First Time Backpacking - Tips?

• 

  Marcsie on 29/04/2017 - 15:42

  +1

  1) Travel with carry on backpack, no check in luggage
  2) Use WhatsApp to keep in touch with friends,family back home, no need for any local SIM card
  3) Leave your Oz Sim card in your phone, remember to activate international roaming and turn data off before leaving Australia, then if you need to transfer your fund to your Citibank Plus account,the bank may send a security code to your phone.
  4) In general, all Western European countries are great,but personally I do prefer Scandinavia countries.
  5) As you know use Citibank Plus to withdraw money and you should use 28 Degrees Card for purchase good.
  6) Just prepare for the worst hope for the best, you will enjoy your well earned holiday :)

  • 

    WatchNerd on 29/04/2017 - 20:26

    WhatsApp is tied in with your mobile number which also requires an internet connection, so this will become very expensive if you take your Aus sim card with you.

    Facebook messenger would be better, with a local sim card for the data connection.

    • 

      Marcsie on 29/04/2017 - 20:31

      Only expensive if you use data or make and answer phone calls :)

      • 

        WatchNerd on 29/04/2017 - 20:34

        Like I said - WhatsApp requires a data connection to work, so yes you are right, it will be expensive with your Aus sim card.

      • 

        tomsco on 29/04/2017 - 21:02

        @WatchNerd: Wifi is plentiful.

      • 

        Marcsie on 29/04/2017 - 21:36

        +1

        @WatchNerd: you turn off data before leaving Australia, and just use Wi Fi at the Airports or Hotels, if you don't have Aus Sim in your phone, you won't be able to do internet banking overseas as the bank will send SMS to your phone to verifies it's actually you :)

• 

  yaziyo on 29/04/2017 - 15:49

  +1

  If you're not interested in getting smashed every night avoid party hostels and instead look for more chilled hostels. You'll find more low key people and it will be easier to strike up a conversation and meet some travel friends if, like me, you're not a party animal.

  Definitely Citibank Plus is the way to go. And rather than a money belt, just don't carry too much cash. These days ATMs are everywhere and I understand that they are generally fee free in Europe. Keep a spare bank card in your bag that you can use in case something happens (account gets frozen, you get pickpocketed or lose your wallet, the card breaks etc.) ING Plus is a good backup card for that purposes which charges a flat $2.50 per ATM withdrawal.

• 

  peachesforfree on 29/04/2017 - 15:56

  "I have read about money belts but am not sure about them, I might just put my money in my backpack instead"

  Sew a "secret compartment" into the inner linings of a pair of shorts/pants - great for storing $ notes!

  Travel insurance is a must! I've had a good experience with Southern Cross Travel insurance in the past, they did pay out on my medical expenses

  • 

    altomic on 30/04/2017 - 13:29

    travel insurance - I've used Online Travel Insurance. whilst I haven't to claim their prices are usually 25% lower than everyone else. and they are backed by Allianz Global Assistance

• 

  fantombloo on 29/04/2017 - 16:27

  Head over to eastern Europe quickly - it's much cheaper and still plenty to see. Possibly get to Croatia and then wind your way to Greece - you'll find plenty of spectacular beaches, alps, dense forests peppered with castles, etc. on the way.

  Have a great trip.

• 

  frondono on 29/04/2017 - 16:34

  Amsterdam & Bruges will be nice. I'd recommend going to Budapest & Prague, If you go more Eastern Europe the dollar goes pretty far. The man in seat 62 is very useful for figuring out a train route. For longer journeys it's probably worth flying. If you want the cheapest transport, the buses are by far the cheapest.

  • 

    frondono on 29/04/2017 - 16:35

    It's 61 https://seat61.com/

    • 

      frondono on 29/04/2017 - 16:36

      A train ride through the Swiss/Austrian Alps would be nice.

  • 

    MITM on 06/05/2017 - 19:42

    Upvote for Bruge nightlights.
    Greece is an excellent departure point. Spend some time island hopping by ferry.
    Some great hostels are heritage castles.
    Take trains off the main lines.
    If you get a rail pass, for a free nights sleep take a 4hr trip anywhere, and then return back to where you started.
    Be ultra flexible, but follow a route plan.
    Google and free Wi-Fi are your friends.

• 

  KitchenSink on 29/04/2017 - 16:42

  Have a look at CouchSurfing. Great way to meet the locals and they can show you around some good places or suggest stuff. Also can get free accomodation. But be careful, there are some dodgy ones too.

