How to Plan a Backpacking Trip #1: Inspiration and Saving Money

Pre-Trip Planning Tips to Help You on Your Way

For some people, backpacking through Europe is a once in a lifetime experience. For others, it's a regular summer activity. No matter which of these groups you will eventually fall into, planning a backpacking trip for the first time can be daunting, especially if you are planning on traveling alone. I've been there and I've learned from my mistakes, and you can too!

This advice is presented in a step-by-step order, but a lot of these steps will overlap as you are doing them, especially as your trip gets nearer.

The first thing you need is inspiration. Probably you got the idea for a trip of your own when you heard someone you know talking about their trip and showing off their envy-inspiring pictures, or reading a book like Bill Bryson's Neither Here Nor There (that did it for me). Suddenly traveling around the world seems like something you not only want to, but MUST do.

Or maybe you are just thinking about it and you're asking yourself whether you really do want to backpack. In that case the answer is yes, you just don't know it yet. Start by picking up a copy of Bryson or another travel anthology. Browse some travel websites and read other travelers' stories and advice. Even if you're not planning on taking a tour, look at tour descriptions of destinations and activities. Watch the Travel channel. Buy a guidebook and open it up to a random page. Tack a map on the wall and stare at it. Pretty soon, if not instantly, you will start to feel that wanderlust bubble inside you. Now you're ready to start planning.

The second thing you need to do is start saving money. Travel can be cheap and fun and easy but it's not free and there are lots of initial costs, especially if it's your first big trip. You'll need a plane ticket, a rail pass, a backpack and gear. This may sound intimidating but it IS doable if you are determined.

There are tons of ways to save money and lots of advice to be had. Here is what works best for me: