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North & Central America

If you’re new here, you may want to subscribe to my RSS feed. Thanks for visiting! From Panama to Canada, the Americas are packed with contrast, mystique and intrigue. The islands off Costa Rica and Panama are enough to match any desert island dream and they’re matched by the Mayan relics of Guatemala. Not forgetting

North and Central AmericaNorth and Central America

Europe

Europe holds enough wonders to fascinate backpackers for a long time. It oozes history and is bulging with beautiful, vibrant cities that you’ll never get bored of. Whether you take in a coffee in a Parisien square, hit the shops in Milan or soak up the Bohemian charm of Prague you’ll have a great time.

EuropeEurope

Africa

Africa will undoubtedly take your breath away. Miles and miles of flowing desert, bumpy camel rides and enchanting souks are just a pinch of what’s on offer. Stunning beaches in South Africa, the amazing Lake Malawi and safaris across Kenya are just the start. Don’t believe the naysayers and miss out, this place is magical.

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Asia & Australasia

Asia and Australasia are usually the number 1 port of call for first time backpackers. But they’re not all about boozy beach parties and random cocktails. With the amazing outdoor activities on offer in New Zealand, spectacular temples and golden buddhas scattered almost everywhere and natural wonders like the Himalayas you’re guaranteed a good time.

AsiaAsia

South America

South America is full of incredible places to visit and offers backpackers a huge variety. See the glaciers in Patagonia, visit the breathtaking Machu Picchu or sail down the Amazon, you won’t be disappointed. If you’re looking for a taste of everything (and not just amazing steak!), then South America is the one for you.

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Breathtaking Buildings, Beautiful Beaches & Bloated Bellies: Barcelona, Spain

barcelona

Barcelona is a vibrant, youthful city that combines the pleasures of a city break with the relaxation and beauty of a beach holiday. The city-by-the-sea vibe put out by Barcelona lends the city a chilled-out, almost hippie-ish feel in places. Young people lugging heavy backpacks flock to Barcelona in the summer: for June’s Sonar festival,

Sun Soaked, Culture Filled and Adventure Everywhere: Magical Malta

azure window malta

An often overlooked stop-off in Europe, Malta offers the inquisitive traveller a taste of culture, history and adventure crammed into an easily exploreable island in the sun. Whether you’re a sun-worshipper, adventure seeker, culture-vulture or all of the above, Malta is the ideal destination to indulge in your travel passions. A former British colony, it

Sin City on a Budget: Las Vegas, USA

las vegas

If you were to say three words about Vegas, they would probably be gambling, money and madness. But there’s more to Vegas than standing at the blackjack table, and it doesn’t have to be a hugely expensive trip to go and soak up Sin City. Backpacker’s certainly shouldn’t cross it off their list of potential

The Dive Site You Would be a Fool to Miss: Raja Ampat, Indonesia

raja ampat viewpoint

Standing on a beautiful deserted tropical island that probably doesn’t even have a name and staring at the crystal clear aquamarine and turquoise waters, I realised I had finally arrived at one of the most isolated outposts of Indonesia. I was in Raja Ampat, which translates as the ‘Four Kings.’ Although you may never have

Trekking to the Skies on a Himalayan Adventure: Everest Base Camp, Nepal

everest view

Trekking to Mount Everest Base Camp is a once-in-a-lifetime, dream come true opportunity. But if you go, don’t be surprised if after your Himalayan adventure you find yourself yearning to go back. Once is never enough. Your journey will likely begin in Kathmandu and in Thamel, the city’s popular tourist district. Thamel’s streets are crammed

Top 10 Reasons To Stay In Hostels on Your Backpacking Trip

backpacker hostels

Staying in hostels rather than swanky hotels when you go on holiday or a backpacking trip is a great way to save money and have fun. Hostels these days are not the sole reserve of long haired, unwashed hippy backpackers looking to discover themselves. Over the last few years, there has been an explosion of