  Pack light and pack for the season and have enough room for souvenirs if you buy some or send it home in a box. If you're planning to do hikes etc in the Alps, pack some decent gear for that, not like specialist mountaineering. You can always rent/buy stuff there. I tend to buy souvenirs lasts so I don't have to carry them around everywhere - only problem is you don't have souvenirs from each place, except the last.

  Some Apps to download:
  Maps.me for offline maps. Very Handy. Make sure you download the map before leaving. Google maps can also work but I found it only works in some cities.
  Triposo. Like a guide book. You can download information about cities/places/countries (like from Wikitravels) and keep it for offline. Also have a look at Wikitravels for recommendations
  XE- currency exchange/conversion
  Podcasts - for long bus/train rides if you're tired of music. You can learn a language for example. I used this for learning Spanish.
  Google Photos - backup your photos with unlimited storage. I tend to leave my phone backing up at night time while its charging in the hostel. If you lose your phone, at least you won't lose the photos.
  Google Translate - Self explanatory. You can also use the camera inside the app to live translate signs or words.
  Trail wallet - I'm sure there's other apps but this is what I used. This app helps keep tabs of your expenses and helps with budgeting per day - but you have to add the data in yourself. Gives a good overview of what your spending.
  Learn some of the basics for a language - German, Dutch, Spanish, French or wherever you're going. Locals like it when you try and talk their language, even if you butcher it

  Get a Powerbank - handy for when people fight for a charging plug in the hostel. Also carry some spare cables.
  Not required, but I got myself the Xiaomi Mi Band 2 for when I was trekking in Nepal. Helps with time and tracks steps. Helps with keeping healthy and active and its not flashy like a watch. Also can last up to 25 days without a charge, 30 if you don't have notifications on.

  Most importantly, have a open mind and enjoy it. Its your trip, do what you want. You will meet fellow travellers in hostels, just don't be a stranger.

• 

  [Deactivated] on 29/04/2017 - 16:55

  +1

  Get a Eurail pass, travelling on trains in Europe gives you options.

  I've backpacked around Europe many times, every Uni summer holiday I had, me and my friends jetted over and travelled around. I bought Eurail passes and only used planes when it was a cheaper option to bridge long distances, but the experience on the train is still better.

  Keep your itinerary open, you will meet people who will ask you to join them, you will meet women who will ask you to stay, you will find better options and places to visit. Live by the seat of your pants. At one point, when I finished Uni, I back packed around Europe for 8 months without a break. It was awesome. I almost never booked accomodation ahead of time, and it only nearly caught me out once, when I was in Nice and U2 happened to be having a concert there that night. I eventually wound up sharing a hotel with a beautiful blonde Newcastle Knights cheerleader, who I happened to have meet 6 months before when I was coming out of the subway in Greece, and a brick feel from a construction site and missed my head by about 2cms. It was serendipitous. Don't worry about booking accomodation apart from your first night. Back when I was backpacking, there were a couple of super popular hostels that you had to book ahead for (I think one was called Kabul in Barcelona and one was called The Flying Pig in Amsterdam), but other than those, every hostel was fine when you booked that day online or rocked up at the desk.

  The longest single journey I ever took was from Utrecht in the Netherlands on the train, through Germany, Switzerland, Milan-Venice-Ancona, then a boat to Patras, then a bus to Athens, then another boat to Kos. It was like a 50-60hour journey, all in one hit. I think the last boat alone was 12 hours, some rickety old WW2 era cruise ship, on the night of the 2006 World Cup Final. It was awesome and totally worth it.

  Don't use a money belt. Use a wallet. Locals carry wallets, you shouldn't try and stand out as a tourist. Make sure your backpack (only use a backpack), also has a daypack, so you can leave the majority of your stuff in the hostel. Don't take anything valuable. Stick to your iphone and a cheap $200-300 ultrabook or ipad. Have a digital copy of your travel documents stored in the cloud. Buy one of those phone battery extenders with a solar cell, so you don't need power plugs all the time.

  Buy a 3 sim in the UK. It gives you pretty much global data roaming for £20ish. It even works in Australia.

  You should spend time in Greece, the islands are amazing.

  Don't deny the drinking culture, it's social lubricant, you'll be ostracised as a backpacker if you don't join people for a drink.

  Avoid Irish and British people with tattoos.

• 

  jjjaar on 29/04/2017 - 22:23

  for figuring out transport use www.rome2rio.com

  Bring a lock for lockers in dorms. Bring a bike lock to lock your backpack to the bed in the dorms so no one can just steal it.

  Citibank card is a must.

  Just use wifi. It'll be in at least one hostel in every city.

