you buy something that is breakable, wrapping it in a piece of clothing will prevent it from breaking.
- Plastic bags are very useful for isolating dirty or soaked clothes from other clothes.
Security
- The Tie-wrap are useful for protecting the outer pockets of your bag against theft (eg during train trips during which you cannot always keep your bag with you).
Food
- The good ol 'kilo of bread and the spread pack up nicely in a bag and are always a great help in the event that we are unable to obtain food immediately.
Hygiene
- Showers in campsites are sometimes tokens. That is to say that you insert a part previously purchased at the reception in a box near the shower, which gives you a limited time of hot water (and sometimes just water!).
- Undress before entering the room.
- Prepare bottles of shampoo, soaps, razors, and others so that they are ready for use.
- When the hot water begins to flow, place the open containers that you have in your possession at the bottom of the shower (gourds, bowl, water bottle, etc.). They will fill up while you wash and provide a small reserve of hot water if you run out of time ... to remove soap, shampoo, etc.
Budget
- Makehitchhiking is a very obvious way to save money and to establish contacts with the population.
- Divide the total amount of money available (excluding all pre-departure costs, ie: plane tickets, equipment, vaccines, visa, etc.) by the number of days. This will give the maximum amount that will be possible to spend per day, once there.
- Reducing this amount a little allows you to keep a reserve in case of unforeseen events (because the whole trip is one anyway ...), for example: need for drugs not covered by travel insurance, landing in a city more expensive than the average, entry price of a high-cost attraction, etc. (ex: calculated average: 16 € per day ... we decide to try to stick to 12 €, which means that we save 4 € per days, which is a small reserve.)
- Systematically count all your purchases during a day and note the total amount at the end of it in a notebook provided for this purpose allows you to see if you are below or above the daily budget initially planned .
- Calculating the average daily expenses regularly (ex: after 10 days: calculating the sum of the expenses of the 10 days and dividing them by 10, which will give the total average expenses per day.) Allows us to situate ourselves in relation to our Estimates.
- If the average expenditure is above:
- Try to cut spending even more in order to catch up with the deficit.
- Take a few days off in an inexpensive location in the event of a fixed return date. You can take the opportunity to wash your things, get to know the local population more fully, rest, tidy up your bag, write all your overdue journal pages, etc. This makes it possible to catch up with the budget and continue without the announced worries. Obviously, this is particularly applicable for long trips.
- Try to cut spending even more in order to catch up with the deficit.
- If the average expenditure is above:
- Calculating the average daily expenses regularly (ex: after 10 days: calculating the sum of the expenses of the 10 days and dividing them by 10, which will give the total average expenses per day.) Allows us to situate ourselves in relation to our Estimates.
- Systematically count all your purchases during a day and note the total amount at the end of it in a notebook provided for this purpose allows you to see if you are below or above the daily budget initially planned .
- Reducing this amount a little allows you to keep a reserve in case of unforeseen events (because the whole trip is one anyway ...), for example: need for drugs not covered by travel insurance, landing in a city more expensive than the average, entry price of a high-cost attraction, etc. (ex: calculated average: 16 € per day ... we decide to try to stick to 12 €, which means that we save 4 € per days, which is a small reserve.)
Resources
- General
- New Zealand and the Pacific
- Americas
