PLANNING YOUR NEXT BACKPACKING ADVENTURE

So your bank balance is looking healthy-ish, your bags are pretty much packed and the holiday feels are FLOWING, but what now? Where should I travel to?

Taking that leap of faith and starting your travels can be a f*cking daunting task lets be real, and the build-up to getting on that plane is one of the hardest parts of it all. What do I pack? Will I make friends? How much money should I take? Where should I go? These are questions we’ve all asked ourselves before an adventure but don't fret, we got you. Here at Tru, we’re all about making your epic backpacking experience that much easier, doing all we can to ensure that it's a smooth sailing and life-changing adventure right from the beginning to the very end. So here are a few tips to get you prepped and ready before your trip of a lifetime. Let's gooo, beaches!

WHAT TO PACK?

Firstly, What should I bring?’ is a question we're all familiar with. The answer is simple, less IS more; 

- A few t-shirts

- A few pairs of shorts

- Underwear (duh!)

- Sunscreen

- Medical supplies

- Cash

- An open mind

- Your passport

& most importantly: yourself & a big ol' smile!

 

Okay, yeah, it's easy to overthink what you’re putting in your backpack. We all know someone who arrives with a case twice the size of them and triple the weight. Trust us, you DO NOT need that much stuff, within the first 24 hours you’ll realise ‘Damn, I brought too much’. Especially once you hit up the markets, see you want to buy everything and you start looking for another case to fit it all in. Be smart, TruFam *wink wink*.

CAAAASH MONEY!

THE burning question is ‘how much money should I bring?’  This is of course relative to each individual, taking into account how long your trip is, what activities you want to do and of course how you will be travelling from place to place. Firstly we’d suggest you split your money up, it’s no good having one ATM card, losing it and being stuck for money. If you take a mixture, a travel money card, a bank card and a credit card, then you’ll be sure to never fall short of those dollar dollar bills. When it comes down to how much to bring, around $250 per week is more than enough anywhere in South East Asia. You'll be living like a kweeeeeen (or king!) accommodation, food the lot!

RIDIN' SOLO?!

The age-old question of whether to travel solo or to travel with mates!? Honestly, there's no right or wrong answer, with massive benefits to BOTH. Travelling with a friend/as a group will guarantee you companionship, fun and cheaper room prices throughout your adventure, though at the same time it could also restrict you on what you do (due to people’s preferences and all that jazz). Where solo travel you're guaranteed an adventure that takes you to places you may have never planned on seeing and meeting people you may never have met if you were with ya pals. Solo travel can be scary, but solo travelling is one of the most rewarding experiences you could ever get. That being said you do you & whatever you choose, it'll be a time you'll never forget. You have our word.

CULTURE & CUSTOMS

Rule numero uno about travelling to a foreign country, not to sound like a mum or anything but, of course, to remember we are ultimately guests in someone else’s home. So we must do everything we can to respect the beliefs, culture and customs of the place you’re visiting. Do some research before arriving at a new destination, as people’s ways of doing things vary around the globe. There’s nothing worse than arriving in a place and instantly doing something to disrespect the local people, not only would you lose a lot of respect but it could be quite embarrassing for yourself and it may take a while to earn that respect back. So do your research, talk to that aunt that only comes home once a year at Christmas or even drop us a message & you'll be ready to take on anything thrown at ya (not literally of course). Alexa, play respect by Aretha Franklin!

THE BEST BIT!

So you know you want to travel but you just can’t decide where to go, Asia, Latin America, Europe, the list is endless! Again, grab a cuppa (or glass of vino), do some research, and Tru-ly get an idea of what you want to see and get out of the experience. For example, if you want a cultural experience in Latin America, it’s probably not a good idea to hit up Cancun during Spring break... or ever. Once you’ve decided on a location give yourself a ‘rough idea’ of the route you want to take, there’s nothing worse than having a concrete plan and realising there’s somewhere you want to go but you just can’t as you’ve prearranged your whole trip, sad reacts only. You’re going to meet hundreds of people on the road and you’re bound to discover places that were never on your original itinerary. Both these things can dramatically change the route of your trip (most of the time for the best), so go with the flow and don’t over plan! Life's a rollercoaster. Just gotta ride it (shoutout to Ronan Keating).

 

These few notes are just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to questions about planning your life-changing adventure. Of course, there’s a whole universe of queries that we could dive into, but for now, we’ll leave you with these pearls of wisdom and our main piece of advice; Don’t overthink it, no matter what you’re going to have the most incredible experience, so go out there and grab life by the balls….you deserve it!

And if you're asking yourself where to travel when? Check out 'Best places to travel' series below!

Best places to travel in January

Best places to travel in February

Best places to travel in March

Best places to travel in April

Best places to travel in May

Best places to travel in June

Best places to travel in July

Best places to travel in August

Don't Quit Your Daydream