tips

Here's some of the factors you need to give consideration to when on the road and how to deal with them. This section contains a lot of information and being a large document, is split over two pages into two parts. Click here to see the entire document at once (it's a large page, so only recommended for faster connections).
[Part one] listed in this order, jump to:
getting ill and staying healthy
moving around
sleeping and accommodation
looking after your things/avoiding crime
dealing with beggars and hassle
bargaining
responsible tourism

» Got a fast connection? Click here to see part one and two on the same page (220KB).
...or see [part two] - jump to:
guidebooks
staying in touch
eating and vegetarianism
English language media and books
washing clothes
cultural expectations, culture shock and toilets
buying counterfeit goods
details on drugs and vice, and other tips

Getting ill and staying healthy
Montezuma's revenge, the Delhi belly, worship to the porcelain god... call it what you like, food poisoning is an unfortunate caveat of travel and can strike at anytime and at any place. You will probably be at a mystery as to what has caused it and you just have to wait it out. It's effects are horrible, but it doesn't last long in most cases. There seems to be two types: one that will come on suddenly (often in the middle of the night) and see you throwing up all night, feeling pretty shit the next day and that's it, and the other, much worse, will come on slower and last several days. The difference is probably viral or bacterial poison getting into your stomach. The latter is more serious and could be something much nastier. There are literary dozens of different straits of both and pointless to cover then here, but most encountered (normally bacterial) aren't too serious.
Best advice: don't get paranoid about food poisoning otherwise it can ruin a trip and your experiences of some great food. Just allow time for it and take the rough with the smooth, as it were - there is very little you can do about it once the poison is inside you apart from avoiding dehydration (Gatorade type sports drinks are much easier to drink than water and will replace a little energy/salt) and let it come out of you (in whatever form - NB severe and continual vomiting that is preventing you from keeping water down and/or retching for long periods can be treated by tablets or an injection; either way consult a doctor if symptoms are persisting. Staff in your hotel will normally help you find medical help or bring you water et cetera if on your own). See diarrhoea and dehydration below as it is normally a symptom of food poisoning, for more advice.
Some of the easiest places to get ill are where there are large numbers of tourists and the locals have adapted by offering western type food. Nepal and Ecuador are good examples. You might never have a problem in India, eating Indian food, but suffer in Nepal eating western food. To quote from a book about climbing Mount Everest, the author stated that the hardest challenge with mountaineering in Nepal is not getting sick in Kathmandu! But that doesn't mean that every trip to Nepal, India or the like will see you with the runs or throwing up; a normal healthy experience is quite possible with a bit of common sense and a fair size chunk of luck. It goes without saying that the longer you are away the higher your chances of picking something up becomes.
The ‘boil it, cook it, peel it, or forget it!' adage is well documented. So are all the cold salads, ice cubes in drinks, fruit juices, hand-made ice creams, raw food and buffet warnings. Bacteria and injected water can be inside melons, so it's best to avoid melons. In reality you can never know - personally I've eaten all of the above which are risky, and been fine, but do believe that eating a carnivorous diet you run a much higher chance of getting ill (chicken is often reheated). Just remember, you may go a year and not have a problem or get ill on your first day in somewhere like Crete. It's something of a lottery.
Diarrhoea
Chances are you will probably get some form of diarrhoea at sometime during a long trip. A distinction should be drawn between general 'travellers' diarrhoea, and severe diarrhoea. The former which is more of an annoyance than a major problem, can normally be clocked up to changes in diet, time-zone, irregular eating and general stress. The latter, more severe forms can be totally incapacitating and normally coupled with vomiting and a case of more serious food poisoning. So many things can be responsible for a case of the squits, many point the finger at water, poor hygiene in cooking and general. Quite often it can be the result of getting other people's faeces in your mouth. The dirty culprits are normally cooks not washing their hands after a trip to the toilet, but even if the restaurant cook does not understand basic hygiene you will be safe if your food has been properly cooked and arrives piping hot. Whatever causes it or wherever it came from doesn't really matter - try to let diarrhoea pass through you with plenty of water, a basic diet and maybe try apple sliced very thin then left to turn brown.
The bacteria responsible for diarrhoea and related symptoms normally dies after 36 hours. If it lasts longer than this, chances are you have nothing serious, but something treatable, for instance giardia (indicated by severe flatulence, stomach cramps and sulphurous belching) which is cured by Flagyl (Metronidazole) - see a pharmacist. By taking precautions against travellers' diarrhoea you will also avoid typhoid, cholera, hepatitis, dysentery, worms and a whole load of other rare but thoroughly unappetising diseases. It's only when you have to ask whether farts have nuts, that you know you've joined the backpackers' fraternity!
Dehydration is the reason you feel awful during a bout of diarrhoea. Dehydration (ORT - see below) salts sachets can be taken, but a four-finger scoop of sugar with a three-finger pinch of salt in a glass, with a squeeze of lemon or orange juice will do okay in minor cases (use flat coke with just salt if drinking water is not available). Try to avoid diarrhoea blockers like Imodium (unless you have no access to sanitation) as these are not cures and although they sometimes (in mild cases) can seem to knock it on the head, they often make your screamers last longer. If you're hungry stick to dry biscuits, boiled potatoes or rice.
During illness (diarrhoea/vomiting), dehydration is a risk that cannot be understated and ORT (oral re-hydration therapy) in the form of sachets of salts you add to water are very cheap, widely available even in the remotest of locations and save thousands, of lives every year when serious illnesses (e.g. Cholera) strike in the developing world.
With many travellers expecting diarrhoea, it comes as a surprise that constipation can be common. Drink plenty of water, eat fruit and have some natural laxatives at hand. If need be, massage your own belly with your hands and with your muscles (by flattening and bulging your belly) as this sort of activates your intestines. Drinking coffee or (herbal) tea can also help.
Bottled water is almost always available, unless when trekking or in very remote areas, in which case use Iodine pills or boil (chlorine can be used, but just doesn't cut it when it comes to killing some nasty bugs). Some travellers get sold on bulky water purification systems for their travels. These are on the whole unnecessary apart from a few instances where bottled water prices are quite high (we are still talking less than a dollar). Best advice: leave it in the store and try to seek out places that will re-fill plastic bottles for the savings and that green feeling. With iodine purification remember two things. One, it tastes pretty awful so make sure you have taste removing pills plus if necessary powdered drink like 'Tang' to remove even their taste and two, don't drink Iodine purified water for long periods. Never drink direct from streams, no matter how clear they look. If boiling water, allow longer times at altitude and don't trust someone else to do it properly.
They may not be exotic and you may be somewhere wonderfully tropical, but colds, flu and sore throats can often knock you down, especially in damp climates or after long haul flights.
Mild skin irritations or fungal infections can be dealt with Hydrocortisone/Clotrimazole or similar cream. Insect bites that can be very painful and annoying, including mosquito bites, can also be treated with Hydrocortisone cream (or other travel size remedies) and if very bad anti-histamine pills - just don't scratch. All of the above medications can be found with complete ease whilst away. HIV and other STDs are widespread across less developed nations (especially Africa) to a degree unimaginable in Western countries. The risk involved with having unprotected sex whilst away with anyone apart from a regular partner is prohibitively high. Meningitis is a particularly nasty disease and can kill within hours. The telltale symptom is a blinding headache and high fever. Make sure you are vaccinated (however this will only protect you from common and bacterial forms). Be aware of localised outbreaks and see a doctor immediately.

