So you're thinking about backpacking... Why not? There has never been a better time for doing something so bold. 20 years ago, you would have been without internet, smart phones, high definition cameras, ATMs, etc. You can easily stay in touch with friends/family back home as well as the new ones you make over various messenger apps, Facebook, Skype, etc. There has never been a better time to spread your wings and see what the world has to offer. Thus I proclaim this the golden age of backpacking... At least until teleportation is invented, which is like 10-15 years away tops... 7 if I decide to take an interest in quantum entanglement.
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| Who would have known that a two week trip to South America would drastically change my life? |
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| I'm just trying to find a mountain I can climb... (The Strokes - Machu Picchu) |
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| Unshowered and Unshaven...Tis the backpacker way. |
Smart Phone
Definitely bring a smart phone with you, even if you don't plan on getting phone service in foreign countries. It's the easiest way to take photos while you're on the go and the most convenient device for getting wifi if you don't want to carry your computer/tablet everywhere. Not to mention the fact that it also doubles as your music device. You cannot survive without music and headphones on the road. You have so many bus/boat/plane rides. Seriously, carry spare headphones.
If you want cell service, make sure your phone is unlocked and can take sim cards. Wifi isn't generally available in all hostels and costs extra in some countries (Australia and New Zealand), so getting a foreign sim-card and loading it with a data plan can potentially be a cheaper option. Just make sure you turn off auto updates, as it will burn through your limit. If you are doing a working holiday visa, it's absolutely necessary to have a phone to follow up with potential employers and set up interviews. Outside of that, you can definitely live without a phone. Besides who wants to call the girls that give you their numbers anyway?!?!? :'(
I don't recommend updating your phone software abroad. I tried updating my iPhone to IOS7 while I was Indonesia and it randomly crashed. The only way to restore it was with iTunes, which meant finding wifi consistent and fast enough to download a file over 1 gig...Took me 4 attempts and 3 weeks. But on the plus side, my iPhone is now in Norwegian. The other thing relating to your phone's software is that your apps won't always work in foreign countries. For instance, Spotify and other cloud based media apps are not licensed in every country, so you may have to learn to live without them. Another good idea is to have your photos backup automatically. I used Google +, so anytime I opened the app any new photos or video I'd taken were automatically added to my account. I met so many people that lost their phones or had them stolen... Protect yourself!
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| Wether or not you can read the maps your store on your phone is another issue... |
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| You're not going to want a carry a big camera around with you at night, which is why you need a cellular device |
Honestly, if you have a smart phone, you probably don't need another camera. The photos those things produce are incredible and you'll almost always be carrying it on you. If you do want to step up your game and get a DSLR, just make sure it's worth it for you. I'm a little crazy and purchased a Canon 7D, multiple lenses, accessories, and a tripod. My thinking was that if I was going to be gone for 6 months or more then I wanted to have some kick ass photos and time lapses, but for most people that's probably completely unnecessary. If you ever do an activity with a big group, someone is bound to have a DSLR, so you can usually just get the high resolution photos from them, without having to carry an extra 5kg of camera gear :).
GoPro or go home bitches. Every human being should own a GoPro, it's the funnest toy ever. It's practically indestructible, takes amazing photos (have you seen my selfies?!?!?!) and video, and can go underwater! If you plan on snorkeling, diving, rafting, or otherwise being in the water, you need one. There are plenty of other outdoor cameras out there, but there's a reason all the skydiving/adventure companies use the GoPro. I recommend getting the pole, a mini tripod with bendy legs, and possibly a wrist housing (bungee/skydive... If the company allows you to wear your own). The GoPro battery life is crazy short, so I recommend getting some backup batteries. A 2 pack of Wasabis is like 15 bucks and totally worth it. If you're going on a multi-day hike, you might also consider buying a portable charger. They are like 25-30 bucks and some even double as portable flashlights!
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| If you want a photo this sharp... You'll need a DSLR |
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| The 7D is known for being especially good at portraits and wildlife photography. My photography is known for focusing on boobs. Human boobs, monkey boobs, fish boobs. I like all boobs #RespectForAllSpeciesOfWomen P.S. Did you just imagine a fish swimming around with a pair of boobs hanging out? How creepy is that image? You're welcome!!!! |
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| The Crazy Eyes Cow!!!!!!!! |
Choose your computer wisely - I took a Chromebook, which in hindsight was the worst technological decision of my life. Definitely bring something Windows or Mac based. I needed a computer so I could blog, upload pics, and backup my time lapses to portable hard drives. If you're not creating 6 gb time lapses every week or writing a blog, you can probably get by with a tablet or your phone.
Portable hard drive/ Flash drive
Bring a portable hard drive - From storing pictures to exchanging movies, a portable hard drive is a travelers best friend. If you do photography, I recommend carrying 2 at all times so you can back up everything twice and have flexibility to ship hard drives home when they get full. If you do a group activity, like white water rafting, instead of having everyone buy photos, you can just have on person purchase them and then exchange photos via flash drives. Seriously, you need some portable storage.
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| I wanted nothing more than to destroy this thing |
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| How can this pic not make you want to travel? |
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| I've got a sunset in my veins |
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| Best part of backing up your photos on Google +? It automatically strings your photos together to make panoramas |
Determining what to bring can be a little daunting, but here's a few tips. Always bring a hoodie and jeans; You're going to end up on top of a mountain at some point and it's going to be cold. If you plan on going out into the wild, bring a few pairs of hiking socks. You don't really need hiking shoes, I'd recommend just wearing trainers, because at the end of the day you're probably going to be walking around or running a lot more than you'll be hiking. You'll save a lot of space and weight; If there's ever a serious need for hiking shoes they'll be provided or available for rent. I also recommend a long sleeve Under Armour style shirt since they are compact, lightweight, and keep you warm. It's also a good idea to bring a rain jacket or poncho, because you're going to get rained on at some point.
As far as your everyday clothing goes, I purchased some special travel boxer briefs that can easily be washed in sinks and dry in a few hours. To be fair though, underwear is pretty damn cheap, so you might be better off just buying and discarding as needed. Besides, you can get hot pink Calvin Klein undees in Malaysia for a few bucks. Same thing with shirts, board shorts, socks, etc. So honestly, you're covered if you under pack. If you overpacked - don't be afraid to dump stuff. You're clothes are going to get disgusting, so just toss them and buy some new $5 threads. Sorted!
You'll also want some sort of system for clean and dirty clothes in your bag. I ended up creating a three bag system. I separated my clean clothes into one week batches, placing each batch in a plastic bag. My final bag was an air compression bag, so I could put all my dirty laundry in it and then roll out all the air to shrink it down. This also kept the rest of my clothes from smelling disgusting. I call this move isolating the stank. For the clothes I didn't use regularly, like gloves, hat, compression gear, etc. I just placed them in another plastic sack and left them in the bottom of my bag. Only keep what you regularly use at the top, it's a bitch to unpack everything all the time ;).
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| It's hard to believe I'm dressed for the cold when I look so damn hot! Don't act like you don't want a piece of that ass ladies |
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| Then again - do you really even need clothes? If you have a body like this, probably not |
I'd recommend getting at least a 60 liter bag, most also have an adjustable top section that goes up to 75-85 liters. You're going to accumulate stuff as you travel, so it's a good idea to have some extra space. You'll also want a book-bag or "daypack" to use for smaller excursions. This is the bag you will keep on you at all times, so it's where you should store you're valuables, passport, etc. You don't want to be leaving that stuff around your hostel room :). There's also one essential item you should always carry with you in said daypack - Toilet paper. If you go to Asia, South America, or on any sort of camping trips in the wilderness... you're gonna need some TP. It also serves as a napkin, facial tissue, and backup mummy costume on Halloween. For a backpacker, it's basically MacGuyver's version of duct tape.
Toiletries - Soap lasts way longer than body wash and takes up less space. I used body wash for years, but let's be real. A man is supposed to use soap, not some soft, exfoliating, moisturizing body wash that smells like two flowers having sex with strawberries. Get a soap container and make the switch. Ladies, you can't be using soap. You're skin needs to be soft, smooth, and smell like said flowers. Deal with it. I also recommend carrying some smaller 3 ounce containers for when your big bottle of shampoo/body wash runs out. By dumping them in smaller containers, you save space. Plus if you end up going on smaller trips, you might leave behind your big bag. Thus if you take a flight somewhere for a week, you can toss the 3 ounce containers in your daypack and carry it on. No checked bags, no extra fee!
