March 19, 2024

Conquer Your Fear of the Unknown With a Backpacking Holiday

Backpacking has, for a long time, been one of the more hidden forms of holiday and adventuring. Unlike traditional holidays, backpacking doesn’t have a set plan which makes it a more explorative experience. There’s a lot to discover when backpacking which is why many individuals have turned down the classic beach holiday in favour of something more eye-opening.

But backpacking has always been a scary deal. After all, you’re taking a few supplies and heading off into the wilderness in a country that you could be unfamiliar with. You might find it hard to get emergency help, you might get lost and you could end up without any money. There’s no real safety net when you go out backpacking, so it’s understandable that some people might be worried.

However, as long as you’re prepared and ready to tackle the challenge of backpacking, it’s not as unsafe as you might think. To help you overcome the first hurdle, we’ve prepared a few tips that will bolster your confidence.

Equip Yourself

The first concern is your equipment. Make sure you’ve got plenty of supplies to keep you going, but don’t overpack to a point where your bag is weighing you down. If you’re unsure what to buy, take a look at some cheap survival gear to make your adventure cheaper and more secure. Something like a portable solar charger is perfect for long trips out in the wilderness or extended hikes, and items like a shower bag can be great for camping outside.

Plan Your Journey

Until you’re experienced enough to explore without a plan, it’s important to give yourself some direction when backpacking. Here are a few things to plan for to make your first backpacking journey more successful:

  • Accommodation – Make sure you look for a place to sleep. This could be with friends or family or it could be in a hostel. Try to avoid hotels because they can get incredibly expensive.
  • Sights to see – It’s always good to have a plan when you go on your first backpacking trip. This is to ensure that you don’t get bored wandering around aimlessly and it can give you something to look forward to when you arrive.
  • Places to eat – Paying for food is going to eat up your budget and unreasonable to expect to carry enough rations to last your entire backpacking journey. Look for cheaper places to eat so you can carry less when you’re out and about.
  • People to connect with – It’s never a bad idea to connect with people in a country before you visit. This will help you find places to visit and they’ll give you plenty of good advice.
  • Transport options – Getting around in a foreign country with just a backpack can be difficult. Make sure you look at transport options and invest in any transportation cards the country has to make it easier to get around.
  • Short stay – Your first backpacking trip should be a short stay so that you don’t risk running out of clean clothes or supplies.

Hopefully, these tips have given you some insight into how you can start backpacking and how you can remove the fear of the unknown.

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