What Not To Bring Backpacking: Ten Things To Leave At Home

When setting off an extended backpacking trip for the first time, it’s common for people to bring far more than they need; the uncertainty of what the trip may bring can lead to a mentality of packing things “just in case”, or for comfort.  To help you towards the way of travelling light, here’s a subjective and irreverent list of ten common backpacking items which should you should consider leaving in the wardrobe.

1. A Huge Backpack to rival the SAS/Navy Seals

Take a stroll down the Khao San Road in Bangkok and you’ll see wave after wave of fresh recruits arriving from overseas kitted out like Special Forces, tottering under the weight of bulging 70-80 litre capacity backpacks.  Don’t do it to yourself!  You really shouldn’t need a backpack bigger than 50 litres.  Any more and you need to seriously reconsider the items you’re packing.  Are they really necessary?

2. Jeans

It seems like a natural choice to throw a pair or two of jeans in your bag, but denim is not suited for life on the road by any means.  Jeans are thick (making you hot in balmy climates), heavy and take an age to dry.  You’re far better off with a pair of trousers/pants made from a lighter, quicker-drying fabric.

3. Sleeping Bag

As this is no longer the 1970s, virtually all hostels worldwide will provide you with adequate bedding for free.  There is absolutely no need to bring a sleeping bag on your trip unless you are doing an awful lot of camping.  Instead, consider bringing a cotton (or silk, if your budget stretches that far) sleep sheet, which will take up hardly any room at all in your pack and will be useful to separate you from the odd festering mattress you may have to lay your head on.

4. Hiking Boots

Unless you are walking around the world, leave the hiking boots at home.  Big, clumpy and stinking, a pair of boots weighing down your bag will quickly become irksome, particularly when you’re in a sandals climate.  You’re far better off hiring boots when you fancy doing some serious hiking, although a pair of sturdy trainers/sneakers will often suffice for “accessible” walks.

5. Laptop

Increasingly in dorm rooms worldwide there will be one or more travellers busily tapping away on their laptops.  A laptop is a luxury item, and certainly not an essential item for backpacking, unless you require one for working en-route, so think seriously before bringing one on your trip.  What might seem like a great idea at home may not be so genius on the road when it is stolen or broken.

6. SLR Camera

Hand-in-hand with a laptop on my list of no-nos is an SLR camera.  You’d have to be seriously committed… to photography to bring an SLR.  Heavy, bulky (especially if you bring along a selection of lenses) and prone to breaking or being pinched by shifty travellers, swallow your artistic pride and bring a crap point’n'shoot digital camera like the rest of us.

7. Enough Medical Supplies To Make Florence Nightingale Blush

One for the hypochondriacs.  A compact, basic first aid kit is essential to bring with you, such as plasters, a small tube of anti-septic cream and so on.  But don’t go overboard.  Unless you are really going way off the beaten track, leave the sterile syringes at home and put your money into comprehensive emergency travel insurance instead.

8. A Pacsafe

Don’t know what a Pacsafe is?  Good – keep it like that.  Suffice to say, it is something your Mum would think would be a good idea.  It’s not.

9. Mosquito Net

Mosquito bites are intensely annoying, and need to be taken seriously, as a little nip can be deadly if the blighter is a carrier of malaria.  However, there are effective ways of protecting yourself without resorting to carting a mosquito net around (such as using anti-malarials, covering up at dawn/dusk and using DEET or natural repellents).  Nets take up far too much space in your pack, and are not needed in most of the world.  For the areas in which you may appreciate having one, such as particularly infested parts of Africa, pick one up locally if they are not supplied at your accommodation.

10. Guitar

Because there is a common consensus that people who travel with guitars are tossers.

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Many budget minded travelers like the safety, security and convenience that comes with booking a packaged or escorted tours.

These tours can be particularly useful for those traveling to an unfamiliar or exotic location, as well as for those who want to cover a lot of ground in a short period of time.

There are tour packages to every conceivable destination, and for every possible budget.

There are package tours that specialize in budget accommodations, and there are those that use only the finest hotels and the best restaurants. When looking for a suitable tour, it is important to take your own tastes and budgets into account.

There are several types of package tours available, and it is important to understand the difference, and to choose the type that best suits your interests, travel style and of course your budget as well.

