10 Things I Wish I Knew Before Backpacking Around the World
Planning my backpacking trip around the World was one of the scariest, most difficult and most overwhelming things I’ve ever done. Deep down I knew it was my destiny to go out there on this adventure because travelling the World had always been my dream, but it’s definitely not an easy task to handle.
If you’re considering to embark on a similar adventure and feel the weight of that task on your shoulders, just know that you are not alone! You are not the first nor the last person who goes on such an adventure and you will be fine with the right preparation.
After having travelled solo around the World for 8 months, here are 10 pieces of advice I wish someone told me before I even embarked on that first flight to Singapore.
There is always a flight back home
Through all my trips, this is by far the best piece of advice I have ever heard.
If you’re planning a huge adventure like mine, it’s completely normal to be scared. Especially if you are doing such a thing for the first time, it will feel like a huge dangerous step. In fact, if it doesn’t feel like that, you’re probably not doing it right. Those butterflies are meant to be there!
Even though I know that to be true, I also know that going out there and ending up not liking the experience or somehow not wanting to continue anymore, is no big deal.
Remember this: as long as you have money for a flight back home, you are fine!
Taking a one-way flight to Singapore was scary but there is always a flight back home
It’s cheaper than you think
Before I went on my backpacking trip around the World, I lived in Sweden and saved money for that adventure for years. I was so scared of not having enough money and thought I needed so much in order to travel full-time for 8 months.
I’m European and I’m therefore very used to European prices. Plus, having lived in Scandinavia for almost 8 years, I had gotten used to everything being overpriced and people having to learn how to live with that. I could only imagine that, even though some countries are cheap, money would fly out the window when I started travelling full-time.
I eventually gathered the courage to go out there and test it out though, and I was pleasantly surprised to see that I was completely wrong.
I thought that I would need a lot of money to backpack around the World for 8 months
First of all, some countries were not nearly as expensive as I thought they would be. That’s the case of Japan, where I thought I would need so much money to travel but ended up spending an average of just 37€ per day.
And even though some of the other countries I visited are super expensive, such as Australia and Canada, I still didn’t need nearly as much money for my 8 months of backpacking around the World as I thought I would.
Between volunteering positions, really cheap accommodations in some countries and other tricks to keep costs down while backpacking, I managed to spend way less than I thought I would on my trip.
The World is not as dangerous as people say it is
You have no idea how many negative comments I heard when I told everyone about my crazy idea of circumnavigating the Globe for 8 months on my own.
Many people supported me and told me how inspired they were by my courage to go out there solo, but I couldn’t help but notice the concern and anxiety that some people close to me felt regarding this whole idea. Suddenly I was being interrogated about why I had to go out there all alone, why I couldn’t wait until I had someone to go with and if I was even aware of “all the things that could happen”.
I went out there and made that dream of mine come true anyway though, and let me tell you one of the biggest lessons I learned: the World is not as dangerous as people think.
The World isn’t as dangerous and scary as most people think it is
I’m not saying that all countries are safe for solo female travelers. There are obviously many countries where we need to take many precautions and face risks, but you don’t need to jump head first to those countries on your first big backpacking trip.
I did lots of research about the best countries for first-time backpackers and quickly understood that South East Asia is one of the best places in the World to have that first experience.
I read so much and watched so many Youtube videos about solo female travelers backpacking in SE Asia that I grew comfortable with that idea and decided it would be the safest place to plan my trip in.
READ THE FULL ARTICLE: 5 Best Countries For First-Time Solo Travelers
So, if you’re worried about the dangers out there, my best piece of advice is this: do lots of research about several areas of the World and see which one you are more comfortable with. Not all parts of the World are difficult and dangerous to travel in and South East Asia is the perfect example of that!
You will meet loads of people
I have traveled solo to more than 20 countries and even before I went on my backpacking trip around the World, I had quite some experience as a solo traveler. I had learned that solo traveling doesn’t mean you will always be alone and that it’s actually one of the best ways to meet new people, because you are completely open to the new opportunities around you.
The fact remains though that when you’re about to take that scary step of going out there on your own for several months and in a place that is so far away from home, fears starts to kick in.
Going out there all by yourself can be one of the scariest things ever
Suddenly I was worrying that I would not meet anyone and that I would regret the whole idea. That’s what stepping so much outside of your comfort zone does to you: you start questioning everything and you are very likely to feel overwhelmed.
If you are planning a big trip like mine and feel scared that you’re not going to meet people and that loneliness will kick in, it’s completely normal. Those fears are just a symptom of finally taking a scary step in your life but you will meet so many people out there who had the exact same fears as you when they first started their trip.
Those are the people who will become new friends and share this experience with you and that’s the magic of solo traveling!
I made so many friends for life on my backpacking trip around the World
You will never see yourself or the World the same way again
One of the main things that really changed in me after my big backpacking trip was my idea of the World. I had traveled to far-away places before on vacation, but I had never traveled full-time for such a long period of time and that’s a completely different way of traveling.
I think that when you leave your stable life behind and give up your comfort zone at home to take such a big step and travel the World with no strings attached, you are bound to change forever.
I had lived in Sweden for almost 8 years when I decided to leave everything and go to the other side of the World to start my biggest adventure ever. I loved the life I had there, my job, my friends and the beautiful and peaceful place where I lived. But I knew I had to make this dream come true.
My big trip around the World changed me forever
Long story short, I made it happen and after everything I experienced during this lifechanging trip, there is no way I can ever see the World the same way again. Now the World feels smaller and I feel more than ever that I can do anything I set my mind to, no matter how scary it feels at first. That’s the power of a trip like this: it will change you and your vision forever!
Making a strict plan is a waste of time
For a whole year before my trip around the World, I was planning it like a maniac. I felt like I had to know exactly where I was going, when I was going there, how I would book the tickets, where I would sleep…
Just to give you an idea, I basically had 8 months’ worth of accommodations booked in advance by the time I embarked on my trip. Everyone told me it was a waste of time because I would change my mind as I went but I didn’t listen because I was trying to grasp whatever feeling of security my plans were giving me.
Planning is an important part of any trip but don’t overdo it
While I do think that doing your research and planning your trip is an amazing way to feel safer and more confident before you go, I learned that people were right when they said I was wasting my time planning too much.
There were so many countries I planned to go to but didn’t, so many countries I never thought I’d visit on this trip but ended up visiting and so many accommodations I had to cancel because of changes of plans!
The lesson I learned thanks to this was to design a general plan and do research but try not to stress too much about the planning. Don’t put too much pressure on yourself, you’re going to figure it all out as you go.
But being too spontaneous isn’t always the best idea either
On the other hand, making no plans and relying simply on going with the flow and being spontaneous definitely isn’t always the best option either.
While some countries are easy to travel in with no plans, some others require some careful preparation in order for you to fully enjoy your trip. A good example of that during my trip was Canada. I’ve never seen such an expensive country as Canada and that’s why I planned and booked accommodations so much in advance.
If you decide to visit such an expensive country with no plans and expect to be able to improvise your way forward without spending a fortune, you might be shocked by the result.
What I would recommend is to do some research about accommodation prices and transportation options in the countries you plan to visit. If you notice that hotel and hostel prices are high and there aren’t many transportation options to choose from, that’s a sign that you shouldn’t rely too much on being spontaneous when you visit that country.
You will save money and stress if you plan in advance for expensive countries like Canada and Australia
This experience will probably change your way of traveling
Backpacking is by far the most life-changing experience I’ve ever had. I always had a feeling I would feel like this after my trip but, to be honest, I had no idea how much backpacking around the World would completely change my way of traveling.
Before leaving my stable life in Sweden and venturing out there on my own to circumnavigate the globe, I traveled a lot on my days off and when I was on vacation. I loved both my solo trips and the trips I went on with loved ones and I always tried to fit as much as I possible could on those days out there exploring.
