Welcome to the No More Beach guide to backpacking your way around the world!

If you want to jump right in to the backpackers’ advice section, there is a table of contents just below. You can use that to hop over to the most interesting section and just past that is the start of our complete guide.

Before we start on the advice, we just wanted to flag up what we mean when we talk about “backpacking”.

In this guide, we use this term to mean traveling around the world, often for many months at a time. Carrying all your belongings in backpacks, roughing it a little bit, and staying in backpackers’ hostels, cheap hotels and even camper vans.

Sometimes “backpacking” is used to talk about carrying a tent on your back and going on adventures through the wilderness. While we do write a lot about wild camping on this site, it is not the focus of this article.

So here, as promised is our table of contents. We hope you enjoy this guide and please feel free to leave comments with any questions or feedback at the bottom of the page.

Why is Backpacking so Awesome?

We wanted to start out by inspiring you to feel excited about your future backpacking adventures and escapades. It really is an awesome way to see the world.

It’s very cheap – One of the great things about this way of seeing the world is how inexpensive it is. If you travel on a budget, in cheap hostels, cooking most of your own food in hostel kitchens, you can really make your money go a long way.

Walking around cities rather than grabbing an Uber, catching cheap bus services across country instead of internal flights. All these things can save you a significant amount of cash. They may take a bit more time and be a tad less comfortable, but that is most definitely part of the process. Backpacking isn’t about luxury travel, it’s about roughing it a little and reveling in the experience as you go.

You meet awesome people – Imagine waking up, bleary eyed one morning, staying in a hostel somewhere exotic. You head to the kitchen to fire up a coffee and bump into similar coffee seeking fellow travelers.

You can bet your bottom dollar you will meet people from all over the world. Most in their late teens and early twenties, but some older and (perhaps) wiser also taking advantage of the cheap places to stay.

As you wake up slowly over steaming hot coffee (or maybe tea if you’re a Brit) you chat and get to know each other. Now we can’t say every single person you meet will be awesome. But we can promise you a significant majority of them will be.

Why? Because backpacking attracts interesting people, who enjoy meeting other interesting people. People who like adventure, people who aren’t just interested in lying by the beach. People like you, only different, and from all over the world.

TLDR – Most backpackers are great people to hang out with. Fellow travelers are one of the best things about backpacking.

What Sucks About Backpacking?

We could lie to you and claim that it is all awesome. That nothing sucks about traveling the world with all your possessions rammed into a backpack or two. But we wont do that, we will pre-warn you of the downsides so they do not take you by surprise and you might even avoid some once aware of them.

Getting ripped off – We will go into this in more detail further down this post, but in short, many unscrupulous people see backpackers as easy targets. Be on your guard for anything that seems too good to be true!

You get what you pay for – As mentioned, one of the best things about this way of traveling, is that you can do everything on the cheap. But that means you don’t get the best services. Prepare yourself for shared dormitories, bunk beds and long, slow, uncomfortable bus journeys. (In case you really have to rough it we have written a blog post about how to set up a hammock for sleeping while backpacking)

Feeling lonely – Yes, we know we just promised you lots of awesome people from all over the world to hang out with. BUT these are people you have only just met. Even if you hangout or travel for a few weeks or months with the same folks, it’s not the same as family or friends that you have known your whole life.

Sooner or later it has got to end – Sadly, all good things must come to an end, even your round the world escapades and adventures. Coming home can feel depressing or exciting depending on all sorts of things. Most people, however, are sad that they have to stop traveling.

This is a part of life. Nothing goes on forever. What we can promise you though, is that not just your memories, but also the new, more experienced, more awesome version of you WILL stay with you forever.

You will never be the same again once you return from backpacking! You will have gone through so many ups and downs that your character will have been forged into an even better version of you.

Here’s a funny look at the more annoying aspects of backpacking and staying in travelers’ hostels (NSFW). You might not get all of these jokes until you’ve started your trip!

How to Pack and What to Take?

The most classic mistake most of us tend to make on our first backpacking vacation is to take way way too much stuff, most of which we really do not need at all. Living at home surrounded by stuff, it is really easy to think you can’t cope with out it. So when thinking of how to pack a backpack, the temptation to over load your bag with unnecessary junk is a strong one.

Your backpack – An essential piece of kit, well worth doing a bit of research and finding one perfect for your trip. Wheels are great, while zips at the top and bottom for easy access will be super useful. Extra pouches and pockets are much needed. A long shoulder handle, (like a sports bag), as well as standard backpacking handles are all very handy, too.

