Backpacking Basics for First-Timers : Kathika Travel Website

By Amanda Kendle

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Budget backpacking may be all that’s left for many of us when the world financial crisis hits our travel plans, so although Shane Gladigau’s new book Backpacker Basics: For Your First International Trip might be targeted at 18 – 25 year olds, the market might have just got a lot broader.

Based on Gladigau’s own experiences as a backpacker and working holiday-maker in Canada and Australia, Backpacker Basics is a slim book that actually holds a lot of information. If you’re well traveled, it will all seem like common sense, but for someone starting out with not much more than the aim to “see the world” (cheaply!) then it’s a good resource to start from.

Short chapters cover topics including what kind of bag to take, what to pack, how to plan ahead and what bookings to make, whether your should travel on your own, or with a friend, or even as part of a tour, and what precautions to take to ensure your trip is safe and healthy. One particularly useful section focuses on choosing a good hostel and how to avoid “bored backpacker syndrome” – the mistake some backpackers make of spending days in front of the hostel TV and evenings at the local bar with other ex-pats, and missing out on the entire traveling experience. All in all it’s a handy book for someone who’s thinking of traveling independently for the first time.

photo credit: rappensuncle