You come to me to seek my wisdom over this backpacking deal, while my passport gathers dust due to This Fucking Virus, so I guess I have nothing better to do when I should be in Iran, so here we go.
Don’t plan too severely:
All you need is your outbound plane ticket, travel insurance, a packed bag and your passport and debit card. The best plan is a vague one. Have a list of places you want to see and things to see and do, Unless this includes festivals, there is no need to plan every day in advance. Much of the beauty of backpacking is you are able to stay as long or as little as you like. Get somewhere and feel there is a bad vibe? See the sights on your list and get out as soon as possible. Love it? stay a month. I know an Australian who has been in Don Det for two years (lucky, drunk bastard). Besides, any strict plan will seldom survive past passport control. In this manner you can accept invitations for things that you didn’t plan on doing.
Pack light:
Make it your motto, your mantra, your shout into the void.
You will notice the more people travel, the less they take. My first solo trip I spent a small fortune on on shit I didn’t need that spent a month in the bottom of my pack, only to be donated to Saint Vinnies when I got home. I learned to despise that backpack. Now, my essentials (not including meds, clothes and toiletries) are:
- Kindle (a game changer, no more stalking book exchanges)
- Smart phone
- Travel wallet and contents
- Travel towel
- Sarong
- Universal charger and cables
- Reusable water bottle
- USB rechargeable key-chain torch
- Sleeping bag liner
- Stash-able day-pack.
Travelling light will allow you to walk a few kilometers to the bus station instead of taking a taxi, save money on checked luggage and catch planes in the nick of time, and get out of airports while that family is still waiting for their entire possessions at the carousel. Its also worth noting that taking heaps of clothes mostly amounts to a lot of dirty laundry stinking up your pack.
Get off the Tourist Trail at least a little.
In many places that have been dealing with tourist hoards for generations, its possible to not experience any culture shock or challenges to your worldview. All I can say is the good stuff all happens outside of the tourist traps. Ask the staff at your hostel where they go for a meal. Go down a back alley of a market and get a haircut. Help a local clutch start his or her car. And learn to squat and love the bum gun.
This post was inspired by a post in a Facebook group I am a member of. Since I saw it it has been deleted.
Adrian's Got The Moose 