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Backpacker Basics - for you first international trip

Backpacking is a specific form of travel that comes with a specific mindset. Enjoying a degree of freedom is a key need coupled with the desire to be unstructured and spontaneous. Most backpackers will start with broad intensions, but work out the details along the way, experiencing moments that become character developing and life forming.

Fully enjoying the freedom of having an unstructured plan and being spontaneous in a foreign country, however, means being effectively prepared before getting there. The day you start out, is not the day to start your preparations!

Topics covered in this guide are:

Dipping your toes in
Why Travel?
Choosing a Destination
Research
A new culture
With company, or solo?
Environmental impact of travel
Passport
Visa
Financial matters
Purchasing your ticket
Health and immunisation
Travel insurance
Carrying your gear
What to take
Personal affairs
At the airport
Backpacker accommodation
Backpacker hostel etiquite
Backpacker accommodation safety
Diet
Relationships (Friends and intimate encounters)
Sightseeing
Tours
Sometimes, things go wrong
Getting around
Settling down
Finding work
Capturing moments
Keeping contact
Coming home
Fully wound up
About the author

Backpacker Basics is published as a printed book that is available in all good bookstores in Australia, New Zealand and the UK. If it isn't in your local store they should be able to order it in for you. Alternatively, you can order your copy directly through this website. We use the security of PayPal. It takes 2-3 business days for your book to arrive if you are in Australia or 5-7 business days to arrive in countries outside of Australia.

What others say

Ignore the naff cover, Backpacker Basics' 116 pages pack in plenty of before-you-go tips to help first-time travellers plan their big trip abroad. The easy-to-read chapters cover all the basics and will really help you hit the ground running.

Backpacker Essentials, YHA Australia

I was surprised by how down to earth this little book is. It was published this year by a Melbourne-based ex-traveller, but even so, there's a lot of useful info. From insurance basics to the pros and cons of carrying your own laptop, if you're heading overseas for the first time, you could do far worse than this slim volume.

Maia Sauren, Catalyst Magazine

I'm 18 and heading off overseas for the very first time by myself. My mum bought me this book and now I feel more confident about my travels, and so does she.

Sonya West, Melbourne, Australia

This guide does not have a text preaching, 'do this and don't do that', but a handy information source helping to educate and empower inexperienced budget travellers about the processes involved and the type of issues they may be confronted with in unfamiliar overseas environments. Hopefully, the background information in the guide will help instill confidence and could potentially mean the difference between having an incredible and memorable international experience or getting caught up in a disastrous and wish-to-be-forgotten one.

Aussie Backpacker

I'm thankful for purchasing this book. It opened my eyes up to the world of travel. I also liked the humourous style in which it was written.

Trudi Dho, London