Exploring the Magical Islands of Venice, Italy

Murano Island, Venice

Many people are drawn to Venice to sail the gondola along the meandering canals, or to discover the renown cultural landmarks, such as Saint Mark’s Basilica and Galleria dell’Accademia. However, if you are a more intrepid tourist, you may wish to explore a little further, and visit some of the fascinating lagoon islands. Here’s a

The Former Jewel of the East: Kolkata, India

kolkata

Kolkata is a city of contrasts. It is shocking yet charming, decadent yet squalid, degrading yet home to Nobel Prize laureates. It is certainly not for the faint hearted. When you arrive you are met with the familiar sight of streets packed with people and not a spare inch to move in, but the city

Fabulous Fiji – 5 Tips for this Island Paradise

diving in kadavu fiji

When you hear the word ‘Fiji’, what is the first thing that springs into your mind? Swaying palm trees rising high from fine white sandy beaches, with sparkling turquoise waters lapping at the shore. While these beaches are certainly dotted around Fiji, ten months living on this island taught me that sun, sea and sand

Monks, Buddhas and Breathtaking Beauty: Luang Prabang, Laos

Kuang Si Waterfall Luang Prabang

Luang Prabang, located in north central Laos, is a UNESCO world heritage city and truly deserving of its title; the countryside, surrounded by beautiful mountains and rivers contribute to the splendour, whilst the French colonial architecture and stunning temples make the city truly superb. The unassuming destination of Laos has largely remained under the radar

Walking in a Winter Wonderland in NYC: New York City, USA

Radio City, New York CIty

At any time of the year New York, known as “the city that never sleeps” is an amazing experience that overwhelms the senses. With its imposing skyline, huge parks, shopping precincts, monuments and bustling metropolitan atmosphere, there is nowhere quite like it. Visiting in winter and particularly at Christmas is a truly magical experience. The

Can Villa Rentals Work for Backpackers?

backpacking abroad

Backpacking is a great way to see the world. One of the many benefits is the sense of freedom, independence and being in command of your own destiny. There is something very liberating about waking up in the morning and the only decision you have to make is whether to turn left or right, but

The Home of Edgy Regeneration is a Wee Beauty! – Glasgow, Scotland

the lighthouse glasgow

Being the largest and most populated city in Scotland, Glasgow has much to offer tourists coming from all over the world and can be a great escape in the UK for backpackers wanting to do things on a budget. Glasgow is certainly budget friendly and not as hard on the purse as other large UK

Backpacking in the UK: Visiting The National Forest

UK Backpacking

The National Forest is one of the UK’s proudest achievements; eight million trees planted by local councils, landowners, schoolchildren, charities and individuals, including one by the Duke of Cambridge. It’s a national treasure – but few realise its potential as an affordable holiday destination, especially for those seeking a budget holiday in the UK. The


Backpacking

Travel is a fantastic form of escapism. You can take yourself of into another world and experience cultures you never dreamed existed. Stepping out into the souks of northern Africa or wandering through the golden temples of Asia give a real attack on the senses and it’s a sensation that makes you feel completely alive!

Many people think travel has to be an expensive hobby, but it’s possible to go backpacking on a tight budget and still have a fantastic time. Backpacker travel is one of the best ways to travel around the world, seeing and experiencing everything it has to offer, without breaking the backpacking budget. You can get cheap flights all over the world these days and by always keeping your eye out for great, cheap backpacking deals you can see beautiful places, meet wonderful people and not break the bank.

And don’t think that you need 6 months or a year to go backpacking. A backpacking trip can last just a week or two and that will still allow you to see plenty of stunning sights. Don’t be deceived into thinking that because you only have a two week break from work you have to go on a beach holiday and stay in the same place for the duration. You can be on a plane and arrive in a different continent before you know it, trekking into the South American jungle or winding through the bohemian back streets of Eastern Europe. By taking two weeks at a time, you can work your way through all the countries in the world and sample every backpacking wonder that’s out there

Top Backpacking Destinations is here to show you all these fantastic places to travel and to whet your appetite for the backpacking experience! We’ll tell you what’s good, what’s bad and feed you all the best backpacking tips along the way. Read about them all, pick your favourite spots and get your next holiday booked. Only this time, pick up your backpack, grab the essentials and soak up as much as you can with the time you have.

