You fancy backpacking across Europe, throwing yourself into an interrail adventure or hitchhiking trip, or jumping on a flight to Southeast Asia — but you can't quite commit. Your head is full of doubts and anxiety has the upper hand. Can I really travel alone? Can I actually hitchhike? Will I find places to sleep for free? Is cheap travel really possible?
We've all been there. Nobody is born knowing any of this, and we all go through the same worries before a big trip. But that's no reason not to go chasing your travel dreams — leaving your fears behind is as simple as hoisting a backpack and hurling yourself into the unknown.
I get emails asking for advice ahead of a first big trip all the time, so here's my attempt to answer your questions. If after reading this you're still on the fence, drop your doubts in the comments.
How much money do I need to travel for 6 months?
What if I only want to travel for 3 months? What about travelling for years? If I travel until the money runs out, how long will my savings last?
There's no magic number — it all depends on you. You can blow through €1,000 a month or travel on practically nothing. It also depends on where you're going, how patient you are, and how lucky you get.
As a rough guide, you can travel Europe on €500 a month without any trouble — staying in hostels fairly often, going out and not going hungry.
Depending on how often you sleep for free (Couchsurfing, housesitting, volunteering, friends' places…) and whether you take trains or hitchhike, you can get that below €300. I've managed to travel for an entire month on under €100!
In Southeast Asia, staying in guesthouses and using local transport, it's easy to stay around €300 a month. And if you camp and hitchhike, you can travel comfortably on €100–150 a month!
For a clearer picture of what backpacking actually costs, take a look at our money, spending and budget category.
Is it safe to sleep in strangers' homes through Couchsurfing?
Yes — hospitality networks like Couchsurfing are safe, though it's still worth taking sensible precautions.
These networks run on references and verification systems, which let you read other guests' experiences and make sure no one has had problems with a particular host.
Depending on how much you need it and how comfortable you feel (a solo woman in an Arab country is a different situation from a man travelling around Europe), you can take more of a risk with people who have fewer references. But if you only stay with hosts who have full, well-referenced profiles, problems are rare.
For that same reason, it helps if you have a complete profile with references too. Go to local meet-ups or host people at yours before you travel — that way you'll have good reviews that help put potential hosts at ease.
Want to sleep for free? Read my tricks for finding free accommodation, as well as 12 places where I've slept for free.
What do I need to travel as a backpacker?
A backpack, time and enthusiasm. A bit of money helps, but not too much — otherwise you lose the whole backpacker spirit. A decent smile will be your greatest asset, especially when you don't speak the local language.
Don't over-plan, and be prepared to change things on the fly. Don't just stick to tourist destinations — escape to less popular places and discover how people actually live. Talk to strangers, whether in a shop or in the middle of the street. Open yourself up to what's around you and you'll find an enormous number of wonderful people happy to help or show you their most hidden local treasures.
What backpack do you recommend?
Since you'll be carrying it on your back every day, it's important to try a few and find which one fits your back best, grips your hips and rests well on your shoulders.
When you try it on, it's essential to fill it first — you can't feel the support points if the bag is empty.
My recommendation is always a decent pack between 40 and 60 litres, unless you're doing short or summer trips. A waterproof rain cover is also a must.
It's really useful to have a second, lighter daypack that folds inside your main bag. It gives you more mobility, lets you leave all your kit at the hostel or your Couchsurfing host's place while you explore the city — and still carry water, food, a jacket or waterproof and your gadgets on your back.
There may also be times when you need to carry extra food, and you use the daypack on your chest while the main bag sits on your back.
My preference for these everyday bags is dry bags (bolsas estancas), which are very lightweight and keep all your belongings bone-dry even in torrential rain.
What gadgets or electronics do I need?
You don't strictly need any, though some will make your life easier and others will let you work while you travel.