Fully escorted tours

Fully escorted tours are generally the most all inclusive. In most cases, everything is included, from airfare and lodging to sightseeing and meals. In most fully escorted tours, the entire tour is tightly structured, and a full, highly detailed, itinerary is provided.

Many people like the structured and all inclusive nature of this kind of package tour, but they are not for everyone. Many independent minded travelers do not care for the rigid structure, or the fact that there is often not time to explore a particular destination more in depth. Many of these more independent minded travelers prefer the next category, the partially escorted tour.

Partially escorted tours

As the name implies, partially escorted tours are not as all inclusive as fully escorted ones.

These tours generally take care of transportation from one destination to another and lodging once you get there. Unlike fully escorted tours, however, these partially escorted tours generally provide more free time to explore on your own.

With most partially escorted tours, meals, other than maybe a few, are not included.

The tour often stops at a particular restaurant or eatery, but the meals are generally at the expense of the traveler.

Many travelers prefer the greater freedom this affords, while others prefer the all inclusive nature of the fully escorted tour. It is a choice each traveler must make for him or herself.

Many partially escorted tours also include optional excursions, and these excursions are also at the traveler’s expense.

It is important for anyone considering such a tour to get a list of optional excursions, including the price, and to review the itinerary for less costly alternatives that may be available.

Lodging and airfare tours

A package tour that includes only lodging and airfare is the least inclusive, least structured, and generally the least expensive, type of package tour available.

This type of package deal generally includes the airfare to your destination, transfer to the hotel, lodging for the length of the stay, and transfer back to the airport upon departure. In some cases a rental car may be included as well.

While these types of packages can be an excellent deal for the adventurous traveler, it is important to take into account the cost of meals, sightseeing tours, etc., and to compare that cost with the cost of a more inclusive package.

It is also important to pay close attention to the location of the hotel, and its proximity to the sights you plan to see. Many tour companies keep the costs of their packages low by using out of the way or unpopular hotels, so it is important to consult a map of your destination and find your hotel before booking the trip.

If you end up in a hotel that is far from the city center, you may end up spending lots of money on taxi far or rental cars. It is often better to upgrade to a hotel that is closer to town, even if that causes the cost of the package to rise.

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When traveling on a budget, one of the most often asked questions is whether it is best to travel independently, reserving your own airfare, hotel stay and sightseeing reservations, or choose a package tour where everything is set up for you in advance.

Unfortunately, there is no easy answer to this question.  It is largely dependent on the location you have selected and dates of travel.  For instance, travel to European destinations are often less costly to book on your own, especially when the airlines are running specials of European airfares in the off-season.  

On the other hand, travel to many exotic locations, like Egypt, Morocco, Kenya, South Africa, Thailand, and India, are often much less expensive when booked through a vacation package company or travel agent.  That is because these tour operators often have special deals with the national airlines of these companies, and with very nice resort hotels, to provide considerable discounts in exchange for a steady flow of business.

For instance, with a little bit of shopping, you can book a vacation package from New York to Egypt  for a grand total of $1,100, including airfare, an excellent hotel, daily breakfast, airport transfers, and daily sightseeing tours, including guided tours of the pyramids of Giza and the Sphinx.  This is far less than you would have paid if you had booked this trip independently.

Similar deals exist for other locations, notably India, China, and Taiwan.  So be sure to check on the availability of these package deals when shopping for a budget travel deal.

Of course, some great deals can be had on your own as well, and this is often a great way to go, especially if you are a solo traveler.  Solo travelers often have difficulty getting those great deals on package deals, since the required single supplement can often ruin the deal.  

It is also important to find out exactly what is, and what is not included, in any package you are considering.  Many package deals have optional excursions built in, and these extras can add considerable cost.  Be sure to ask for a detailed daily itinerary to determine if you will be left on your own if you fail to take these optional.  Also ask for a detailed list of these optional excursions, including full descriptions and prices, and then carefully compare the total price to what you could find on your own.

If you are traveling on your own, be sure to start shopping early, especially if you are traveling by air.  The important thing to remember is that airlines allocate only so many seats for those advertised low fares, and if you fail to act quickly, you may be out of luck.  It is important to book the airfare, and the hotel, as early as possible to ensure the lowest possible prices.