See Malaria prophylactic and treatment in the before you go section.
The equatorial and Australian sun is vicious and although you can't really avoid some exposure, there is no point in incurring it needlessly. Basically, build up your exposure gradually and cover up in the middle of the day. Be particularly careful when swimming or snorkelling, at altitude, when on open transport or any other actively that prolongs your exposure to midday sun such as hiking. Common-sense really, but getting burnt really isn't fun as most will be able to testify, however a paranoid approach during day to day activities and zero exposure is unnecessary.
Rabies can be carried by any mammal, normally monkeys, dogs or any wild animal behaving in an unusually tame manner (just give them a wide berth). Any suspect bite should be scrubbed under running water for five minutes and flooded with diluted iodine or other disinfectant. A post-bite injection is needed as soon as possible, even if you have paid out and suffered the immunization jabs. The further from the brain the bite is the longer the incubation period (which can be quite long). Do make sure you get an injection within a day or three (unless the bite is to the face) no matter how far from civilisation you are. Once symptoms appear, death from rabies is probably the worst way to go. Tetanus is caught from deep, dirty wounds including animal bites. Make sure wounds are thoroughly cleaned and that you have had the immunisation that gives good protection for ten years. If not, get a booster as quickly as possible.
There are several books dedicated to staying healthy abroad, the majority of which are complete overkill and play on people's fears to sell copies. The health sections in Lonely Planet's titles are on the whole, nothing but recycled crap with no real advice. Some of the best info on travel health can be found in Footprint guides, notably the Footprint South America Handbook.
It's important to be aware that this section is only a quick low-down on common problems: there are thousands of other considerations and as stated before, no doctors have contributed to this site.It's also worth knowing that if you get ill and can't or don't want to see a doctor, that in most developing countries you can buy almost any medicine cheaply, over the counter in numerous pharmacies without a prescription.
Just to put things in proportion, the following guide was taken from 1000 travel tips and was compiled by R. Steffen from the WHO. He has published a nice series on medical problems encountered by travellers going to tropical countries. Here's his list of problem frequencies for travellers staying one month:
Altitude sickness
At high altitude (above 2500m/8000ft) take it easy until you have acclimatised. Altitude sickness often gives you no more than a killer headache, breathlessness and a slow brain feeling above 3000m. It sets on you about half an hour after you have hit a summit and will often give you a sleepless, breathless night. Anyone can get it bad even if they have been at high altitude before, but acute altitude sickness is a lot less likely than stories you hear and read make out. If you do get it, the only cure is to come down from altitude. Coca tea can help, but the side effects of pills (tingling hands) sold in Kathmandu, can for some, be worse than any mild case. The power of the sun at altitude is a danger much more worthy of your concern.
Climbing a volcano in Ecuador or Kilimanjaro, the road to Leh in India, the Karakoram highway, the pass in the middle of the Annapurna circuit or Everest base camp both in Nepal and the altiplano in Bolivia and Tibet are the most common places travellers will get those killer headaches spoken of. Lay off alcohol and drink plenty of water (although it goes straight through you). For more information see The High Altitude Medicine Guide.
Medical problem
Percentage
Any problem
55%
Felt sick
25%
Visited a doctor
8%
Had to stay in bed
6%
Could not go to work afterwards
2%
Diarrhoea
Travellers diarrhoea
30-80%
Severe diarrhoea
6%
Malaria
Malaria in W-Africa while NOT taking prophylaxis
2.4%
Malaria in E-Africa while NOT taking prophylaxis
1.5%
Other places: see footnote*
-
Hepatitis
Hepatitis
-
Hepatitis A: see footnote**
0.3 to 2%
Hepatitis B***
0.085%
As a final note, take a look at the what to pack first aid kit list, but don't go mad - you can always buy medication when travelling (cheaper and more compact) and this is the one thing that gets everyone extra paranoid, so most go over the top when packing.
In addition, never forget that what you eat and drink is crucial: a poor diet lowers your resistance. Ensure you try to eat a balance of protein and carbohydrates as well as getting enough vitamins and minerals. If you're sweating loads make sure you get enough salt (put extra on your food if you want) and drink enough water. Make sure you eat enough, as an unfamiliar diet will probably reduce the amount you eat and get enough sleep and rest. It's easy to get run down in a hot climate - splash out on a nice hotel room if you are sleeping poorly - it's worth it in the long run.
Table Footnotes:
* The incidence of malaria may seem low, but these are average numbers: in some areas the risk may be a lot higher (up to 10% per day).
** The risk of hepatitis A depends on your way of travelling. 2% is for the backpacker, 0.3% is for the Sheraton traveller.
*** The risk of hepatitis B is almost non-existent if you don't get involved in sexual activities or don't get transfusions of blood products or injections with unsterilised needles.


