Travel Advice Tips
Below we have covered a number of common traveller questions and included advice and tips on making the most of your trip.
- Working out your route
- Before you leave for your trip
- What you should pack
- What you shouldn’t pack
- When you arrive at your destination
- Steps to travel safe
- Travel tips
Deciding on where to go is the first task you need to address. You need to consider the following factors when choosing your travel destination, are you looking to:
- Head to the beach and the warm weather? Or maybe mountain hiking?
- Learn a new language?
- Experience a completely different culture,or something more close to home?
- Travelling on your own, or with a group?
- Do some volunteer work?
- What is your budget and period of time you want to be away from home? And are there visa restrictions?
- Is the country safe to travel?
Once you have answered these questions, you can look at booking your flights and drafting your rough itinerary. This website includes a number of links (under sponsored links) to help plan, book and finalise your trip.
Before you leave for your trip
There are thousands of websites and forums you can read through before you leave, so try to focus on one or two good ones, and leave the rest alone.
Review-Hostel.com is a good base to review hostels around the world. Our hostel reviews are completed by backpackers who have stayed at the hostels and experienced real world travel. The reviews often receive direct responses from the Hostel owners (both good and bad) so its a good point to start your hostel accommodation research. Also, the Review-Hostel.com forum is a good base to read up on thoughts and ideas from like minded travellers.
Purchasing a good travel guide book is a wise choice before departing, and to take with you when you leave. Be it a Lonely planet, rough guide, or from another leading author They are well worth the investment.
Another good tip, is to book the first few nights hostel accommodation at your destination. It reduces the stress when you arrive at an airport, late at night, jet lagged with no clue where to head next. After you have read through the reviews on Review-Hostel.com, book your hostel and then print a Google map for easy reference.
Depending on your period of time away from home, be sure to cover the following points to ensure you can leave home with your mind at rest:
- Setup online banking for all your accounts, and give a family member/close friend the legal rights to access these accounts on your behalf.
- Ensure your car remains insured, taxed and road worthy – preferably garaged.
- Make sure your living accommodation is looked after, or rented out until you return.
- Setup mail forwarding to a family member or close friends address.
- Check you have all the correct vaccinations, you may also need booster jabs. It is recommended you speak to a travel doctor to evaluate your vaccination history and arrange and further medication.
- Have currency changed in small bills before arriving at your destination.
- Travel insurance must be purchased before departing, check the small print, what it really covers and any excess charges.
- Have credit card cancellation steps recorded.
- Have family, friends and emergency contact numbers recorded (not just in your mobile phone).
- Check mobile phone coverage and costs for calls and SMS. Consider purchasing a phone card.
- Setup a Facebook, Skype, Twitter and Flickr account to keep your family and friends up to date.
- Check the countries government website for any immediate warnings or safety advice.
Also, you will need a good, spacious backpack. The backpack should be comfortable (try a few loaded with 20kg of weight) and have good shoulder and hip straps. You can’t go wrong with the big brands, it is always worth paying the extra to ensure you get a high quality pack. We found backpacks which opened like a suitcase, with a zip, much more accessible and easier to use.
What you should pack
Packing your backpack for the first time can feel like an overwhelming task. What do you really need, and what will you never use? The list below has been taken from years of experience travelling the globe, and although everyone is different, we feel these items are a must for any backpack. Most of the items can be purchased online, with big savings offered with auction websites such as ebay. With clothing, pack for approx two weeks worth.
- Small day pack (hand luggage bag)
- Trousers, shorts, t-shirts, underwear, socks (one pair of thick ones)
- Waterproof jacket
- Fleece or warm jumper
- Sleeping bag (only really for camping – hostels don’t allow sleeping bags)
- Hat, Sunglasses and Sun cream
- Swimwear
- Travel towel
- Flip flops (day walking and for hostel showers)
- Trainers (or walking shoes)
- Toiletry bag
- Small amount of washing powder
- Basic first aid kit
- Basic medication; antiseptic spray, paracetamol, stuff for the shits (pharmacy’s can be found worldwide)
- Once a day multi vitamin tablet and dietary support (name?) tablets
- Silicone Ear Plugs
- Inflatable neck pillow (for long bus rides)
- Pocket Knife
- Torch
- Pen and notebook
- Reading material
- Baby wipes
- Air tight food bags
- Camera, mobile phone, music player
- Universal charger for electronic equipment
- USB memory stick
- Electrical adaptor plug
- Combination lock (not the cheap brands, easily broken)
- Money Belt
- Visa card, cash card, destination currency, small amount of US dollars (South America)
- Passport (Valid for 12months)
- Travel itinerary and tickets
Once your travelling, you will realise how little you really need to get on in life. For example, don’t pack too many clothes, they take up space and can be cheaply bought at your destination, especially so if you are heading to South East Asia or South America. Below are a few items we feel you can leave at home. And remember, pack light to avoid airline excess charges! A typical backpack should weigh in at 14-18kgs, with most airlines limiting to 20kgs (although Tiger Airways is only 15kg!)
- Food and drink (airport quarantine regulations)
- Hair dryer, hair straighteners, bags of make up
- Lots of clothes (remember, you have to wash them all!)
- Pillows, sheets etc
- Heavy books (plenty of book exchanges in hostels)
- Lots of electrical chargers (consider a universal charger)
When you arrive at your destination
Once you’ve got through passport control, collected your bags and headed out through arrivals, your are ready to start your adventure. From the airport, either get a licensed taxi or cheaper shuttle bus, depending on your destination to get you to your pre booked hostel. For the first few days, do not try to plan or do too much, take time to adjust to your new surroundings and get over the jet lag. You will almost certainly experience travellers tummy, so again, take time to let your body (mainly stomach) get used to the food – don’t jump straight onto a 16hour night bus.
Steps to travel safe
It really depends on where you plan on travel, but the following points are a good basis for safe travel in a new destination.
- Wear a money belt, which contains your passport, credit card and a small amount of money
- Keep money in different places and keep some emergency money hidden
- Keep small change in your front pockets
- Keep your camera out of sight. Not around your neck. Don’t dawdle with it in rough areas
- Use lockers in the hostel rooms/reception
- Use registered, metered taxis
- Keep the amount of late night walking to a minimum – take metered taxis
- Blend in. Don’t wear expensive jewellery around your neck or talk loudly in English
- Look around you and be aware of people near you
- Walk with confidence and look like you know where you are going
- Use common sense and trust your instincts – don’t let security concerns spoil your trip!
Travel tips
The people behind Review-Hostel.com have travelled around the globe in over night buses, old rusty trains and even the odd horse and cart. Here are a selection of travel tips we have collected to use on the road and when staying at Hostels:
- Always get the meter on in the taxi
- Bargain for goods when at markets
- Get a hostel discount card (YHA, VIP Backpackers, BBH)
- Label your food with date and names when staying at Hostels
- When arriving at a hostel, ask to see the room before you pay, and check what is included
- Use communal areas in hostels to make friends and learn about good hostels and things to do
- Share food costs by cooking with other travellers
- Be open minded, and smile.