Ultimately, the decision of whether to choose a vacation package deal or independent travel is up to each individual traveler.  It is important to carefully compare package prices with those for independent travel to the same location.  It is also important to consider your own personal travel style.  Some people are more comfortable with a packaged tour, particularly to an unfamiliar location, while others relish the freedom from schedules that independent travel provides.

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Traveling with love ones, families, and friends can be so expensive. Another expense that you could do without is travel insurance. Many people says that obtaining a travel insurance is time consuming, but you don’t have to waste your precious time to find a Cheap worldwide travel insurance.

Cheap worldwide travel insurance is a good move if ever you have decided to go abroad. This would give you great peace of mind during the trip; unmindful of the unplanned expenses that might occur while on the trip. This would give you enough protection from those unwanted bill that you might not like.

Purchasing a cover from your travel agent is the easiest way to get travel insurance but probably not the best. Some travel companies free cheap cover but it’s unlikely that the insurance really is free, as the cost is generally built into the price of the holiday.

If you purchase travel insurance when you book your holiday, it means that if you fall ill or have an accident and have to cancel your trip as a result, your travel insurance will cover you. Just remember a few points to find the right travel insurance that fits on your budget.

Level of coverage. Think where are you going and what kind of travel do you want. This will greatly affect your insurance quote. If you’re going to rent a car on your travel, this means that the coverage of your travel insurance is much higher. Many people start looking for a travel insurance quote, without really knowing what they need insurance for. If you look in detail at what you expect to be doing on your holiday travel, then you will have a firm idea of what level of cover you need before you start searching for quotes.

Some companies also give a package deal to travelers that travel a lot like planning to go away more than twice a month. This deal can cover all your travel in just on cheap worldwide travel insurance package.

Search an insurance quote. Once you have established the needs in your travel insurance, you should have no problems in finding the right company that can provide it. Just show them what you want and they will give you instant cheap worldwide travel insurance quote. Compare all the quotes you get from different insurance companies to get the cheaper travel insurance that fits your needs.

Remember these points in finding your travel insurance and you should be able to find a good deal in a shot span of time. Preparation is the key to success. However, internet is now very useful to find these services. Here are numerous online travel insurance companies that offer cheap services that suit your needs and budget.
Since these companies are competing with one another, they are offering lowered price so you can be able to find the most appropriate cheap insurance you can get. It’s easy, safe and secure to buy your travel insurance online since it offers secure online purchasing longer than most companies have been trading. You are only one click away from saving on your travel insurance. Whether you travel on business or on holiday, click and enter the most popular travel insurance web sites today.

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There is only one reliable place to find good budget travel and that is online. The internet has opened up a whole new universe of travel for those who are stuck on a pretty tight budget. Not everyone can afford to go on a month long vacation to the South of France but most of us can make good solid use of budget travel.

When you do your travel shopping online you will find that you can afford much more than you thought you could. It is easy to find some good budget travel on the internet these days. All of the travel companies are throwing out some good packages for people with not much money to spare and some of the budget travel packages even include some meals. That is my idea of full service travel plans!

When it comes to budget travel you do have to watch out for a few things. For example, what kind of trip do you want to take? When it comes to budget travel the airlines can vary drastically. Some of the budget travel airlines are great, they are friendly and they are clean and fantastic, others, well, not so much. You should take some time to research about the different companies you are considering for your budget travel before you actually book anything. This will make a huge difference in the kid of trip that you end up being able to take.

Online you will be able to find all kinds of consumer reviews about budget travel companies, airlines and even cruises. Read through these carefully to find some great budget travel ideas. With these useful tips you will learn the best places to go for budget travel and the places and companies to stay away from in your traveling. There is no better, more reliable source for info than from people who have been in your shoes. They have nothing to lose by telling the truth so they do, they will tell it just like it is and that is what you need to help you make the right budget travel decisions.

Chances are that if you do all of your planning and booking online your budget travel is gong to be even cheaper. This is simple to do as well. Most of the major travel companies have everything you need online and they walk you right through it all. And if you have any trouble just contact them and they will help you out. There is nothing simpler or faster than booking your budget travel online these days. That is why the business is booming the way it is.