  Use HostelWorld and look at the reviews. Higher "atmosphere" are ones I would read the comments of to find out if atmosphere is "party" or if it's something else eg "the hostel has a lot of activities" / "the hostel is small so everyone just hangs out in the lounge room" etc. I've stayed in hostels that are party party but not wanted to party and it's been fine, but read reviews and you can avoid these places

  Avoid staying too close to stations or bus terminals. Usually more dodgy (though there are exceptions).

  Get google translate app and download some key languages before you go.

  Go to your local library and borrow (or ebook) Europe on a Shoestring.

  Find out what days have free museums in the cities you go to.

• 

  rajahs2049 on 30/04/2017 - 09:38

  +2

  My Best tip for saving money and eating well is avoid tourist restuarants and eat like locals. Tourist places usually have a 'menu touristico' in 4 languages. These places usually have the worst food and charge four times as much as a local place. Just walk a couple of hundred metres and look for a place full of happy locals and order what looks good. House wine in these places is usually good and cheaper than water! I had the best meal ever of some deli bought local bread ham and cheese over looking the Venice canals for a fraction of the price of a coffee in Piazza san Marco.

• 

  GOCAT9 on 30/04/2017 - 10:08

  +1

  "I have read about money belts but am not sure about them, I might just put my money in my backpack instead"

  NO, NO, NO!!!!!! My strong advice IS TO USE a money belt! Time and time again when you hear about people losing their money and passports and you ask them where it was at the time they tell you that they were in their backpack or daypack etc, or even worse, left in their locked backpack back in the hotel room!! Someone suggested using a wallet, for me that is a big no-no since they can more easily be pickpocketed. In 40 years of world travelling I have never had my travel documents stolen because I follow one golden rule: Your travel documents should never ever leave your person! This means even when you are taking a shower you hang your money belt with documents etc up on a hook while you shower so that they are within eyesight at all times. When sleeping my money belt is under my pillow. At all other times they are on my person period. No exceptions. With this tried and tested method there is only one way I can be separated from my travel documents and money etc and that is through violent robbery which is extremely unlikely , mercifully !!

  Now let me make a few comments about the money belt. When people talk about her money belts most people think about those bulky type bum bags that you see tourists swearing around the waists. I would not recommend them but they are better than nothing. I recommend one of those moneybelts which lies flat. You can get your passport, plenty of currency notes, credit cards etc in one of these. You wear it around your waist under your shirt. I wear my shirt out, I.e not tucked in. This means that your shirt is covering your money belt and it is very comfortable to wear. It is almost impossible to detect that you are wearing a money belt and you look a little bit more local or downbeat by wearing your shirt out anyway!

  Hey, this is easy to do, has never failed me, is super secure, and you know where your documents are at all times.

  Other tips I agree to also are back up all your documents to the cloud before leaving. The best travel app and the most important travel app that I have and I would never go anywhere without it is Pocket earth. Off-line travel maps for everywhere, automatic rotation of maps, you never get lost and always know where you are and you never walk in the wrong direction which most of us have done at some time or another, this never happens to me any more with this app!

  Above all enjoy your journey

  Oh, no travel insurance= do not travel ( get a gold CBA card) , it gives you free travel insurance without purchasing tickets or anything beforehand- gold!!

  Oh, oh, another thought!! Unless you are planning on doing off road hiking or treking in the mountains etc I would not use a backpack because you have to carry it everywhere ! Much better choice is a trolley pack !! Think of it as a backpack on wheels you can carry it like a backpack if you need to i.e. walking through water or across sand or rocks etc, but how often will you be doing that? 99.9% of the time you will be able to pull it behind you on its wheels. I found this percentage to be even true in Asia where footpaths, roads etc are much worse then in Europe. Look up osprey packs, Great quality and lifetime warranty

  • 

    [Deactivated] on 06/05/2017 - 12:14

    This is terrible advice. The guy is going backpacking. He needs a backpack to do that. The only people who go backpacking with wheel cases are complete retards.

    Also, a money belt is just so stupid. Just use a wallet. Paranoid like the person I'm quoting? Put your passport in your jacket pocket or day pack. Just do an dress like a local. You don't see locals wearing money belts and bum bags around their waists.

• 

  HeWhoKnows on 30/04/2017 - 11:43

  +1

  Get a GOOD backpack that is comfortable to carry fully loaded. Check out Lowe. Your typical backpacks are just crap!

  • 

    altomic on 30/04/2017 - 13:37

    +1

    ^^ this.

    1 -make sure it has a good waist strap. the key to a good pack is a great waist strap as you shouldn't use your shoulders to carry any weight. the shoulder straps are primarily there to keep the backpack from moving away from your body. all weight should be on your hips. I used to hike a lot and the one time this was explained to me it changed my hiking experience for ever.