You will also want a rain cover for your bags or at least your daypack. For some reason it always rains when you go on a multi-day hike and you do not want wet clothes. If you have an expensive camera, you'll also want to make sure that thing doesn't get wet, so the rain cover is clutch. I carried a sleeping bag with me, but it wasn't really worth it. You can rent them for $5-10 if the time comes. If germs freak you out, just get one of those silk sleeping bag liners. In the end, having a sleeping bag saved me $10, which probably wasn't worth carrying it around for 10 months. Eventually I tossed it to make room for souvenirs.
Packing your bag is also pretty important. I always made sure to put everything in the exact same spot. Toiletries always went up top in their own pocket, contact solution and bug spray in another, flip flops up front. It sounds OCD, probably because it is, but you never have to search for anything and you know exactly where everything fits and how much extra space you have. Besides, you're living the most unorganized life imaginable as a backpacker, it's nice to have a little pocket of civilization. I'M NOT CRAZ... I am batshit fucking crazy
Bag locks are essential. Padlocks are good, but the ones that combo as wire locks are better since you won't always have a locker to store your bag in. The wire lock allows you to interlace all your zippers and then tie it around something in the room that can't be easily moved/removed. Occasionally (pretty much always) you'll stay somewhere that feels pretty shady and the locks will give you peace of mind :).
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| You should definitely bring sunscreen and bug spray... |
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| You might want to bring some other kinds of protection as well... |
Whilst travelling, you can save money by having the right kind of credit or debit cards. Some companies don't charge foreign transaction fees and/or reimburse a certain portion of your ATM fees. This will literally save you hundreds of dollars, so definitely look into it. For Americans, CapitalOne 360 and JP Morgan offer such deals, but other financial institutions probably do as well. Let's be real, I don't get paid for this blog, so I'm not going out of my way to do any additional research for you. I recommend having multiple cards. I had two debit cards and one credit card. I always had one debit card in my wallet and the other in my daypack with my passport, so on the off chance I was pick-pocketed or lost my wallet whilst hammered, I would have a backup. Plus that way if someone stole my daypack, they'd have my debit card and passport, making stealing my identity a breeze. I'm considerate like that.
Always carry some spare cash on you, $USD is a good option. There may be places you visit that don't have ATMs, so a currency exchange will be your only option and $USD is accepted pretty much everywhere. The only thing to be wary of is that you typically need to use bills that are $20 or greater and there can't be anything wrong with them. If a bill has even the slightest tear (one millimeter), it won't be accepted, so make sure they are crisp and clean.
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| Story of my life... |
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| Seriously, you have no idea what awaits you in this world. Abseiling waterfalls in Vietnam...WTF |
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| I'll repeat this advice again. Never EVER bungy in mesh shorts. Your scrotum will never be the same |
Border Crossings:
The first thing to check when getting ready to travel somewhere are entry requirements. In most instances, you either don't need a visa or can get one upon arrival, but sometimes you have to apply in advance. New Zealand and Australia require electronic visa applications in advance of your arrival, so you need to apply a few weeks ahead of time. If you do get a Visa upon arrival, chances are it will cost a few dollars. Border crossings are usually paid in whatever currency your home country uses and the amounts differ for each nationality. Americans have fees in a lot of countries because we charge foreigners to visit the US. Therefore they reciprocate those charges.
Several countries state that you need onward tickets upon arrival, showing your plans to leave the country within the time frame your visa allows, however it's not always regulated. The Philippines, Japan, and Fiji were the only three countries I visited that enforced the rule. When you're getting ready to cross the border you'll also receive an arrival card and possibly a declarations form for Customs. Don't freak out, these forms are no big deal. A lot of times, they'll rip off the bottom part of that form and hand it back to you after they stamp your passport. Make sure you don't lose that piece of paper, because you'll need it to depart the country. If you lose it, you might get hassled.
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| Levitating Buddha!! |
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| Find your inner peace :) |
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| Sean Claude Van Damme this world is awesome |
When you initially go somewhere, chances are you will fly there. Sky Scanner is usually your best bet. If you're not set on a certain date, check out the calendar view, sometimes it's hundreds of dollars cheaper to travel on certain days of the week. After you find your flight, go directly to that company's website, you can usually save another 5-10% by cutting out Sky Scanner's middle man fee. If you're super crazy....yeah yeah, we already established I'm crazy, you can also consider booking multiple flights.
