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Deciding to leave the daily grind and go travelling for months at a time is an easy decision for many, but the practicalities and preparation of actually going backpacking? Overwhelming even for the most organised of us.
Preparing to go travelling is best tackled with plenty of time ahead of you before you depart for warmer shores; and the likelihood for most is a long term backpacking trip is something you will have spent a long time saving up for, so I’ll be writing this guide on that basis.
If you’ve suddenly come into money (redundancy, a lottery win) and you want to head off as soon as possible, the below still all applies, you’re just about to get really busy!
Read on for everything you need to know about getting ready to go backpacking.
Going Backpacking Contents:
What To Do As Soon As You Decide To Go Backpacking
Put Your Savings In A High Interest ISA
As soon as you’ve made the call to take a career break and live out of a backpack for months on end, the first thing to do is put any savings you have into a high interest but easily accessible ISA. Start making as much interest you can whilst you add to the pot of money you’ll need to see the world. Going backpacking is easier when there is some extra money coming in.
Look Into Renting Out Your Property
If you own your property, you’ll want to start looking into the legalities and implications of renting your property out for the during of your travels – this guide will help with that!
Going Backpacking: Six Months To Go
Six months may feel like a way off from the big departure, but this is the time to start getting things in motion in order to make the final months and weeks less stressful (or as much as you can do!)
Book Flights
Generally speaking, the earlier you book, the cheaper your flights are going to be. Exceptions to this are where there are any airline sales.
I used my Avios points to book my long haul flights for my backpacking trip, so I booked these as soon as the seats became available so as not to miss out.
Buy Travel Insurance
The sensible thing to do is to book travel insurance as soon as you have a flight booked so you’re protected if anything goes wrong before you even leave.
That said, travel insurance is expensive so it may be better to buy individual protection for your flight at the time of purchase and then shop around for a deal that will protect you from around the date you leave.
Sell Clothes On Vinted
Start sorting through all your stuff and get any unwanted clothes onto Vinted. It’s an excellent way to clear clutter and I managed to add a couple of hundred quid to my travel savings by selling things on.
Going Backpacking: Three Months To Go
This is the point where things really start to happen. The list of things to do ramps up and it all becomes a bit more real, which is exciting! But also hectic.
Book Vaccinations
Three months may seem like a long lead time to get vaccinations, but you’ll want to crack on with this now if you hope to get any of them on the NHS.
There are a few vaccinations covered for free by the NHS that you’re likely to need (typhoid, tetanus and hep A to name a few), but appointments can take a while to book in, so best to do it now and ensure you can reduce your costs.
The NHS or any travel clinic will be able to advise what vaccinations you need for your destinations, but you can read up on it here for yourself in advance.
If you’re getting the rabies vaccine, be aware the 3 different jabs need to be administered over the course of 28 days, so factor this into the timings of getting your vaccinations.
Contact Estate Agents To Rent Out Your Property
If you’re planning on renting your property out, now is the time to speak to a few different estate agents and start the process.
Check If You Need to Apply For Any Visas
This is also the time to check if you need to apply for any visas for the countries you’re visiting. Many countries do visas on arrival, but some are more complicated and require applying in advance online or even via an embassy appointment in person.
Check the government website on entry requirements here.
Going Backpacking: One Month To Go
Nearly there! Despite a lot of forward planning and natural organisational skills, this was a horribly busy and stressful period of time for me in the run up to going backpacking. It didn’t help that I worked right up until the day before I moved out, but money is more time away so overall, it was worth it, if not something I would recommend.
Start Packing
Start packing your life up even if it feels too early – it all takes a lot longer than you think it will. Spending 10 minutes here and there packing bits up by room will help in the long run – do yourself a favour and get ahead of the game.
Stock Up On Any Medication You Need
Make sure you have any medication you usually use when going backpacking. With how long it can take to get an appointment, you could do this earlier, but if you take any regular medication you’ll want to get stocked up on your prescriptions for the duration of your trip.
Sort Out Credit And Debit Cards
It’s important to have multiple cards to access funds when going backpacking. You’ll want to separate these out in case of loss or theft, and be aware that sometimes cards can get cloned on the road. Having multiple options to access your money is a vital part of travelling.
Monzo, Revolut and Chase all have free international transactions. Avoid using a credit card unless you have one that doesn’t charge you to use.
Consider naming someone like a parent on your bank account if anything goes wrong; it can be easier for someone at home to sort any issues due to the time difference.
Get An E-Sim Sorted
My first stop was India, and after a bit of shopping around I bought an E-sim through Airalo. It’s super easy to set up and connects to the local network on arrival in the country it’s for, ensuring you have immediate access to the internet for safety. Use CHARLI4330 for £2.50 off of your first E-Sim purchase.
Cancel Subscriptions
Make sure to cancel any subscriptions or memberships you won’t need whilst you’re away such as any streaming services and the gym.
Get Post Diverted
Whilst a lot of letters are sent online now, it’s probably worth sorting a Royal Mail post diversion for the time you’re away, especially if you’re renting your property out.
Book Storage
This will depend on how much stuff you’ve collated and whether you plan to sell everything or not. You may be able to keep stuff with family whilst you’re away, or you may need to rent out a storage unit whilst you’re travelling. If you do, shop around and get it booked!
Going Backpacking: One Week To Go
You’ve had too many leaving drinks and by this point you are absolutely gagging to pack up your backpack and get on the plane!
If you’ve followed this guide you should only have a few things left to do and you can enjoy the last of your time with your loved ones before jetting off.
Download and Print Visas and Copy of Passport
Old school but it’s a good idea to print a copy of your passport (extremely useful should you lose it) and any visas.
It’s just good sense to have a hard copy as a back up, but also keep a copy in a file on your phone and/or laptop if you’re taking one.
Sharing your planned itinerary with your loved ones does not take away from your freedom in any way. During my first backpacking trip I quickly learnt how important it was for my parents to know that, no, I wasn’t in Vietnam when a boat had sunk in Ha Long Bay.
I always share my travel plans with my parents for their peace of mind and my safety. The nature of backpacking means that you may not know where you’ll be, but if you do, I suggest you do the same.
Bad things happen, and your loved ones knowing you weren’t anywhere near the place is a basic decency, especially if you’re offline and may not be up to date with the news.
Turn Off Voicemail
So random but if you don’t turn off your voicemail you can get charged a lot if someone leaves one!
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This is such a helpful and comprehensive guide for anyone planning a long-term backpacking trip! The detailed timeline and practical tips, like sorting finances and arranging storage, make the whole process feel much more manageable. Great resource for first-time and seasoned travelers alike!
Thank you!