When I started out I only had an iPhone 3GS and a compact camera. With my smartphone I checked maps, searched for information online, booked hostel beds and sent Couchsurfing requests. Even so, I occasionally used the hostel's public computers to send emails or requests more comfortably.
After my first stint back in Spain, a few months later, I started carrying a netbook too. My photo collection was growing and I needed to organise it, and I'd started writing this blog, so a "proper" computer made the job easier. Sending Couchsurfing requests was also much more practical from a laptop — finding profiles I liked and writing personalised messages took far too long on the phone.
My Kindle has also bailed me out more times than I can count, and not just as an e-reader — a Kindle with 3G gives you free mobile internet in almost every country in the world.
Finally, in Vietnam my budding passion for photography led me to buy a DSLR, which pushed the weight of my gadgets up again. Unless you genuinely enjoy taking photos or it's part of your livelihood, I wouldn't follow my example — your back will not thank you.
Is hitchhiking safe?
It's as safe as getting in a taxi. Just as with a taxi, you're getting in a car with a stranger.
Given that in tourist areas in certain countries there are taxi mafia operations extorting foreigners, hitchhiking could even be considered safer than hailing a cab.
Above all, use a basic level of common sense. If a driver gives you a bad feeling when they stop, don't get in — another one will come along who gives you better vibes.
After covering thousands of kilometres hitchhiking across dozens of different countries, I have never felt my life was in danger. On one occasion a driver — a Romanian — asked me to pay for the lift, which I declined; it didn't go any further than that. On other occasions I've seen knives in vehicles, once even a gun, but I've never felt threatened.
For more information, check out how to hitchhike and where to hitchhike.
What do I need to travel by bike?
A bike. Seriously — don't let the amount of preparation we did and all the equipment we bought for our round-the-world bike trip put you off.
After several years of travelling we decided to do this trip with a bit more comfort and a solid set-up. But I've seen people who got bored of catching buses, bought a bike for €50 and tied their backpack to the rear rack with some bungee cords.
That said, for bike touring I do think it's important to carry your own tent and sleeping bag, and having panniers or a trailer to carry your kit in a more stable way is highly recommended.
I want to travel for the first time but I don't know where to go
What's your budget? How much time do you have? Which month will you start?
If you don't have much money or time, I'd say go to Eastern Europe. In spring/summer I'd recommend Poland and the Baltic States; in winter, Central Europe or the Balkans is better.
If you have a few months, especially in winter, I'd recommend jumping on a flight to Southeast Asia. Local prices will make up for the cost of the flight after a couple of months, and you'll escape the European winter for warm weather.
If you have more money, the options open up. Maybe a US coast-to-coast? Or a tour of Europe's main capitals? Whatever you choose, try to get off the beaten track every now and then — away from the tourist routes you'll find much more authentic places and local people who are interested in you, not your wallet.
Can I travel alone? My friends won't come
Not only can you travel solo, it's an experience I'd recommend to everyone — at least once in your life.
Travelling alone gives you total freedom, strips away prejudices and forces you to open yourself up far more to what's around you. You become a much more sociable person practically overnight.
It's neither dangerous nor significantly more expensive. During my first 6 months of travel I crossed Europe alone, but I was never lonely — at least never when I didn't want to be. I was constantly meeting people through Couchsurfing, Free Tours in European capitals, in hostels, or even just in the street.
Don't stay home because you have no one to travel with — grab that backpack and throw yourself into the adventure. You won't regret it.
I've never spoken English!
You have some basic English but you've never actually used it? Too embarrassed to try? Forgotten the little you learned at school?
The standard of language teaching in Spanish schools is pretty poor — most of the time you don't practise spoken English, and the focus is on grammar and vocabulary, leaving you with zero confidence to actually speak it.
To train your ear you can start watching TV series in English with Spanish subtitles, then switch to English subtitles when you feel ready.
But really it's all about practice. When I started travelling I thought I wouldn't be able to say anything in English. My grammar was decent, my vocabulary reasonably wide, but I couldn't understand anything or pronounce words correctly.