Gap Years

Often, the seed of many people’s travel passion is going on a gap year. It’s an opportunity to escape from education and live the easy life, something most teenagers are desperate for! But gap years don’t just have to come after school, many people take sabbaticals from work or want another break following university and head out to see the world.

Whichever of these is the reason for taking a gap year, it is undoubtedly a fantastic experience and usually leads to a serious case of the travel bug. This is what happened to me; i’d never been interested in travel before my gap year in Honduras and since i’ve come back and i haven’t been able to stop.

The great thing about gap years is that you have so many options available to you. From teaching English in a village school in Central America to going on a booze fuelled break around South East Asia, there’s something for everyone. If it’s charity projects that you’re after then there are plenty of well structured programmes which you can participate in, or you can make it an activity break and coach sports in numerous exotic destinations around the world.

And who’s to say you can only have one? Why not squeeze one in after school, one after university and a sabbatical from work! Just be careful, because once you catch the travel bug, it’s very hard to shake it off.

Backpacking Essentials

So you’ve booked your backpacking trip, you’re budget’s planned and you’re ready to go. But what are the backpacking essentials you can’t afford to forget? Below are a few top backpacking tips and things to remember before you head out on the road:

Research: Before you leave it’s so important to have a plan. You might change this plan after just one or two days but just having an idea in your idea in your head means you can highlight the things that are most important to you to achieve on your backpacking trip.

Budget: Getting your budget sorted is also crucial before you leave. And this doesn’t just mean saving up a certain amount of money ahead of your departure, you need to be aware of the currencies in other countries so you can split your budget accordingly and have enough money left when you get towards the end of your adventure. It’s no good spending all your money in Thailand where it goes a long way and having none left for Brazil which is super expensive!

Equipment: Getting the right backpacking gear is another key element of a successful backpacking trip. That isn’t stuffing your bag full with everything you can possibly think of as you’ll be able to pick up nearly everything you need on the road. The most important thing is to have a really good backpack (i recommend one that opens like a suitcase – it’s hard to get everything out a hole at the top!) some strong shoes and a safe place to keep all you documents.

Oh, and one last thing – set up a great travel blog so we can all read your backpacking tips!

Travel Blogging

Travel blogs are becoming more and more common these days as blogging becomes more and more accessible and straight forward. It makes sense that if you’re going on an extended trip you keep a record of all the incredible experiences you have along the way and a travel blog is a fantastic way to do that.

With blogging platforms like wordpress and blogger available for free, keeping a travel blog is a no brainer when you set off on your backpacking adventure. Not only is it a marvellous keepsake once you return home (if you ever do!), but it also allows family and friends who are back at home in the office keep up to speed with your travels. It will also save your little fingers typing out the same travel story 20 different times to each individual person!

There are also so many other people out there who are interested in your stories and your opinions on the places you visit. This backpacking blog was born as i wanted to tell people about the places I have visited on my backpacking trips and share the experiences i had in so many fantastic destinations. And travel is one topic that you’ll never get bored of reading about! There are so many destinations, so many opinions and so many attractions that no matter how many travel and backpacking blogs appear it will never get boring. Hopefully you agree while you’re reading this one!

Travel Destinations

There is an abundance of fantastic travel destinations around the world so it's hard to know where to start when you set out on a backpacking trip. Do you head to somewhere off the beaten track straight away or opt for a more common tourist destination which may be less demanding but also less stimulating?

Top Backpacking Destinations aims to provide you with all the information you need to make an informed decision and have a fantastic time on the road, whether you’re on a round the world trip, gap year or just away for a few weeks on holiday. Take a look at the travel destinations pages for a variety of travel guides across all the major continents:

Whatever trip you decide on, you’re sure to be able to find something perfect for you in amongst all these amazing holiday destinations. Choose the depths of the Amazon if you want some alone time where you can be at one with nature. If you feel the need for a tourist destination in every sense of the word then head for a city break to Paris or Barcelona where you won’t be disappointed. This is the rewarding thing about travel; there's a perfect destination for everyone, you just need to find yours!