Moving around
Moving around.. that's why they call it travelling. You end up doing a lot of it: sitting on buses, trains and taxis - at best; at worst, night buses, the back of pick-up trucks or below-par boats.
Travelling, it's a great leveller - everyone needs to spend time getting places. It's something you will have to get used to and the fact is, it's not always very comfortable. You'll also probably not be prepared for how far distances are (for example Chile top to bottom is the same as Lagos to London!) and how bad roads can be. Paul Theroux hit the nail on the head when he wrote 'travel is glamorous only in retrospect'.
You really need to look at the country summaries for exact details, since transport and options vary dramatically from country to country. Some countries will have fantastic train systems (India, China) in others, rollerskates would be more useful. Developed countries will normally have good roads, but bus/train prices are generally pretty expensive and hiring/buying a car may be a much better option. The roads and distances in less developed countries, especially crossing mountains or high areas can mean even though buses are cheap, every now and again an air ticket makes sense. And then there are the dreaded night buses, all of which are mentioned below:
» Trains: These can often be slower, colder, more expensive and more impractical than buses. However, in the right places (India, China, Egypt, Tanzania, Zimbabwe and Europe to name a few) they're great. They have the benefit that you can normally get a good night's sleep. Make sure you don't end up for a prolonged period in third class on a Chinese or Indian train, just for the sake of a few Rupees or Yuan - it won't be much fun after the third or fourth hour. Be extra mindful of your things at night, as theft is rampant on popular routes (i.e. Agra to Varanasi) - chain possessions up and keep them near. Also be aware that trains can get very cold at night with AC left on full blast or at high altitudes (many South American trains). (See image - Indian Train)
» Buses: Its buses that you will end up on more than often. You may well feel you are spending most of your trip on a bus. They vary significantly, normally in less developed countries being cheap, mainly efficient (okay, you sometimes get a break-down) and with frequent departures. In more developed countries it's the opposite. In some places like Thailand and Turkey, buses are a joy. Many countries have a cheap state run bus line and private (faster, bit more expensive) options to complement it. You soon get used to picking the right types, times, companies and seats - there is more most travellers could say about those considerations than anything else on this site! It's what they and you will have the most experience of!
» Night Buses: Loved and hated. Basically you get on a bus in the evening and the theory is you wake up refreshed in a new place, saving a day and a night's accommodation. What really happens is you don't get much sleep on the bus, feel shit the next day, save very little on your accommodation, lose a day because you sleep the next and freeze if AC is left on all night or worse still a TV/ loud conversation. Even with all this in mind you will still use them despite being much more unsafe and allowing you to see less than in the day, because distances can be so great and time so precious. Make your own choices (although sometimes there's not much of one). (See image - Chinese sleeper bus, although this type with beds on the bus are not typical outside China.)
» Mini Buses: Many countries have privately owned small mini-buses running certain routes faster, a little bit more expensively and more frequently than big buses. The general norm is the drivers of these buses think they are in a grand prix and there's always room for one more. Despite their lack of comfort (you can always buy two seats) and dangers you may well end up taking these buses, as they are practical and quick for short to medium distance trips.
» Buying, hiring or thumbing a car: In developed countries and especially in New Zealand, Australia, USA, South Africa (Namibia & Botswana) and Western Europe, buying/hiring is a great idea, and will give you rewards never expected. Be sure to shop around. If buying, know what you are buying and make sure you have time to sell it. If hiring read the contract bloody carefully and try to leave your deposit on a credit card that you can cancel, just in case they try to screw you for something like a scratch that has always been there, knowing you have little recourse. In New Zealand and everywhere else for that matter, in the peak season the cheapest rentals go fast - surf the net and book ahead.
Hire car relocations are also something worth considering. They don't give you much time, but if the timings are right they are a very cost effective way of getting around in Oz, NZ and the USA. Hitchhiking is possible in developed countries, especially NZ, Chile, USA, Europe and Israel, but can be a pain in the arse. Hitchhiking in less developed countries is less advisable - aside from the safety risk you will probably be expected to pay for your ride.
Backpacker Buses
In destinations like Australia, New Zealand and South Africa, backpacker hop-on/hop-off type buses run. Do not commit yourself to these at home (even with small discounts offered) - they sound a good idea, but for many aren't and they are not recommended here unless you are travelling alone or have very limited time. These buses are nowhere near as wild as their operators like to make out and can be full of idiots that you have no other choice but to travel with. In essence you are buying into a tour and paying more for something you could do yourself with greater satisfaction. Really these sorts of buses only become a good option in destinations where public transport is very limited/expensive, if you need to be guaranteed social interaction and if getting hold of a car is not an option for you (too expensive, can't drive or share costs with anyone).
The African tour buses that ply between Nairobi and Victoria Falls or Cape Town in East/South Africa are the most contentious issue when it comes to independent travel and backpacker buses. They generally transport twenty or so 15-30 somethings (normally British, Australian or Kiwi) through areas of Africa where public transport is sometimes slim and distances are vast, but most importantly take you through national parks (which can sometimes cost the same price as a tour and be difficult to gain access to if visited independently). Everyone in the bus works as a team and cooks, eats, cleans and sleeps together (in tents). Tours are normally purchased through the South African or British companies that run them. Therefore your money rarely stays in Africa and you give very little back to the countries you're visiting.
Overland buses are a contentious issue. Travel in Africa is something most travellers are concerned about and the tours give you the best (sights wise) of a very large continent in a quick period and their patrons (who are normally lone travellers) generally have had a good time with their peers. So those are the pluses: the converse argument is that these trips can be done independently (Nairobi to Vic Falls/Cape Town is a huge tourist trail and small tours can be taken up in order to get you into game parks), the groups on the buses are sometimes more into drinking beers and playing music on the stereo than being interested in where they are and finally, as touched on earlier, you give very little back to the nations you rapidly traverse. Having never done one of these tours there's no opinion expressed here (although from this site in general you should be able to gauge it). The objective is to present both sides of the argument, heard many times, always defended furiously.
The short of it is: You can do this independently even by yourself as a female and if you have the slightest inclination towards independence, feel you would feel confined travelling with the same group of people or require spontaneity, then think twice before booking something like this.
The fact is that if you have the time, independent travel will be much more rewarding (Africa and travel in general is about people more than anything else) and when travelling independently you will meet loads of other travellers anyway.
It is very common to see these tour buses offering cheap rides from Vic Falls (coming from Nairobi) to Cape Town (to get people on a plane home). This is because they often have lots of empty seats through drop outs on the way, which speaks volumes.

