When I went on my first backpacking trip, I really didn’t know what the hell I was doing. I booked hostels far in advance, I brought three pairs of sneakers just because, and then I had one of those backpacks that only opens at the top. Certainly not great ideas, and definitely not something I would do today 🙂 Here I’ll list four common backpacking mistakes for you to avoid on your next trip.
If you are planning your first backpacking trip, you might also want to read these 14 tips to staying safe while traveling. These are things I’ve slowly learned through my travels, and are applicable around the world.
You can consider this your beginners backpacking guide – your backpacking 101. So if you are planning your first backpacking trip, or if you simply feel that you haven’t really mastered the art of backpacking just yet, this post is for you. Now let’s get into some of the common mistakes to avoid when backpacking!
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Bringing too much stuff
Be very selective about the things you bring, especially clothes. It can be tempting to pack every piece of clothing you feel like you might possibly wear – been there, not a great idea 🙂 Eventually you will just be dragging around extra weight and you’ll have a harder time finding the stuff you are actually using. You probably don’t need to bring that t-shirt you haven’t worn for a year. Nor do you need to pack multiple pairs of sneakers just because you can’t choose one.
There is also no need to be carrying huge bottles of shampoo, conditioner or any types of toiletries, so go ahead and put those into smaller travel-sized bottles. You will be carrying your backpack through airports, to and from bus stops, what have you – so believe me when I tell you that you want it to be as light as possible.
Planning too much in advance
Unless you are traveling during easters, christmas, or other public holidays when things tend to get busy – there is no point in having accommodations lined up weeks or months in advance. You can book hostels from your phone in a matter of seconds through the Booking, Agoda and Hostelworld apps.
You might also like: How to choose a hostel
This especially goes for booking hostels in places where you haven’t been before. Let’s say you are planning a trip to Colombia. You can’t possibly know in advance if you will only want to spend two days in Cartagena, or if you will love it (like I did) and want to spend three weeks there. So lining up accommodations in advance is essentially just guessing how long you want to stay in each place, instead of deciding when you’re already there. You also might meet people that are planning to do something really cool and you’d love to join, but oh, since you have already booked all your accommodations for the next three months, you don’t really have the flexibility to join them.
In my experience – you don’t really gain anything from booking and planning every little thing far in advance. But you lose is the ability to go with the flow and go on spontaneous adventures, which for me, is what backpacking is all about.
Bringing the wrong type of backpack
This is one of the common mistakes to avoid when backpacking! You will want to travel with a backpack that opens like a suitcase, not one that only opens at the top. Why?
Picture this: You have been laying on the beach and eating tacos for three weeks, and have now decided that you would like to change that. So you need to find that one set of workout clothes that you’re pretty sure you brought, and are probably sitting somewhere at the bottom of your backpack at this point. You will most likely end up having to empty your backpack to find it, oh and then put everything back in. This can of course apply to just about anything, not just workout clothes :))
What I’m saying is that you do not want to travel with a backpack that only opens at the top, you want to bring one that opens like a regular suitcase.
This is the backpack I’ve been using ever since my second backpacking trip. I would highly recommend it for anyone looking for a backpack for their next trip – it’s super convenient to travel with. It does indeed open like a suitcase, and the straps can be zipped away which is important when bringing it on a flight or on a bus, preventing them from getting dirty when thrown around by airline staff or when loaded on a bus. It also has a side handle so it’s easy to carry around even when the straps are zipped away.
Traveling too fast
This is a very common beginners mistake. I get that you want to see as much as possible during the time you have, so it might be tempting to squeeze in as many places as you possibly can. Visiting three countries in a month may seem like a great idea at first glance, but what you will discover is that running from city to city, from one attraction to another, will quickly become exhausting. A part from becoming tiring very fast, the biggest disadvantage of traveling too fast is that you won’t really get to know a place. Yeah you might tick lots of countries off your list and snap a photo or two in front of the main attractions, but you won’t really experience the countries and their culture.
You might end up spending half your time on busses or trains, which lets face it, is just not very pleasant way to spend the day. It will also be more expensive because you’ll be getting on some sort of transport every few days. You will also find yourself taking flights instead of a bus or train to save time, but will of course cost much more. Instead of enjoying exploring and taking in the culture, you’ll end up running around trying to stick to your packed schedule.
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