For instance, when I went to Bolivia, a flight from Kansas City was absurdly expensive. Thus I ended up looking at flights from Washington DC and Miami to Bolivia instead. Turns out a flight from DC was several hundred dollars cheaper. Thus I purchased a separate flight from KC to DC and then flew from there. Ironically the flight from DC required a plane change in Miami, however taking that same connecting flight from Miami directly was several hundred dollars more than flying from DC. I mean seriously, how does any airline's pricing even make sense? If you're in a foreign country, also check out travel agencies or ask hostel workers, sometimes they know of super cheap local airlines that won't show up on Sky Scanner.
Once you arrive in a country, you'll be using local transport which can be absolutely anything, you can't even imagine some of the vehicles I've ridden on. My best advice is just to embrace it, because life is meant to be an adventure. If you're out backpacking, you're not there to ride in a cab, which you can do anywhere. You're in Thailand to experience a tuk-tuk. If you're somewhere advanced, like Seoul, you can also utilize the subway systems. If you're going to be in a place for a while, I recommend getting the local transit cards, which allow you to swipe in and out of subway stations, thus saving you from having to constantly buy tickets. In Hong Kong I used the Octopus card and in Tokyo I used PASMO... It makes traveling a breeze.
When getting between cities, your cheapest option is usually some form of bus or a boat. If you're traveling a long distance, you should consider doing an overnight bus, because you can sleep (kind of) and you'll save that night's accommodation. Plus you'll end up having a whole extra day to do something, instead of watching the world pass by your window. However, keep in mind that cheaper isn't always better. Boats tend to leave sporadically, perhaps 1-3 times a week. Those boats can also delay their departures by a day or more, so you can easily get stranded in places. In the Philippines I once spent 6 days traveling from Cebu to Palawan instead of just paying an extra $50 to take a two hour flight there. 6 days of your life is probably worth more than $50, though I did see some amazing sunsets, ate at a place called Hungry Ninja, and learned an important life lesson, so it wasn't all terrible. You live and you learn.
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| You'll find that the Moto is the most diverse transportation vehicle in the universe |
Hostels baby. Hostels are the greatest thing that's ever happened to poor travelers. Depending on which country and what season you visit, you might need to book them in advance, otherwise you can usually just freestyle. If you are going to book in advance (Australia, Southeast Asia during high season), your best options are hostelworld, hostelbookers, booking.com, and hotels.com. Occasionally the prices and availability of a hostel/hotel/guesthouse/capsule will differ between those sites, so at minimum you should always check hostelworld and booking.com. There were so many times the hostel I wanted to stay in was full on hostelworld and available on booking.com or vice versa. Always double check!
If you're going to freestyle, try not to arrive somewhere at 2 AM, because finding a hostel in the middle of the night is not fun. Pretty much everything is shut down and there are wild dogs everywhere. And when you do find a place, well, there's going to be a sign on the door that says please be careful when bringing back prostitutes or lady boys, because they might steal your shit. Seriously, I can't even make this stuff up. If I know where I'm going in advance, I'll use wikitravel, which tells you the various parts of town you can stay and also lists out hostels with prices. It also usually has prices for buses to other destinations and is generally up to date.
When it comes to food, your life will be a lot easier if you have no allergies or aversions to meat. There are so many random treats on the streets and you never know what's in them, so if you fell into one of the categories above, you won't be able to be as adventurous and try everything. It's not always easy to convey things to locals, not only because of language barriers, but also because of the cultural ones. If you tell someone in the Philippines that you'd like your sandwich to be vegetarian, it could very well come out with pork on it. They'll be like what do you mean, this is vegetarian, it's just pork. Did you not realize pork is a vegetable? I once ordered a vegetarian sandwich in Vietnam that had four kinds of meat. Your best option may be to bring a picture showing vegetables are good and meat is bad. Some people also carry a sheet of paper explaining their allergy or meal preferences in the local language of whatever country they are in. Always a good move. If you're kosher, you are completely fucked. You are going to die of malnourishment or starvation.