» Shared taxis/jeeps and bush taxis: There are many routes worldwide where onward transport is both harsh and impractical. In these cases taxi drivers or car owners can be approached for a price (they normally offer). This price is going to be high so you really need to split it between three/four. These taxis generally leave from a set point (when full) and although are generally used for short legs where there is no or limited public transport, but the route is fairly standard, (for example from a border town to the border), in many cases they do make longer trips. For longer trips they are perhaps the fastest and most comfortable of all four wheeled transport options if not too crowded. The front seat, if you can bag it - being the most comfortable and sometimes with the added luxury of (stop-press) a seat-belt!
Negotiating a fair price for the trip can be tricky since there is unlikely to be any 'standard' fare (or certainly not one you will know about) and the driver might want money for the return leg. Rates in guidebooks are always out-of-date when published and seasonal variations can have an affect. If you are traveling by this means regularly the best method is to find out how far the destination is so you can work it back to a price per/km for comparison to other trips and make it seem like you are not in any hurry or urgency to leave.
A bush taxi or taxi brousse is a West African phenomenon (particularly French West Africa) and in no way comfortable. Bush taxis are always private, but rarely does the driver own the vehicle, and are effectively a small bus. Almost without exception a bush taxi will leave when full (or when all seats are sold) not by a timetable. Depending on the popularity of the route this can take half an hour or even several days. If you are early you can choose where you sit: late comers have no choice - sitting in the front is the best and worst is the back (the side with no shade is also pretty bad). If a bush/private taxi looks like it is going to get uncomfortably full or take ages to fill, you can buy extra seats at the same price as your one or even charter the whole thing. In some cases you are going to be asked for more money for a big bag. On some occasions when the taxi is taking ages to fill up some passengers will club together to buy remaining seats and get going. If this happens or you personally buy an extra seat, don't expect a discount - time is not money in the third world. Best get a bush taxi early in the morning or on a market day. There are a few different types of bush taxi in West Africa, most a moving form of torture. To find out more see the West African country summaries.
» Flying: It's sometimes the case that internal flights are great value for money, a godsend and commonly overlooked by budget travellers. Certainly in the developed world, flying can be cheaper than the overland option, but more often than not it's a more expensive luxury option, but you save a hell of a lot of time and more importantly sanity, especially when crossing difficult terrain such as mountains or water. Not to mention as so many times is the case, where overland travel just simply isn't possible or physical/visa barriers create major hassle. Many budget travellers think they can't afford flights, but if you are lucky, do your homework and try and book early, costs aren't prohibitive and if you allow for a few in your budget you will feel a lot happier especially if doing a big trip over long distances. Tickets are easy to pick up while away and please remember that flights are always cheapest in their originating country or booked on the budget carriers website.
A quick note... On buses, other public transport and bus stations, especially at night, keep any small bags you have at very close quarters. Neither overhead storage nor under your seat can be guaranteed 100% safe in many places - especially if you are dozing. There's no need to be paranoid, but a strap around your leg or a simple and quick wire-lock will give you peace of mind and possibly save your trip from being seriously tarnished. Liken this to putting a seat belt on. If you have never been in an accident, it seems pretty pointless. However, with hindsight it seems more than sensible even when you don't feel like it or feel the situation fits.
In regions like Latin America and Africa, it is more than good sense. The same goes with walking at night with your bag if it can be at all avoided.
The huge growth in budget airlines, aka. low-cost carriers and technology means many carriers now operate good websites and issue e-tickets. Take a look at the budget airline list in the links section and make a few searches (try Air Asia for example) to see just how easy and cheap flying has now become. It's worth noting that this explosion has happened in Asia and Europe of course with North America (inc. Mexico) not far behind, but South America and Africa are practically miles behind - see regional low-down below. The only warning to offer is that this is no secret and on notoriously painful routes in peak seasons (say Christmas), popular legs like Bombay to Goa get booked pretty solid and prices go through the roof.

Budget Airline low-down
Australia, New Zealand and the Pacific: Prior to 2000 cheap-fare alternatives to Qantas and Ansett had failed, but then came Virgin Blue (www.virginblue.com) and Jetstar (www.jetstar.com), which both have excellent domestic coverage with fares from about 35USD. Virgin Blue also flies to the Pacific Islands (getting to Fiji, Tongo or Samoa, will cost about 400USD return) and Jetstar into Asia – Bali and Bangkok among others. Skywest (www.skywest.com.au) is worth noting for Perth to Broome (skipping the Gibb River Road). Between Australia and New Zealand, Freedom Air (www.freedomair.co.nz) has cheap flights from about 135USD and competition is fierce with Jetconnect (see Qantas NZ site) and Jetstar. Between Oz and NZ routes such as Brisbane to Christchurch and Melbourne to Dunedin make exploring much more effective than the standard Sydney to Auckland route.
South East Asia: The main payers are Tiger Airways (www.tigerairways.com ) which has a great routes and can connect you to the Philippines dirt cheap and Jetstar Asia Airways (www.jetstarasia.comcom), these two are based in Singapore which was home to the regions first budget airline. Across the border AirAsia (www.airasia.com) is very useful for Borneo and getting to islands of Penang and Langkawi; they are expanding fast and offer a Bangkok to Hanoi route for about 50US$ which is incredibly handy - as well as loads of other routes and sometimes (promotional) silly prices. Thailand's Nok Air (www.nokair.com) also has a burgeoning network from Bangkok and Pacific Airlines (www.pacificairlines.com.vn) of Vietnam seems to be making the restructuring steps to be come a low-cost carrier too. Indonesia's Adam Air, doesn't have the best reputation, but Air Asia and Lion Air (www.lionair.co.id) or good alternative and can get you from Jakarta to Bali for (if you get the timing right) about 40US$.

Indian and Sri Lanka: 2003 saw the launch of the first Indian low-cost: Air Deccan (www.flyairdeccan.net) which had great prices, but some bizarre fare rules and since has inspired many imitators. Routes are numerous so best to check the carriers websites or the India section of this site for a better overview. Remember also this is India and what can go wrong (delays, cancellations, etc) probably will. Good carriers include, SpiceJet wwww.spicejet.com), GoAir (www.goair.in), and IndiGo Airlines (www.goindigo.in). With Kingfisher (www.flykingfisher.com) and Jet Airlines (www.jetairways.com) included you have coverage of about 50 domestic destinations and several international including London. Many of these airlines offer passes if you really want to see a lot in short time, but considering distances in India you might find some fares not inline with the average Indian travel budget. Both Sri Lankan Airways and Mihin Air can get you to Sri Lanka.
North America: Southwest Airlines (www.southwest.com) started the whole no-frills budget airline revolution back-in 1971 and was the model that Ryan Air copied which snowballed cheap flights in Europe and around the world. Southwest now have plenty of competition, flying to all parts of the US of A, south of the border to Mexico and into the Caribbean - carriers are too numerous to list here and normally specialise in a particular region or route, but easily revealed by a few web searches. In Canada several low cost carriers have folded, but WestJet (www.westjet.com) serves many cities and the States too. After the sell off of state-owned Mexicana, Mexico got its own budget carrier and many followed suit, the best of which are Aviacsa (www.aviacsa.com) and Aero California (www.aerocalifornia.com) both of which have English language websites. Click Mexicana (www.clickmx.com) is also worth a mention.
South America: Really the low-costs airlines have only taken root in Brazil, but still they have some useful links with some flying internationally to the big hubs across the continent. Gol (www.voegol.com.br) is the most famous and connected. Other options include BRA (www.voebra.com.br) and Ocean Air (www.oceanair.com.br). In both Chile and Argentina you will find several option and elsewhere state and private carriers (if you book right) can be an okay price, but aren't set up for self-booking on the net. In fact self-booking and using the budget airline or state network in South America just isn't as easy or as practical as in Europe or Asia with some site being Spanish or Portuguese only, not accepting foreign cards or just not offer online booking, but things are sure to change.
Africa: As with much in Africa, things are patchy at best with as you might expect, few low-cost set up airlines. In South Africa, Kulula (www.kulula.com) has an expanding network in Southern Africa and Mango (www.flymango.com) is South African Airlines response. Also worth a mention is Precision Air (www.precisionairtz.com) domestic in Tanzania and Fly540 (www.fly540.com) in Kenya - with very few routes at present it seems keen on expanding and hopefully so in a continent where getting from North, South, East, West by air can be stupidly expensive.
Middle East: Air Arabia is the Middle East's first low cost airline and has some great value flights around gulf states and further airfield to India, Sri Lanka and Pakistan, among others. It's based in Sharjah which is a little bit of pricey taxi ride north of Dubai. While hops around the gulf won't be of much interest to most travellers, the potential to use cheap flights from Europe and particular London to Dubai as a stepping-stone to other more interesting destinations might be. On to India is great value and there are some interesting routes into Central Asia, Nepal and Yemen. Another mention is Jazeera Airways (www.jazeeraairways.com), which has flights from Kuwait and Dubai to India, Egypt, etc, with plans for more routes.


