Student Travelling – Basic Tips and Advice
Travelling Survival Kit
by Marie-Chantale Turgeon
This article was written by Ross Fraser, published on 4th August 2010 and has been read 17972 times.
Travelling and particularly backpacking has always been something that fits in perfectly with the year abroad. Whether you want to travel around your chosen country or set off on an even more foreign adventure, it’s worth taking some time and planning things carefully before you go so that you will enjoy your trip and stay safe at the same time. So here are some basic tips to making the most of any travelling abroad you do as a student.
Plan ahead: It’s great to be spontaneous, but there really are some things you need to think about in advance, where you’re going to travel, and what you’ll need to take with you for starters: Do you need any vaccinations? – Visiting some countries will mean having jabs, or taking anti-malaria tablets, so you’ll need to think about this well before you go, or you will be risking your health. How is your fitness level? – Ok this may sound a bit of an odd one, but if you’re planning on backpacking, that means carrying bags, on your back while doing at least some walking between locations. If you’ve never done anything like this before, it might be worth putting in some fitness training before you go. Will your mobile phone work abroad? – Make sure you carry a mobile phone with you which will work in the country or countries you’ll be visiting. If you can do so, it’s also worth downloading useful apps such as route planners and entertainment finders onto your phone as these can be very useful. Getting there - Transport is an expensive overhead for every traveller. If you are going for a long period of time an round the world flight can often be the most effective an economical. If you are travelling for a shorter period of time - then do you research first and try and book your flights in advance. You can get deals on flights to Bangkok as well as other popular backpacking destinations by booking far in advance Hotel, Hostel or Campsite? There are a plethora of different places to lay down your head and rest while you are away, and you might want to think about different option when you’re planning your trip as it will help you determine what you will need to take with you. There are three basic options:
Hotels – Depending on where you go, these can be expensive and will most likely eat into your budget, but you’ll be more likely to have privacy, and generally will get greater facilities offered to you. Again it is quite nice when you are away travelling to a new place to have a nice hotel booked for the first night so you know you have somewhere comfortable to get over yout jetlag.
Hostels – Cheaper than hotels, hostels offer a roof over your head, and sometimes even a range of options from dorm to twin and single occupancy rooms. You generally get somewhere to cook a simple meal, wash a few clothes, and write a letter home, but they’re generally fairly basic and lack the comforts of a hotel.
Campsites – your cheapest option may well be to camp, but this will mean you’ll need to carry your tent with you as well as sleeping mats, and probably cooking facilities too. Whichever option you decide on, if you’re planning on travelling in peak holiday season for that country, think about booking in advance as some places can get fairly heavily booked up. Wherever you go, choose your clothing carefully to suit the climate you’ll be in, choose a good quality waterproof backpack, and invest in a good pair of walking or hiking shoes and break them in before you travel.
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