My favorite places to eat abroad are night markets. Night markets are amazing because you can get an eclectic mix of food. In Thailand you could end up with pad thai, sushi, fried chicken, donuts, and a fruit shake. If you're feeling crazy, you might end up with a tarantula or scorpion on your plate. A lot of the time, you won't have any idea what you're ordering. I've mistakenly ordered food covered in sardines several times, you'd think I'd learn, but nope. When it comes to food, the only thing I'm a glutton for is punishment. You'll also eat at a lot of hostels and local restaurants. Try the local dishes and specialties from each area; Maybe it'll end up being terrible, but maybe it will be amazing. Besides, you can eat a hamburger anywhere, don't be boring. Live a little; Life is not to fear, life is to enjoy!
Of course, you can always make your own food! A lot of hostels have kitchens and it's generally a lot cheaper to cook for yourself. Sometimes it's a pain the bum, because you have to pay extra deposits for dishes or exchange your room key for a frying pan, but that's all part of the experience. Grocery stores and markets always have cheap options and sometimes it's fun to cook a meal with the people you are traveling with. Of course, if you're feeling lazy, you can always grab a toastie from 7/11. You Australians know what I'm talking about :).
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| Embrace the unknown :) |
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| Pumpkin Gelato!!! |
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| The Dragontini is just one of the many Mantinis I've been testing out. Mantinis, Martinis for men. Now if you'll excuse me, I have an Appletini to enjoy |
A lot of people use Lonely Planet or some other travel guide. I had the Southeast Asia on a Shoestring book and thought it was terrible for the most part. It's a good resource to have if you are spontaneous or too lazy to plan ahead as it can tell you the part of town that has all the backpacker joints and major attractions, but life is not a guidebook. If you travel everywhere and only follow that book, you'll never experience anything unique. I don't want to do the exact same trip someone else got paid to write about, I want to get lost in a strange country, eat at some dirty local restaurant with amazing food and a high risk of salmonella, "accidentally" walk into the red light district on my first night... Four countries in a row. The countries I loved the most are the countries I freestyled, no guide books. I was just a dude with moldy toe nails and a nipple made out of a grape skittle walking through the unknown.
Another resource I utilized was wikitravel. It has all of the same info as lonely planet, except is free and easily searchable... ctrl+f brosephs. Insta-find that shit. Another good move is to screenshot or pdf important information so you can pull it up on your phone offline. My photo album is filled with maps from bus stations to hostels, wifi passwords, nude selfies, boat schedules, etc. Somewhere Jennifer Lawrence is scouring the internet for my hacked iCloud photos...
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| It's not easy being a former male model |
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| This photo has nothing at all to do with this blog post... I just like being shirtless |
You'd be surprised how much of this world is haggleable (that's a real word). I'm pretty soft, so I'm not the greatest at it, but generally the rule of thumb is to cut the price in half and then start finding somewhere to meet in the middle. However, you're usually better of just slowly increasing you're offer and then once they counter you saying this is the best deal they can offer you, just start walking away. At that point, they'll probably sell it to you at your final offer price. Anyone transporting you - taxi, tuk tuk, minibus drivers, etc. are the people that will try and screw you over the most. They might lie to you about how far away something is and/or drive you in circles.
My recommendation on haggling or finding out you got ripped off later - Who cares? If you can afford to fly to another country and buy stuff, chances are you're better off than the person selling you goods/services. They'll probably never be able to afford a visit to your country, even by the time they're 50 and you can already afford to do it when you're in your 20s or even your teens. They're just trying to make a living and you'd probably be doing the same, trying to maximize your profits, if you were in their shoes. Sure some people will outright lie to you, which is wrong, but that's on their conscience and their karma.
For the most part you're only paying $5 for most stuff, so if you get ripped off for $1, is it really a big deal? Over the course of your life, that money is insignificant. Besides, chances are that $1 means a lot more to the person who received it than it does to you. $1 for you buys you 1/5th of a frappucino at Starbucks, it buys them dinner for their two kids. Be thoughtful, think about things from a different perspective. Chances are you have it pretty good, you just don't realize it. All the stuff you take for granted, like owning your own car or house, some people can't even imagine having that. You're lucky, be grateful, and be nice! As the saying goes, it's nice to be important, but it's more important to be nice. :) :) :)
What are you waiting for? Go have some adventures!!!!