Because I'd left Spain alone I had no choice but to communicate in English — or try to. In my first hostel in Greece I could barely hand over my passport and ask for the key. A week later I was chatting up a Russian girl, and a month later I was having fluent conversations with anyone around me.
It might take a few weeks or several months, but the moment you gain confidence and start thinking in English, everything becomes much easier. If you don't know how to say something, you describe it; if you have no idea, you mime it. Languages are like swimming — you can take classes and learn gradually, but until you actually jump in the pool you won't be able to swim. And don't worry: you won't drown here.
Where can I find information online?
When researching a destination, planning a trip or looking for a hostel, my process is: first I check my "favourite travel websites", then I turn to Google and travel forums.
- Wikitravel and Wikivoyage: information of all kinds about destinations — things to do, places to sleep, where to eat… I always search in English since there's a lot more content.
- Hitchwiki: for finding out how to hitchhike from one place to another, where to position yourself and how to get to the edge of town.
- Tripadvisor: Not my favourite, but occasionally useful for discovering attractions or activities in a particular area.
- Hostelworld: My go-to for finding hostels — works brilliantly in Europe. After finding a hostel on Hostelworld I always check whether it's cheaper direct on the hostel's own website.
- Skyscanner: I always use this for finding flights between cities, countries, from one place to any destination, on specific dates or across full months… Its search options make it incredibly versatile.
- Specialist blogs: I also look for information on travel blogs I've bookmarked as favourites, which tend to give a more personal perspective.
How do I get a visa? How do I cross the border?
Do your research to avoid scams and to avoid paying more than you need to. Look up the destination country on your foreign ministry's website and cross-check experiences from other travellers on Wikitravel, travel forums and Google.
Here you'll find my tips for not getting ripped off at a land border crossing, and here my experiences with visas. Bear in mind that conditions may have changed since I visited, and different embassies may have different requirements for the same country.
How can I earn money while travelling?
Your options are unlimited. Do you want to stop and work in hostels for a while? Volunteer on farms? Or do you prefer to keep moving and do online translations?
Depending on your preferences and skills, some options will suit you better than others — but if you want to, you can.
Do I need vaccinations?
Which countries are you heading to? If you're in Spain, the easiest thing is to find your nearest international vaccination centre and make an appointment. The service is free and the vaccines are too, depending on your region — and in any case much cheaper than getting them abroad.
Very few countries require mandatory vaccinations — only yellow fever if you're travelling to or through a risk country. That said, it's still worth having the recommended ones. I got all the vaccinations recommended for Southeast Asia and it cost me almost nothing.
How do I avoid malaria?
By avoiding mosquito bites. If you're travelling through a malaria zone for a long period, no medication is a complete solution — Malarone and similar drugs can't be taken for months on end, so all you can do is cross your fingers and do everything possible not to get bitten too often: long sleeves, mosquito repellent and nets when you sleep.
Do I need travel health insurance?
Again, a personal choice. Depending on where you're headed, the importance of health insurance varies. In some countries you need one just to apply for a visa, so it can make sense to get proper cover for your whole trip rather than buying whatever they sell you at the border.
Within EU countries you're covered by national health services — all you need is to apply for the European Health Insurance Card, which is free, and gives you the same rights as residents of that country.
How do I keep in touch with family and friends?
These days you can find internet in almost every corner of the planet, so staying in touch with the people you love is no excuse to stay at home.
By email, Skype, Hangouts, Facebook, WhatsApp or whatever your favourite platform, you can write, call or video chat from Nepal, Senegal or Bolivia.
Pick a date, pack your bag… and go!
Stop waiting. Don't put it off until you have more money — because then you won't have time, or work will get in the way. If you have money but not time, quit that dull, dead-end job and live your dreams. There are no real reasons to keep living a monotonous life. If what gets you excited is travelling: travel!