Sleeping / accommodation
» Developing countries (guesthouses):
In developing countries.. on the whole it is never really a problem finding a guesthouse (the word hotel is used for the most part in this section) room for the night or other place to stay (read on for info on developed countries and hostels) outside of the odd peak period (e.g. national holidays, traveller peak season in smaller towns). In general, certainly within the developing world, where there is a demand it will be met in some form.
It is however, a good idea to book accommodation for your first night if arriving late in the day or a little low on travel confidence. You can book this room by various means (guide book and an international phone call for example), but if you want to do so on the web, you can using this site, which it is appreciated - see the where to stay page.
Rooms vary dramatically in quality and value. Finding a good room or a good deal is more of an art than a science. The normal approach for most travellers is to go through their guidebooks, scanning for any hidden hints. Let's Go at least lists hotels in preference and Footprint works on readers' recommendations, but other than those, guidebooks leave you in the dark; many good places to stay made famous by guidebooks become crowded, noisy, full of themselves and non flexible on price.
A guidebook (see image) is a great guide when you first arrive, but don't think you have to stay in a hotel listed within it's pages; there are many choices and hey, guidebooks openly state they don't stay in the hotels, yet give recommendations on them! Go figure. It's also nice to give an unlisted little guy a shot at some tourist dollars. The most important factors are cleanliness, quiet, safety and price - you can rank these as you see fit. You get a pretty good feeling from a place just popping in and seeing a room - remember, if you think it has potential, but don't like the room you saw (often the nearest and noisiest) ask to see another. Also in pretty much all cases try to get a little discount especially for multiple nights. If you have the energy, try to look at a few hotels to compare - normally just by saying 'well thanks, but we normally check out a few places' the price will drop.
You can have a lot of success finding the main noisy traveller hotel area, then heading back a few streets to some random hotels that have never been in any guidebooks, and getting some fantastic, very quiet and great priced rooms. Many travellers also have a lot of success with slightly more mid-range hotels (just above the entry level and sometimes aimed at domestic business travellers) and slightly smarter looking places (particularly in low seasons). It takes a little nerve going in, hoping that they do give you a good price - seeing as most of their rooms are sometimes empty - and not the normal price that you probably don't want to pay. On many occasions you find yourself in really nice rooms with cable TV and fluffy white towels, for only a few dollars more (and sometimes no more) than the standard budget option. Although with looking for a slightly nicer rooms in poorer countries you can run into the law of diminishing returns pretty quickly, where paying a lot more gets you little extra after a certain point.
Noise
The biggest problem can often be noise. Traffic, incessant horns and people are often very loud, plus with rooms set up for hot weather, glass and walls are thin. This can be very frustrating if you need to get an early start next morning.
In main backpacking areas, try to avoid crowded hotels/hostels (and (sorry) especially when crowded with young Israelis or other typically raucous groups), rooms that overlook a road or centre court yard where people may be partying until the early hours, TVs and thin walls, and hotels with echoey corridors.
The real bummer is that you normally have no idea your room is next to a mosque, night club, temple or noisy bastard until its time to go to sleep (sure you could look out of the window but you get the drift). Ask the person who shows you the room if it's quiet, so if it's not you can always checkout and find somewhere else with fewer hassles.
» Worth noting.. Noise is a big problem in Asia, not so much elsewhere. More often than not excess noise is caused by motor vehicles (particularly motor-bikes) and their horns. The cheaper the hotel, often means the thinner the walls. It's not always true, but generally noise levels are directly linked to price, with the cheaper places always being the nosiest. TVs in neighbouring rooms may also be set loud to overcome the noise of a fan running.
Touts
Since supply normally outstrips demand in Asia and North Africa especially, you might find yourself besieged by touts, often working on commission. The hassle these guys give you normally makes you wary of them, but they can be useful if you are having problems finding a room. In addition they can get you to some nice out of the way places you would of have never discovered otherwise, with killer prices since they don't have a guidebook listing. Not all touts are working for commission sometimes a guesthouse is owned by a family and a family member is sent out, getting you to a really nice honest, family establishment. And just because you go with a tout doesn't mean you have to stay where they recommend. It also pays to find out how far they are taking you before you march off. To find a really good room you need patience, for sure, but more importantly, a good measure of luck.
You might like to.... If travelling in a pair or a group: leave someone with the bags in a cafe or bus/train station while you quickly scope out all the hotel options. You can move quickly without luggage and perhaps sometimes giving the impression you are moving hotels, not looking for one, and thus getting the best possible deal. Additionally when paying for a room in advance, getting and saving a receipt until check out is good practice as confusion when calculating final bills does happen, particularly with frequently changing staff shifts and lack-lustre admin.
Remember, if you are paying extra for anything in a room like a bathroom, TV or AC, make sure it works when you see the room. Cheaper rooms in developing countries very rarely have sprung mattress (foam is most common) and sometimes have protective plastic covers over them under the sheets. Coupled with noise levels, heat (see below) and the standard, single often hard pillow when using cheaper accommodation, this can take a little getting used to (particularly when coming directly from home) and will generally result in a few restless nights. In hot climates you may also find the lack of a top sheet. Asking the staff normally gets you one, but here's where a sleeping sac comes in pretty useful.
Why is it so darn hot in here?
Heat is the other major factor that in many situations affects you getting a good night's sleep. Expect most days you are away in tropical countries to be pretty hot depending on the time of year. The temperature outside pretty much always drops at night, but in many rooms it doesn't. This is normally because rooms really heat up in the day, especially small ones, and even with a fan on the hot air has nowhere to go. When it's really hot, in some of the ovens that pass as rooms, it is not unknown to wake up on wet sheets (from sweat) during the night, have to drink a litre of water, take a cold shower and even sit outside your room (much cooler). As awful as this sounds there is not much you can do about it apart from paying extra (sometimes a lot more) for a room with AC. You are urged to think long and hard about travelling at the hottest times of year especially in India, Africa and Central America, and especially if on a rock bottom budget which won't allow you the luxury of air conditioning.
The problem with hot rooms normally comes from lack of ventilation and direct sunlight pouring in. Look for rooms that have good ventilation (but where you can still sleep in private and not have too many bugs flying in), that does not have direct sunlight pouring in (at least curtains) and where breeze can easily get in (i.e. top floor, unobstructed). This is all easier said than done. The problem is never normally an issue in developed countries that in many cases even fit AC units into dorm rooms, i.e. America.
A recommended tip is: if really hot or unable to sleep because of the heat, wet a towel with the coolest water you can find, ring it out and cover yourself with it.

