Public Servant Lifestyle

Backpacking can be a wonderful way to see the world without spending a fortune, but requires careful planning to work well.

A cheap and effective alternative to the package holiday deal is going backpacking. You can use trains, trams, boats and good old Shank's pony for a truly different holiday experience. Below you will find a couple of useful lists that will give you an idea of what to take and how to keep safe, but before that there are a few things to consider.

Practicalities

Firstly, doing the whole thing by flight of fancy may be an invigorating undertaking, but what about the practicalities? If you are going to do this it pays to plan ahead. For example, if you're going to travel Europe, beginning in France, and you knew that you wanted to see Paris and then Cannes, book the youth hostel or B&B in advance if you're going during the peak months. Carrying traveller’s cheques is a good idea because as a tourist you'll be a target for opportunistic thieves and when cash is gone, it's gone.

It is little things like this that will make your trip much easier and trouble free. Though it may be worthwhile to note that maybe this is not the way to holiday if you are the sort who enjoys creature comforts; it may be a while between baths and showers, and your range of clothes is governed by the amount of strain you want to put your back under!

What To Take Backpacking?

Before you make that long trip, it's vital to know that you have everything in your pack for every situation. This list should help ensure you are not caught out when halfway around the world!

Some things to consider having with you:

Ruck sack (with good straps)
Day pack (for a day or twos essentials when you leave your full kit in a station/airoport/hostel locker)
Hip bag
Change purse (I'd get one with at least two pockets for multiple currencies)
Money belt
Health card
Hostel card
Driver's licence (even though you're not driving, it is used for security deposit on keys, etc)
ATM, credit cards with cash advance PINs
Currency for first three countries
Traveller's cheques in foreign currency for the countries you'll be in most
Calculator
A pair of small padlocks - key or combination kind
Bungee cord (for wrapping around door and rack on trains)
Compass
Binoculars (small pair - ideal for seeing frescos! Even opera glasses will do for this)
Large envelopes for important documents in your pack
Small light
Pocket knife
Eating utensils (you can buy a combi pack in a campping shop that will be durable, compact and easy to clean)
Cup (try the same shop for an enamelled tin cup)
First-aid kit - This should come with plasters, tape, chapstick, antacid and antibiotic ointment. Make sure this doesn't have any scissors or other sharps - you can pick them up en route as needed - you don't want to run into any flight regulation problems!
Cold medicine
Vitamin C
Camera and film (unless you're using a digital, which will save space in any case). If you are going digital consider also carrying a USB memory stick so you can back-up your pictures and clips and free up space on your camera memory)
Batteries (for camera, recorder or walkman)
Small bag of detergent (go for the cold water kind, very popular on the continent of Europe)
Pen
Paper
Plastic bags to separate currencies from leaking items, etc.
Guidebook
Book to read
Language reference/phrase book
Toothpaste, brush, floss
Nail clippers
Ear plugs
Moisturiser lotion (for hands - worth getting something with aloe vera in, so this can double up for a post sun calm-down cream in case you over do it!)
Sunblock/Sunscreen
Kleenex
Electric razor and charger/adapter
Hand wipes
Shampoo/conditioner (combi is best to save space)
Sleeping sheet (thin and light)
Windbreaker/raincoat
Two pairs of pants (jeans/a pair of khaki pants)
Seven pairs of socks - a weeks' supply!
Seven pairs of underwear - a weeks' supply!
Two pairs of shoes (hiking boots/tennis shoes)
Turtleneck
Two t-shirts (you will buy more as needed)
One sweater
Gloves
Ear/headband or hat (most of your heat gets lost through your head, so for a nice, snug night, slap on a hat).

Like any list of this kind, the above is purely a suggestion - and a matter of personal choice, but you want to remember at all times that there are shops out there - so don't over burden yourself. A good trick is to get all your kit together, pack it at home well before the trip and wander about - up stairs, round the garden, down the street and onto a bus (you might even want to travel to work and back with all your travel equipment). This will give you a good idea of the kind of impact carrying your life on your back will actually have, before you get out there.

PSP Ltd is not responsible for the contents of external websites.

More information available in Holidays