So you’ve decided to go backpacking, and you’re looking at staying in hostels? Congrats, I’m sure it’s going to be a great adventure. After you book your flights, the next step is looking at hostels. If you’ve never stayed in a hostel before and you open HostelWorld or Booking.com, you would probably be flabbergasted at …
If you’re planning your first trip, trying to decide where to stay can be a challenge. Some people may tell you that you should stay in hostels for the social vibe and to save money. Others may tell you hostels aren’t safe, and you should stay in large hotels only. How do you decide between …
Haggling is when you negotiate back and forth while a vendor over the price of a good or service. In most Western countries, haggling is relatively uncommon. The closest thing to haggling in Western countries would be asking for a discount or better price with a travel agent or used car dealer. Even this is …
This is probably one of the most asked-about topics on all backpacking forums and in travel content creators’ comments. How do you make friends at hostels? What if no one speaks to me at the hostel? But what if I don’t make any friends? It’s totally normal to be worried about not making friends. I’ve …
If you’re planning your first backpacking trip, wondering whether you’re going to be able to sleep is valid. A lot will depend on you and what kind of sleeper you are. For example, whether you are a light sleeper or a heavy sleeper. Even if you are a light sleeper, travelling can be super exhausting …
One of the most stressful parts of planning a trip is budgeting and saving money for travel. Are you going to be able to afford to travel for the length of time you want to be away? How can you save extra money? What if I run out of money overseas? I’ve successfully saved for …
If you’re going travelling, setting yourself up with travel apps before you leave is going to set you up for a smoother travelling experience. There are about a million travel apps out there so how do you know which are the best apps for backpackers? Below is my list of tried-and-true backpacker apps, which I …
“Aren’t you worried about travelling all alone?”. The answer is: not really, actually. Before booking my first solo travel, I worried about safety, particularly as a female. There were so many conflicting sources on whether it was safe to travel solo as a female. And I imagined being kidnapped and sold into a prostitution ring …
Keen to plan a trip in 2024 but need help figuring out where to start? We’ve all been there. Whether it is your first trip overseas or your first long-term backpacking trip, knowing where or how to start can be daunting. As someone who has organised multiple trips overseas to over 40 countries, I have …
Staying in dorms and meeting other travellers is one of the best experiences. You can make great friends, have unique experiences and feel like you’re part of a community. But the other side of living in shared spaces is that there is an etiquette to staying in hostels. Most experienced backpackers know and respect this …