» Developed countries (hostels):
In developed countries, noise and heat is rarely a problem, but accommodation is more limited and on the whole not cheap (a budget double room (dorms will of course be cheaper) in a Sydney hostel will cost around US$65, in New York US$85). In Europe and some other places you can find a few little cheap hotels, but for the rest and certainly in big cities, hostels will be a staple. In developed countries (for example: Western Europe, Australia and the USA (New Zealand & South Africa, both less of a problem)), accommodation and finding it is an entirely different ball game compared to the second and third world and if on a budget you will certainly have to make use of hostels at some point which get very crowded during peak seasons.
The number of hostels around the world over the past few years have increased dramatically and they are finding there way into more and more destinations (for example the numbers in the likes of Rio, Singapore and Buenos Aires have increased many fold over the last few years). However, they vary dramatically from excellent (NZ and South Africa) to good, bad and just awful. They are generally at their worst during peak seasons/times when full. During these times (European/US Summer and most weekends), in any big city, it is wise to book ahead or at least check availability online with Hostelworld (see right) or similar.
With accommodation, as in life, you get what you pay for. When a hotel room in, say, Dublin centre runs at €95 and a hostel bed goes for €10-20 in the same location you do have to take things with a pinch of salt, generally sharing a room with others, dealing with noise and crowded bathrooms. But please remove any ideas from your head that hostels have to be 20 bunk beds full of snorers in a small room with lights off at eleven-thirty! Hostels simply vary too much to generalise.
For the most comfortable, private and best value nights, book and stay in slightly more expensive rooms (with less beds and sometimes on-suite) as these normally are the least popular and the have lowest occupancies. In addition try to time any visit to a big city, particularly within Western Europe during mid-week when hostels are half full and not during major sporting or other events. Also if it's near the top of the guidebook list it's going to be packed. Look out for newly opened hostels and read reviews from others who have stayed in these places (there are many sites with hostel reviews).
What's important to make clear that although there are loads of terrible hostels (normally in Western Europe and the USA big cities) there are tonnes of great ones out there, and quite a few absolutely brilliant ones. In addition, staying in a hostel is not limited by age and doesn't necessarily mean that you have to stay in dorms. Double or twin rooms are normally only a little more than two dorm beds, but do generally need booking a day or more in advance.
Booking hostels and budget accommodation in advance
As outlined, in some cases and periods it not only makes sense to book in advance in order to get a good room, but is total necessary for peace of mind. If you do a search on Google for say 'cheap accommodation in' 'Paris', 'New York' or 'Sydney' you will find thousands of results mostly from resellers working on commission. Hostelworld and HostelBooker are two such companies and the most established with the largest networks running search engines and booking facility for around eight and a half thousand places in 150 odd countries, but it should be noted are not complete listings with big gaps in places.
You can view all listed available budget accommodation in a destination, view available dates and see customer ratings. Booking is simple online and your room is guaranteed. The sting is for Hostelworld you pay a USD$2 booking charge per transaction, but that's not too bad if it saves you an international call and guarantees you a room for your first night or during a busy period; for Hostelbooker you pay no booking charge. Generally you are also expected to pay a 10% deposit which is taken off your bill when you arrive. Rates quoted are the same as walk-in rates. As an example you can view Hostelworlds FAQ page here if you wish.
Bookings can be made directly though either company's homepage, but are better made through this site. Certainly so if you have found this site a useful resource and want to assist its continuation by helping with hosting/bandwidth charges, then please do book through this site on the 'Resources' page or bookmark hostels.travelindependent.info - any repeat use is appreciated. To be up front, a few percent of your accommodation charge will be gained in commission rather than going to the hostel - you incur no extra charge: it's a big thank you for using the site.
Remember when arriving very late in a new city, your first night or during a festival these services are fantastic, but are not generally necessary for day-to-day travel and certainly not in the developing world.
In Europe primarily, University accommodation converts to hostels accommodation during summer months - these are a good bet for a room, but you won't find them in any internet searches or guidebooks. In NZ (and others, such as the excellent Southern African Coast to Coast) there are fantastic hostel guides with ratings compiled from yearly surveys, distances from town centres and facilities. These are free to pick up and mean you never need to use your guidebook. The BBH in New Zealand is the best and really shows up guidebook listings.
A YHA card can get you some discount, but you won't use it that often; the same goes for Hosteling International - but both are good networks. VIP is another similar network mainly in Australia/NZ, where you pay upfront for a discount card. Some find great value, others dislike the style of hostel and don't use the card enough to recover the initial cost. Lastly be wary of hostels that have lock-outs from say 1000-1600 when everyone has to get out for cleaning. These are common in some of Europe and especially in Japan - the bathroom goes mad at 0930!

» Other options:
In a few countries/places, private homes are an option or sometimes the main choice. These are often fine, but make sure you know how far from the town centre they are. Camping is always an option, but not highly recommended, unless in a relatively non-touristy developed country with your own transport. Getting to camping grounds is a pain without a car and camping in a hostel grounds, say in NZ or South Africa will cost about the same as a dorm bed. The same is true for European camp sites that many offer dorms or fixed private huts at equivalent to camping rates. If you do have your own transport, getting to camping grounds and staying in these fixed huts or caravans can be a cheap way to get a double room in developed countries and a good option if hostels are full - you just don't get the social scene. Sleeping in your van in hostel car parks in Oz and NZ is also an option.
» E-mailed comment: The best places you sleep in, could never be mentioned or imagined at home, they are the situations that make your trip. Bivouacking in the Australian bush or on the side of a mountain, on the beach in Turkey or in a beach hut in Thailand or Goa. On desert sand dunes in India or North Africa or in the middle of the jungle with mosquitoes buzzing in your ear or even on the top of Mount Sinai - the list goes on. As uncomfortable as they are at the time, you have paid good money for the opportunity and know at heart they are pretty neat; at least not to be forgotten.
If really off the beaten track (say in parts of Indonesia) the mayor or village chief of small out-of-the-way places may be able to help you find a place to stay when there is no hotel. However, on the whole the vast, vast majority of backpackers never encounter such a situation.