A smaller backpack – We recommend you take two backpacks. A large one to go on your back with most of your gear and a smaller bag for your valuables and stuff you need quick access to.

But how do you carry two bags we hear you ask? As you can see in this photo, you put the smaller bag on your chest, and the larger one on your back.

It might be a little awkward at first, but once you get used to it, it is really useful and much better than only traveling with one bag or having to carry one bag in your hand.

What clothes should you take? Obviously taking clothing suitable to the local weather conditions is key. But don’t take too much. You are most likely going to want to buy some clothes on your travels, and if your bag is already full, you won’t have any room for them. Remember, less is more when it comes to packing your backpack.

Mosquito bites and how to avoid them! There are two very good reasons you need to avoid mosquito bites. Firstly, they are really itchy and unpleasant. Secondly, they can give you Malaria or other seriously nasty diseases!

We will go into detail about vaccines further down the post but for now we recommend that you travel with a good quality insect repellent. Also, consider traveling with a lightweight sleeping bag with a mosquito net to keep the mosquitoes at bay while you sleep. And if you plan on sleeping outdoors at anytime then you should take a self-inflating air mattress for camping.

Remember – The golden rule of packing is to take as little stuff as you possibly can! Less is always better as you have to carry everything you own.

Insurance Vaccinations and First Aid

While traveling around the world is a lot of fun, there are some risks you need to pay attention to.

Backpackers travel insurance – Plenty of travel insurance companies offer great deals on travel insurance for backpackers. We recommend using one of the price comparison sites for your initial research but then speak to potential insurers on the phone.

You need to spend a bit of time and make sure you have the right level of coverage. You will need medical insurance for yourself, and coverage for any valuable belongings. Finally, make sure the policy or riders include dangerous activities like parachuting, bungee jumping, scuba diving or quad biking.

Travel vaccinations – Depending on where you live, what current vaccinations you have had, and also, which countries you are traveling to, you will have different vaccination requirements.

Make sure you visit your local Doctor as soon as you know where you are going! Some vaccines have to be given over a few weeks so you need to leave yourself plenty of time to get them all done.

First aid kits – As we mentioned earlier, you are trying not to carry loads of unnecessary stuff around the world with you, and its worth remembering, pretty much anywhere you go will have a decent chemist. But it is still worth carrying a small, light weight first aid kit with the essentials like pain killers, elastoplasts, etc, etc.

Traveling on a Budget

Keeping your costs down is really important. If you can save money on the boring stuff, then you can spend more money on the fun stuff.

Don’t book from your home country – When you start looking into your trip, you will find companies start advertising to you on sites like Facebook. They will tell you that their prices are the best for trips, excursions, internal flights, etc. But this is rarely the case. Local vendors and travel agents in the destination country usually have access to much better prices.

Be willing to haggle – In most developing countries, haggling is still the normal way of buying and selling services. So be prepared to give it a go. You can save a few dollars and also learn a valuable life skill along the way.

Cook your own food – In lots of travelers’ hostels you will find fully equipped communal kitchens. This is a super way to save money. It also gives you a great reason to explore the local supermarkets and try cooking some local produce.

Keep an eye on voucher sites – For trips, tourist venues and local services online voucher sites such as Groupon are a great way to find a bargain. They often share off-peak and group discounts which are ideal for backpackers.

Hunt out special deals for backpackers – Lots of bars, tourist venues, hostels, and activity centers do special deals for backpackers. A bit like students discounts, the service may be a bit rough and ready, but if its cheaper and fun, then it’s got to be worth a go.

Awesome Guide Books

There are two book series that we recommend to help you on your travels. The Rough Guide series and The Lonely Plant guidebooks. Both are updated once per year for most countries so it is worth buying a brand new copy just before you set off.

You will find they are packed with tons of useful advice. Tips on where to stay and how to save money. Safety, legal and medical advice. Ideas on cool things to do and how much they cost. For the sake of spending a few dollars on buying the book, we highly recommended you make the investment and are sure you will save more than the book costs you.

Tips for Staying Safe

You will be a long way from home, in very different cultures, with other tourists and the local population. You might make some local faux pas, or you may bump into someone dangerous who wants to do you harm. You also might run afoul of local laws that you knew nothing about.

There are many ways your trip could take a turn for the worse, but don’t worry, there are lots of things you can do to keep out of trouble:

Read a good travel guide – The guide books we mentioned above are a great start. They always point out any local laws or customs which you may be unaware of. Make sure you read up, especially on countries with cultures much different than your own.

If it seems too good to be true – As the old saying goes “if it seems too good to be true then it probably is”. If someone offers you a bargain that is unrealistically cheap then ask yourself why? Could it be that they have some other way of getting money from you?

Keep in touch with home – Just in case something bad happens, it is useful that your family have a rough idea of where you are and what you are up to. Obviously, they don’t need to know every detail, just enough to notice if something might be wrong.

Don’t get too drunk and avoid drugs – We know you are planning to enjoy yourself and that might mean getting drunk or even taking drugs. We are not here to judge anyone, but we do want you to stay safe. The simple rule of thumb is that the less sober you are the less safe you are.

Remember you don’t know people as well as you might think – Intense bonds of friendship can build up very quickly when traveling. This is usually a good thing, but it takes years not weeks to really get to know someone so just take care who you trust.

Please note – We are not trying to scare you here. We just want you to make sensible choices and think things through so you can have a safe trip without getting into trouble.

Tips for Having FUN!

Ok, we hope that to some extent you don’t need our help with this bit! But there are some ideas we think that could help make your trip even more fun.

Step out your comfort zone – There is no point traveling across the planet to take the same attitude you have at home. Let go of your rules about what is and isn’t cool or fun. Try things you would never do at home. Be bold and reap the rewards.

Try strange looking food – Eat the local food. Try some weird looking concoctions. Go for it, you only live once!

Talk to lots of people – If you are traveling with friends from home it is easy to stay in your little group. But if you really want to experience all that backpacking has to offer then the more new people you meet the better.

There is more to life than getting drunk – Getting drunk can be fun. But it can also be expensive and give you a bad hangover the next day. Too many people go traveling and come back with not much more than the hazy memories of drunken nights out. Is that really what you want from your trip of a life time???

Step off the well-trodden path – Most travelers go to all the same spots. They do this because the popular places are easy to access and highly publicized. But if you make the effort to go a little further afield, you will be rewarded. You will stumble across little gems that most people miss as they follow the hordes along the well trodden routes.

Be Prepared to Miss Your Friends & Family

Sorry to be a bit of a Debbie Downer! But yes, you are most likely going to miss your loved ones. Yes, you will be meeting new people from literally all over the world but there will be times when you feel homesick.

We think that’s ok. It is a natural part of being away from home. Especially if it is your first time or perhaps if you are facing tough challenges like being sick or running low on money.

Remember what we said earlier, that part of the awesomeness of backpacking are the challenges you face and the person you become as you overcome them. Everyone will still be there when you get home, but you will be more experienced, more worldly and more confident.

Enjoy the Moment

We are often encouraged and tempted to think that taking photos or videos and sharing them on social media is the most important part of enjoying new experiences. But we would like to suggest a different approach…

Instead of trying to capture the moment, by thinking about sharing it online, why not SAVOR THE MOMENT? Just be present and soak up the experience! Isn’t that what is really important?

Then feel free to take photos… lol. But remember, traveling is about experiencing the world, not about showing cool photos on social media.

Meet the Locals

One thing that is really easy to miss when backpacking is the chance to hang out with local people. You will be traveling on the same path as other travelers from around the world and will naturally tend to hang out with them.

However if you can get to meet some locals, it is usually well worth the effort. You might have to expend some extra energy. After all they may well be working while you are on vacation. But if you do, you will reap the rewards of really getting to know their culture.

Culture comes from people. All cultures, including your own, have good bits and bad bits. By hanging out with the locals and chatting with them, you get to understand how they see the world, and this may challenge and improve your own views and perspectives.

Its NOT a Race or a Competition

There is more to traveling than ticking places or tourist attractions off a list! It is not about boasting of how many countries you have visited or how fast you have toured an entire country.

Most often, the best experiences come when you slow down and take time to soak in the vibes and the culture of a few special places, rather than barely scratching the surface in lots of different ones.

Yes, it can be nice to see many different parts of a country. But in our opinion, slow, mindful and relaxed is the best approach to seeing and experiencing different cultures and countries.

Remember How Lucky You Are!

We wanted to finish with a really strong positive message. Some backpacking tips and advice that you can take on your journey to carry you through the tough times and make the good times even better.

Do your best to NEVER forget HOW LUCK YOU ARE to be traveling around the world. Appreciate how much freedom you have and don’t forget how fortunate you are to be able to spend time and money just on having fun.

We really hope this helps. When times are tough you can remember that you are still incredibly lucky and when things are great you can remember to feel gratitude for the awesome experience.

Finally, if you have any questions or feedback, or if you have your own backpacking tips, please feel free to leave a comment below. They will go live once approved so don’t forget to pop back if you are hoping for a reply.