Each and every year the budget travel industry online grows and grows and it is not showing any signs of slowing down in the near future, that is for sure. So the next time you want to take a trip check out budget travel online and see where that takes you.

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When traveling on a budget, one of the most often asked questions is whether it is best to travel independently, reserving your own airfare, hotel stay and sightseeing reservations, or choose a package tour where everything is set up for you in advance.

Unfortunately, there is no easy answer to this question. It is largely dependent on the location you have selected and dates of travel. For instance, travel to European destinations are often less costly to book on your own, especially when the airlines are running specials of European airfares in the off-season.

On the other hand, travel to many exotic locations, like Egypt, Morocco, Kenya, South Africa, Thailand, and India, are often much less expensive when booked through a vacation package company or travel agent. That is because these tour operators often have special deals with the national airlines of these companies, and with very nice resort hotels, to provide considerable discounts in exchange for a steady flow of business.

For instance, with a little bit of shopping, you can book a vacation package from New York to Egypt for a grand total of $1,100, including airfare, an excellent hotel, daily breakfast, airport transfers, and daily sightseeing tours, including guided tours of the pyramids of Giza and the Sphinx. This is far less than you would have paid if you had booked this trip independently.

Similar deals exist for other locations, notably India, China, and Taiwan. So be sure to check on the availability of these package deals when shopping for a budget travel deal.

Of course, some great deals can be had on your own as well, and this is often a great way to go, especially if you are a solo traveler. Solo travelers often have difficulty getting those great deals on package deals, since the required single supplement can often ruin the deal.

It is also important to find out exactly what is, and what is not included, in any package you are considering. Many package deals have optional excursions built in, and these extras can add considerable cost. Be sure to ask for a detailed daily itinerary to determine if you will be left on your own if you fail to take these optional. Also ask for a detailed list of these optional excursions, including full descriptions and prices, and then carefully compare the total price to what you could find on your own.

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Ultimately, the decision of whether to choose a vacation package deal or independent travel is up to each individual traveler. It is important to carefully compare package prices with those for independent travel to the same location. It is also important to consider your own personal travel style. Some people are more comfortable with a packaged tour, particularly to an unfamiliar location, while others relish the freedom from schedules that independent travel provides.

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Railway travel has always evoked romantic memories among the millions who avail of their services. And when the routes and the on-board services are top class, the experience can really be a pleasure. Amtrak has certainly tried to achieve this with over thirty routes in the US and Canada, making rail travel a very viable option for your next vacation. The great on board service and the excellent accommodation promises you and your family some great times together.

While air travel might be shorter in duration, the only sights that you see from “up there” are clouds and more clouds, while on a train, you see the rolling country side flowing past you, the various types of farm animals, the people and the sights while passing through town. It is the ideal choice for people afraid to fly. Somehow, there’s nothing quite like a train ride to set the tone for a perfect holiday.

Trains also offer something that virtually no plane can offer, especially on long distance journeys – accommodation that compares with good hotels and F&B services to match. You can avail of private suites if your budget allows it or there are semi private bunk beds where the entire family can snuggle in after a good meal in the dining car. The suites can accommodate up to four adults very comfortably and the swaying motion of the train is guaranteed to lull you to sleep.

Amtrak policy allows you to take on board five pieces of luggage – two of them with you in the suite/compartment and three in the baggage car. Baggage weighing more than fifty pounds will not be allowed in the compartment and will need to be checked in. Bicycles are allowed! Like in any public transport, baggage will need to go through security checks before being loaded, and they have their list of “banned” items as well, similar to air travel. Again like air travel, there are different classes of seating. Acela Express and Metroliner are costlier but offer larger seats and more facilities than the regular seating. This is not recommended for the budget traveller.

When travelling with young children, trains could be the ideal choice. While the duration will be longer than by air, the child has a lot of activities to participate while on board a train. Not the least of them being watching different cities and towns as they roll by, something no geography text book can show. They have the room to move about unlike in a plane, and this itself can be a boon for parents.

While planning your next holiday, think of train travel, it might not sound as glamorous as air travel, but think of the benefits that you and your family can enjoy at a far lower price and also think of the quality time that your family will be spending together. On the whole, you will find that train travel not only keeps the family together, but also develops bonds over the duration of the journey that no air travel can replicate.

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