Any good resources for someone thinking of backpacking around the world?

Question

I've entertained the idea of backpacking around the world, but dont have any clue where to start. I would love to read some first hand accounts of people who have dropped their lives for a period of time and 'backpacked' around the world. Anyone have personal experiences to share or resources you could tell me about? I'd like the know how to get started, what would be involved, the risks, the adventure to be had, etc. Thank you all!

Answer 1

Check out Trailfinders. I've travelled around the world and have been to about 100 countries but I didn't go backpacking. I went hostelling in Croatia but it was kind of cheating because we had a car.

Answer 2

I think that for your first backpacking trip that it should just be Europe, then later South America, Asia, and Africa. Europe is surprisingly big, lots of history and historical sites. Starting in London, England is good or even Ireland. It really depends on how much money your bringing as to how long and how far you can travel. My first backpacking trip was in Europe. I was there for a month. I first started in Ireland then I went to Scotland then England, then France, Germany, Czech Republic, Austria, Switzerland, Italy and Greece. I stayed in hostels, some were $10 a night, but I don't recommend staying in these because they weren't very nice looking, so I passed. Most of the hostels I stayed in ranged from $15 to $25 a night and they were reasonably decent in cleanliness. You can also sleep on buses and trains if you are using these for transportation. Bring your own pillowcase because some hostels make you pay to use one of theirs, also because you know the only person whose lain on your pillowcase is you so you don't have to worry about lice and other peoples dandruff. Always keep an eye on your belongings, and your drinks. Stay in well lit areas during the night. Stay away from alleyways, especially at night. It helps to go with a friend, but it's ok to go alone if you want. It helps if you bring a translation book or two with you if you don't know the language of the country your going to, but a lot of people in Europe know English but it's fun to try speaking in their language, and they appreciate it too. Don't hitchhike, it's too dangerous. I assume you won't be walking all of the time, because it would just take such a long time so you should get a Eurail Pass and take the train for your traveling, it's safe, easy and cheap. Plus if you travel on the train at night you don't have to worry about spending money on staying at hostels, meaning you will have extra money to do other things. Here is the link for Eurail,

http://www.eurail.com/?gclid=CJS3wuyU7JQ...

Have fun :).