    2 - a semi decent frame - so that the backpack maintains a rigidness and sits nicely against your back (you don't want a saggy backpack).

    3 reasonable shoulder straps - again the shoulder straps aren't primarily for carrying weight (though they will need to be tough enough as you'll pick up the back by them a lot). but they should me nice a comfortable on your shoulders.

    the best way to test a backpack is to fill it with a lot of stuff (keeping heavier stuff towards your back, put it on and tighten the waist band and take the straps off your shoulders. the pack should be able to stay upright.

• 

  windale on 30/04/2017 - 20:59

  +1

  we did a night train from Paris to venice in a sleeper. was pretty cheap and you wake up as the train arrives right near the grand canal in venice. much better than flying there :)

• 

  [Deactivated] on 01/05/2017 - 09:16

  +1

  • Carry a good quality plastic bag for your towel.
    You can pack it when wet, but don't forget to air it when you stop each night at a hostel.

  • Use a money belt - GOCAT9 is on the money - literally.
    Sleep with your valuables on you - not at the bottom of a sleeping bag.
    Sleeping bags can be easily cut without disturbing the sleeper.

  • Get a good travel sewing kit and pocket knife for your backpack.

  • Pack a small movement sensor lock into your bag - you may find it helpful if you want to sleep on a train.
    The motion of the train should not trigger it, but if someone tries to take your bag it will alert you.

  • I travelled with some $$ in the soles of my shoes - just in case!

  • Always make sure you have cheese and biscuits in your bag.
    You never know when you will find an awesome spot for a snack.

  • you can get extra mileage by turning your socks and undies inside out every day, without needing to wash them for at least a week.
    Always air them on your bed overnight when you sleep, to keep them 'fresh'.

  • for hostels - I used a small climbers chalk bag (with thin rope) to secure to my bed for specs and a small torch.
    Its horrible waking up in a strange bed and not being able to see anything in a room full of strangers.

  • in a hostel - if you can see the hot water tank, take the shower closest to it.
    You will not lose as much pressure when others shower down the line.

  • dress for the rest of the day - not the current temperature.
    in other words - cold mornings, warm days - dress for the warm days. You will be more comfortable.

• 

  Yola on 01/05/2017 - 10:45

  +1

  If you are wanting to use the Citibank Plus account, which is the best for withdrawals overseas, you need to apply for it now. They are very bureaucratic and it can take some time to get it all set up.

• 

  Tasmaniac on 07/05/2017 - 06:15

  +1

  Skype might be a good way to make calls if your unsure about telco's and providers. I remember being trapped in Beijing with nothing but wifi and using Skype unlimited for about $15/month.

  • 

    WatchNerd on 08/05/2017 - 22:47

    +1

    • You're.
• 

  blackorange on 13/05/2017 - 08:21

  +1

  Re. Money belt vs wallet
  - money belts are relatively bulky if you are slim and wearing it under a shirt is not a practical option for women
  - money belts get very hot if you are in a hot / humid area
  - taking money or things out of money belts in public screams Rob me!! Like nothing else

  When I was younger I always travelled with money belts and wore them religiously but above problems were significant deterrents. I still pack one for if I am alone on an overnight train or something similar dodgy. 90% of the time I don't use it.

  I always have two wallets, one with today's cash and cards I might use and the other with the rest, and a backup stash hidden somewhere. I truly believe if you don't stand out that's the best way not to be targeted

• 

  Peck on 13/05/2017 - 14:17

  On a daily basis I just carry a bit more cash than I need in my front pocket.
  I definitely would not carry anything of value in backpack. My experience in Philippines - group of street kids hassling me whilst one attempted to open my backpack.
  Always carry a COPY of your passport.
  You and your family download LINE app. and can make free calls & messages through WIFI.

• 

  GOCAT9 on 14/05/2017 - 10:05

  "Re. Money belt vs wallet
  - money belts are relatively bulky if you are slim and wearing it under a shirt is not a practical option for women
  - money belts get very hot if you are in a hot / humid area
  - taking money or things out of money belts in public screams Rob me!! Like nothing else"

  Well yes if you do it wrong and no if you don't.

  Not ALL money belts are bulky! Mine is quite flat when loaded with what I need to carry safely- just don't pack the kitchen sink in it!

  Getting very hot has never been a problem for me. I don't wear it against my skin even though it is below a non-tucked in shirt. BTW, most of my travel had been in tropical Asian countries!!

  Plan your daily use - they are NOT designed to access for all monetary transactions. Keep enough loose money in a front pocket for all your daily transactions. That way you don't need to access your money belt every time you need change!

  All just common sense really with a little thought - has worked for 45 years for me and NEVER failed me!!