Looking after your things - avoiding crime
Crime is one of the most difficult things to write about in context in this guide. Dwelling on the subject must inevitably fuel paranoia in first-time travellers, yet glossing over it can only place inexperienced travellers at greater risk of being robbed. Simplistically, you need to recognise three things. The first is that Asian and Africa (and to a lesser extent Latin American) society is inherently far more law-abiding than our own (to the extent that criminals are stoned in some countries). The second is that thieves will be present on your trip, as they are everywhere, and they often target westerners, who are not only reliably wealthy relative to locals, but who also are very easy to spot. And thirdly, a little bit of paranoia never hurt anyone - take care and you will have a great trip. Ignore this advice and you might end up with nothing and your trip in ruins - I've seen it happen at close quarters too many times.
A degree of discrimination and caution is appropriate when you travel, but only a degree. Bear in mind that people with a criminal intent make up a tiny fraction of less than 1% of the population, so that an attitude of indiscriminate paranoia, wherever you are, can only divert your attention away from genuinely suspicious characters. Experience suggests that the vast majority of crimes against tourists occur in one of a few specific places and/or reasonably predictable circumstances. Imagine those that will cause you trouble (minor or major) are like four leaf clovers. We all know they exist, but very few have actually come across one. Nevertheless the longer you spend in the grass the higher your chances become of finding one.

» Securing your money:
As commonly stated when they cannot be stored safely elsewhere (such as you are on a bus with your main bag), keep all your important documents and most of your money, in a money-belt or similar that can be worn beneath your clothing in a manner that makes it invisible to casual observers. Some travellers seem to carry all their money and documents with them at all times (not just when on the move). Normally in a money belt sometimes not even under their clothing - this is always good for a laugh. Not only did they not splash out on reasonable clothing with secure pockets or make any effort to secure pockets/money, but keeping your money belt on the outside of your clothing is like displaying your family jewels on your front door step. Under or over clothing, it's uncomfortable in hot weather and it will almost certainly be removed if you are actually mugged. Do however keep your money belt on or at close hand when travelling on a bus/train and separated from your main bag unless it is at very close hand and 100% secure.
You should avoid disclosing the presence of this belt in public, so keep spending money in a pocket or elsewhere (better to lose a few bucks once in a while that everything along with your passport). It is also advisable to keep a reasonable amount of currency well hidden in your luggage (US$/€100 bill) as something to fall back on. One of the best places to carry money is in the top pocket of a shirt (some put a handkerchief or tissue on top of it as an extra measure). Or inside a pocket (zipped) that's inside a pocket, or in a pouch/purse/wallet attached to your clothing. Don't carry your money around in a big wallet: take out just what you need for the day and maybe your student and ATM/credit card (don't carry these around unnecessarily). A big paper clip works well as a money clip and is a good way to deal with the large amounts of notes you end up with. See comment for some more advice and testament that there are loads of variations in keeping your money safe - it's what works for you.
Very few of the tens of thefts you'll hear about first or second hand will have happened from a locked bag in a locked room.
Your things will be fine locked and hidden in your bag in your hotel room or even better in your hotel safe box, if available and you can be bothered to put your things in them every time you change hotels.
If you are really sensible... always keep a spare stash in your back/watch pocket or other zipped up and/or secure place. You should also keep in there: a photocopy of your passport and your insurance emergency phone number; plus (if you don't have them stored on-line) the stolen hotline number for your ATM/credit cards and a note of any other important info.
Always keep a record of what funds you have stashed, so if anything does go missing you'll know instantly. Personally I'd would leave my money belt almost anywhere in preference to walking with it through downtown Johannesburg, Cusco, Delhi, Bogotá, San Jose or Nairobi (to name a few) after dark.
Another important measure to take is to lock your bag up when not in the room with it or when someone else is in the room. If necessary (i.e. when windows don't lock or in a dodgy place) lock/chain it to something. In addition, make sure your real valuables are well hidden. A little cash, old passport/old credit card can be used as a decoy. Normally you should have far greater reservations regarding the security of serviced mid-range hotels than the flimsiest of security at rural family run establishments. It's a good idea to bring your own padlock, preferably a combination lock, to put on the door if possible (but then again if you don't trust the place that much, why are you staying there?). When out and about and travelling (i.e. on a bus), always know where your bag is and if you can keep an eye on it, making sure it is stored securely or locked to something if in doubt. Your passport/money should be on your person. This is very important with a small bag and on overnight trains where theft is rampant.
The best place to keep any jewellery or the likes of anything with high financial or sentimental value is at home.


» Violent crime, mugging and armed theft:
This is relatively rare and only really occurs in Latin America and Africa and then normally at night in large cities. If you are going to get robbed/attacked then there's little you can do about it and you are very unlucky, but that's why we have insurance. There are plenty of fools about and you hear only a few stories of something bad happening to someone without them doing something a little stupid or naive, like walking around randomly at night or being drunk. That said you can go a long way to avoid being mugged by applying the same sort of judgment you might in any large city. Don't flaunt your wealth - this means don't wear any jewellery and avoid tourist trappings such as a daypack, camera bag and external money-belt. Use a taxi to get around obvious trouble spots and at night. If you do walk at night (especially when alone) avoid unlit roads, parks and quiet alleys.
It's pretty sensible you take a taxi to your hotel when you first arrive in any developing world city - wearing a large backpack is like saying 'hey, I have got loads of valuables on me: rob me' and in somewhere like Nairobi or Delhi it's likely somebody might take up the challenge. And it is really asking for trouble if you arrive in a big city after dark, particularly one where the budget accommodation is dispersed and go walkabouts in search of a room. Likewise if you decide to go off trekking anywhere (particularly in Latin America) find out at length whether there is any risk in the area you are planning to walk and think carefully about what you take. This is cited in particular reference to Guatemala where hikers even in large groups are frequently robbed walking around Lago Atitlán and climbing volcanoes without guides. It always makes sense to ask. Remember criminal activity is normally always focused around tourist hot spots. One would imagine in the northern hills of Guatemala you could leave a tent for weeks without anyone even touching it.

As recommended in virtually every guidebook, when in major cities such as Cape Town or Rio, ditch as much luggage as possible (how about all?), especially day sacs. This advice applies only really to sub-Sahara Africa and a few areas of South America where daylight muggings do occur: Leave as much as possible at your hotel/hostel or better still at home. Don't wear any jewellery and certainly not a nice watch. All you need is enough money for that day - nothing else, especially not your ATM card. Don't walk around at leisure with your pack even in the day or in supposedly safe areas - a taxi or bus is well worth it.
Just to reinforce the point this sort of lawlessness is pretty much restricted only to certain parts of Africa and less so South America so don't get overly concerned - it is obvious bad stories are over weighted as they are the ones that get told the most.

