I planned my very first backpacking trip abroad in 2017. This happened when I stumbled across a cheap ticket to Barcelona ($350 RT!!!) and booked without a plan in sight. It was my first time in Europe, my first backpacking trip, and my first attempt to plan a backpacking trip abroad on my own. Here is the process of how I plan a backpacking trip abroad!
Book First, Ask Second
The first major step of planning an epic trip is booking the flight. Balancing work and travel can be tricky. Luckily, I work from home, so asking off from work is not an issue. However, when I used to work full time at a veterinary clinic, I had to find a balance between work and my travels. My motto is book first, ask second. Most airlines will give you a full refund if you decide to cancel your flight within a given amount of time. I have found it’s always better to book first, then ask off ASAP for your dates. You may have to pay a small fee to either change the flight, or extend free cancellation, but you should always do it! Paying an extra $20 to know you can change or cancel your flight is nothing in comparison to losing out on an incredible deal to an amazing destination because you waited too long!
I found my cheap ticket through Next Vacay. They are an incredible site that will send you deals from nearby airports: aka NO work from you!
Research, Research, Research
After booking your flight and getting the time off of work, it’s time to research your butt off! Research activities, hostels, restaurants, and even prices on trains, busses, and local airlines to see even more during your trip. I am not a fan of staying in an “all-inclusive” resort. Get out there and experience the culture! Whether you prefer to really soak in one destination or hit up multiple cities during your trip, the choice is completely up to you. Just be sure to do your research and plan your backpacking trip so you don’t overspend at touristy restaurants, or miss out on an incredible activity.
Travel blogs (like mine!), and sites such as TripAdvisor, HostelWorld, and Lonely Planet will help you discover incredible places to go and things to do on your backpacking trip.
Find your Budget, and Stick to it
Before booking accommodation or expensive activities, map out a budget for your trip. The less you spend per day, the longer you can travel! Personally, I prefer to find affordable hostels and splurge on an activity or incredible restaurant. Whatever you enjoy, make sure you don’t eat up most of your budget in the planning process for housing and pre-planned activities. I promise you, you’ll find new places and meals that you will definitely want to enjoy that you never even considered in the planning process!
As a backpacker, you probably have a limited budget. That’s ok! Travel is about experiencing new cultures and breaking out of your comfort zone. There’s no better way to experience a new place than by living like a local. Check out my resources page for a full list of ways I get accommodation on the road or compare different kinds of accommodation here.
Pack Light
The point of backpacking is to travel light for more freedom on the road. Find a backpack you love, and pack as light as you physically can.
I use an Osprey Lumina 45L women’s travel backpack. It’s small enough to use as a carry-on but large enough to fit essential travel gear, clothes, and electronics to keep my blog up to date! Packing cubes will help keep things compact and organized in your pack. You definitely want to keep some room for souvenirs you find on the road!
Expand your Travel Parameter
Backpacking is all about enjoying multiple destinations due to the mobility of your luggage. Research cities, or even countries, near your destination, and check them out!
For example, when I booked that RT flight to Barcelona, I had NO plan. Originally, I was going to limit myself to Spain. After researching, I realized how easy and cheap it was to get to Portugal and Morocco from Spain, and expanded my trip to all 3 countries! Don’t limit yourself to Eurail either. Eurail does not cover outside of Europe, and some of the destinations I chose are not reachable by train. Busses and cheap, local airlines will get you there just as well as Eurail, and can often be cheaper too. There are other railways that you can choose from as well. I decided not to get a Eurail pass for this trip, as I found it was much cheaper to take other means of transportation instead of limiting myself to Eurail tickets. Research, research, research!
Edit: I had originally planned to visit Spain, Portugal, and Morocco on this trip, but a major trip disaster prevented me from following this plan. Read what happened, and how I planned the rest of my backpacking trip while on the road here!
Don’t Overplan
I cannot emphasize this enough. Do NOT plan out every minute of every day. Let your trip fall into place! For me, I tend to plan what cities I will be in on certain days, and stay there for a few days at a time. Even this can be planning overboard! Take your time, breath in the culture. There will always be hostels and hotel rooms available for you. The best way to plan a backpacking trip is to not plan TOO MUCH!
Sh*t happens on the road, especially while backpacking. There’s no way to really plan for everything! By not cramming dozens of activities into every single day, you allow yourself some breathing room in case something happens. Whether you are just burnt out, you get food poisoning, or the weather is just terrible for a day, by overplanning you may actually MISS OUT on some major activities because you feel you have to stick to your schedule. Relax, and have fun! To ease your mind, be sure to snag some travel insurance before you leave home.
Did I miss anything? Let me know in the comments!
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