Choosing A Backpacker Destination

Choosing a destination is the single most important decision you will make throughout your entire backpacking adventure. The destination sets the tone for the entire trip, it dictates the types of experiences you will have and where you could possibly travel to next. For example, travelling in Europe will be extremely different to a trip around Asia.

When considering this, there are some extremely important choices that must factor into your decision, these include;

• Research! It seems obvious but you must research the areas you are thinking about visiting. You need to know how expensive it is to stay there (will your budget stretch or should you consider somewhere where food and accommodation are cheaper?), does the culture or history interest you? Is the country safe to visit? You could do research on the internet or invest in a good guide book.
• Is there a place you have always wanted to visit? If there is then you need to make this part of your plan – when will you have a chance to travel like this again?
• Look at travel blogs and forums to see if people have enjoyed their time in your chosen location, or if anyone has had bad experiences. Recommendations from other backpackers and travellers are always the most reliable.
• Ask yourself what do you want to get out of the trip; do you want to help a charity project? To do something that will improve your CV/chosen career path? To experience exotic cultures? Do you just want to relax and have a great social life? Once you have answered these questions you can start to research destinations and projects which cater to your requirements.
• Do you want to travel to several countries or experience everything one place has to offer? Once you have answered this question you can plan your budget and route accordingly.
• The length of time you have to travel is also an important factor. You need to be practical and make a realistic plan of what you could fit into that time frame.
• Make sure you plan your trip around the seasons and the time of the year, for example if you’re planning to visit India, then you want to miss monsoon season, but you might want to plan your trip around seeing the amazing Festival of Colours.
• The final part of planning must be to check that your travel insurance is valid for all the places you want to visit – if it’s not then you may face enormous bills if you need medical treatment, or if you lose your vital travel documents or possessions abroad.