I never stopped to think if that’s the best way of doing things or if it’s my favorite way of travelling, because I had to make my trips work around my work-schedule. So I basically looked for cheap flights on the dates I had available and off I went to some place nearby.
I travelled in a very different way before I went on my backpacking trip around the World
Once I started my big backpacking trip though, I quickly realized that I like full-time travel way more than the way in which I used to travel. Suddenly I was realizing that I could keep costs down way easier because I didn’t have to rush back home after a long weekend or a couple of weeks of vacation, plus I was enjoying my experience abroad way more because it didn’t even feel like just a vacation! It felt like I was immersing myself in the country in a totally different way and that was one of the most life-changing things I ever experienced while traveling.
As I kept backpacking, I realized that a slower travel pace fits me way better as well. Suddenly I didn’t have to change hotels every other day and could stay in a place I really enjoyed for a whole week or two if I felt like it.
I could catch opportunities to volunteer abroad, because I had all the time in the World instead of just a short vacation. Not only did that allow me to take it slow and really immerse myself in different cultures, but it also saved me a lot of money on accommodations.
I could also be super flexible while booking flights, so I usually got the best deals flying on the cheapest dates. You’ll notice that flying on specific dates because you’re trying to make your trip work on your strict vacation dates, can cost you loads of money.
After such an experience, I don’t think I can ever go back to the way I travelled before. Backpacking full-time changed me and my way of travelling forever.
Keeping track of your expenses is more important than you think
As I mentioned above, not having enough money for my backpacking trip around the World was one of my main worries before I took that one-way ticket to the other side of the World.
Going so far out of your comfort zone makes you feel that anything can go wrong and I that’s why I think it’s completely normal to worry about money flying out the window way too fast. You would be irresponsible to not thing about those things, since money is one of the most important things while traveling.
That’s why one of the most important things I did on my backpacking trip was to keep track of every single cent I spent.
I kept track of every cent I spent for 8 months
It might seem daunting at first because you’re literally counting your hard-earned money being spent, but I guarantee you that keeping track of your expenses will make you feel much more in control of your trip.
In order to do that, I used one of my favorite apps of all times. It’s called TravelSpend and there are so many functions that made my life SO much easier while backpacking!
When you download the app, it will ask you for your total budget and the start and end dates. That’s how your daily budget is going to be calculated and as you write down your expenses every day, it will calculate how well you’re staying on track or need to work harder to stay on budget.
You can also see where your money is going by looking at the different categories on the graphs that TravelSpend creates for you. It makes it so much easier to see where you should try to save more and where you can relax a little bit!
Your self confidence will grow immensely
I often hear solo travelers say that traveling solo does wonders for your self-confidence. It can be such a daunting experience at first, but realizing that you can actually go out there all by yourself and make your dreams come true is the best feeling ever.
I have been travelling solo since I was 22 and those solo trips made my self-confidence grow stronger and stronger, but I noticed an even bigger boost when I went on my backpacking trip around the World.
Backpacking solo around the World was the biggest boost ever for my self-confidence
Many people, especially women, ask me how I gathered the courage to travel solo and confess that they don’t think they can do it.
While I understand that it’s a difficult and scary step to take and many people might not feel strong enough for it, I guarantee you that you are! It’s one of those cases when the hardest step really is the first one and then everything will fall into place.
Once you start proving to yourself just how much you can do on your own, you will never doubt your strength again.
I feel that I can do anything after backpacking solo around the World
If you made it this far, I hope this blog post helped you gather the courage to go out there and make your travel dreams come true! Take it from someone has been where you are now: it feels scary but it’s so worth it!
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February 7, 2025 @ 8:37 pm
Great advice 👏👏👏 there is always a flight back home is the realist thing ever!!!!
February 7, 2025 @ 11:47 pm
Thank you dear! That piece of advice always calmed me down when I was feeling overwhelmed!