» On public transport:
Generally speaking when your bag is on a bus, stored in the hold or even on the roof, it is pretty safe but keeping it close is always nice, particularly if you are sleeping. Do keep an eye out for theft out of windows, chiefly on trains.
Sometimes you hear about a backpacker being drugged on public transport to awaken without his valuables. This is not a big problem or something you should really be concerned about but, especially if you are alone, be aware of accepting food, drink or cigarettes from over friendly strangers. The reality is this is a particularly hard problem to prevent if you are targeted and can lead to over paranoia. It's only principally important to be on real guard in Colombia and to a lesser extent Thailand, Cuba and the Kenyan coast. However, it may be the case that any small bag you take onto a bus or into a bus station is a prime target.
The following is written above in the 'moving around' section, but is important enough to repeat here: on buses and other transport, especially at night, keep any small bags you have at very close quarters. Neither overhead racks nor under your seat can be 100% guaranteed safe especially if you are dozing.
If your bag does not have your full attention a strap around your leg or a simple and quick wire-lock will give you peace of mind and possibly save your trip from being seriously tarnished. Liken this to putting a seat belt on. If you have never been in an accident, it seems pretty pointless. Nonetheless, with hindsight it seems more than sensible even when you don't feel like it or feel the situation fits. In regions like Latin America and Africa it is more than good sense. The same goes (as stated above) with walking at night with your bag - avoid it if at all possible.
Always remember a daypack (and especially a handbag) is a prime target almost everywhere; e-mailed comment: 'Particularly within Southeast Asia, there has been a spate of 'drive-by' bag snatching when daypacks are put in the basket of a bicycle or motorcycle. The best thing to do is to wear the pack on your back or not to carry one around unnecessarily'.
» Confidence tricks:
Confidence tricks are perhaps the biggest annoyance and danger to any traveller to a less developed country. These type of tricks which, it has to be said, are a mainly urban phenomenon, range from the downright predictable and harmless 'Do you remember me?', 'I am going to university in your home town' or 'Would you like to have a drink with my family' (turns out you are visiting the family's shop or get a US$10 bill for a cup of tea). These sorts of lines you get wise to very quickly. If you fall for them - which is not that difficult - lose you only a few dollars and gain you a ton of experience. The other side is far more sinister, often involving bogus policemen and sometimes drugs.
If you are unsure or in 'one of those areas', the sensible approach is to ignore anybody who approaches you in the street on the assumption that they are after something. If you have a companion, simply start up a conversation with the other completely blocking the stranger out or if alone cross over the street. It is advisable to avoid, in many cases, getting into conversations as the longer you spend talking the harder these characters are to shake off. If you do see the situation becoming serious, i.e. the stranger has lit a joint and now the 'police' are here, simply keep your head, make your presence known and be clear that you will make no concessions, not even answering questions, certainly not handing anything over or going anywhere (apart from the police station by you own means).
These sorts of tricks work on fear and bullying; keep your head and don't let it happen to you (although it is unlikely it will). Even with seemingly nice guys, whenever money is involved (advance payments or whatever) it's best to be extra careful.
Really the best advice when it comes to money is trust no-one. Don't leaving it lying around in sight or display it unduly. Be wary of paying in advance when there are no business premises or guarantees and finally be as clear as you can on agreements of prices for goods or services when you are paying after the event (i.e. taxi ride).
» Pick pocketing and casual theft:
Most casual thieves and pickpockets operate in busy markets and bus/train stations, so keep a close watch on your possessions in such places. Bus stations in Latin America see a fair few bags go missing from those who idly watch them or are easily distracted (it doesn't take much to lock or clip a bag to a fixed object). When catching a bus, having a (as in only one) compact bag makes life much easier. Simply aim to get out of bus stations quickly, pay attention during any crush getting on and off town buses and follow the advice given above regarding how to carry your money. Quite frankly there is no reason to carry around anything near to a large sum of money or important documents in your pockets. If you have been to the ATM or bank, drop it off or secure it first. If you don't, you only have yourself to blame.
The raise of portable electronic devices such as mobile phones, digital cameras or MP3 players which almost all travellers seem to take away with them has resulted in an equally matched rise in the number of these items disappearing. Whereas the vast, vast majority of the world has in general low levels of violent crime and a low threat of terrorism or other dangerous activities, petty theft, however, is becoming increasingly common, and travellers should take precautions, especially with mobile phones, digital cameras, and other small electronics which are easily “misplaced.”

If all this section makes you think twice about your trip... don't worry -
'Just like there are two different types of people, there are two different types of days travelling: M and F. Well F stands for fine, now most people think M stands for miserable - wrong, memorable. Many travellers like to remind themselves that a bad day travelling is better than a good day at work'.
On the once excellent (now over commercial) Lonely Planet website there is a section called postcards, which mainly consists of notes written by those who have been unlucky enough to fall victim to crime to warn others of it. On the whole this is completely unrepresentative and tends to make you quite nervous, but is always worth a read as it's a good reference of the latest scams and will make sure you keep your guard up with a measure of paranoia in the best possible way. Remember, better a little paranoid than naive and the victim of crime.
Remember most incidence of theft abroad are of the 'sticky finger' variety, compared to something more sinister: make sure bags and side pockets are locked at all times and anything you carry on your person is also secure. There isn't a city in the world, be it Zürich or Nairobi where at the wrong place and wrong time, given an easy opportunity you'll end up with something pinched.



Dealing with hassle and beggars
In many destinations worldwide, dealing with the day to day hassle of touts, sellers and the constant need to bargain is just something you will have to get used to, especially in North Africa and the Asian Sub-Continent. Beggars are a more universal problem: hell, there are quite a few even in the richest countries. Nevertheless, beggars differ quite substantially in the less developed world. With a large proportion of its population living in poverty, even those with homes and jobs, those who do beg can be considered in dire straits: they are often women, children and the ill or disabled. Your heart strings are easily tugged by child beggars and the very poor or misfortunate: landmine victims, those with multiple sclerosis or polio, victims of earthquakes or other recent disasters. Those are just a few examples - the point is guilt can over ride you. You live in comfort and have everything, compared to their nothing. But such feelings of benevolence cannot be sustained, such is the volume of human misery around the world and you soon, in many cases, become impervious to it. Those who set off on a third world trip with notions of philanthropy will soon be overwhelmed and cut short.
Your compassion is tested when your trip is compromised by sometimes constant hassle, even when you are eating in restaurants, and when you consider that begging can be big business. In India for example, parents have been known to inflict a physical disability on children to insure begging income. Children are often begging because they have been sent out to do so, often in gangs and some beggars directly target tourists. Reiterating what you'll find below under responsible tourism: do not give to beggars that are specifically targeting tourists and especially not to children (not pens, sweets or anything) something most travellers flaunt. Of course compassion is required, but it can more effectively delivered through some of the ethical considerations below and also by giving in small quantities where locals give (make a point of giving if you have not been asked) and/or to schools plus recognised charities. In the long run however you can (and probably will) just get very worn down by beggars - read on how to deal with hassle.
Hassle, in the way of pugnacious touts, salesmen, rickshaw drivers and beggars in most less developed countries, starts the moment you step off the plane and only stops when you go to sleep or step back on the plane. It is at its worst where there are high concentrations of tourists, in the Asian Sub-Continent (worst: Northern tourist circuit India) and North Africa (worst: parts of Egypt and Morocco).
The most unpleasant thing about hassle is that it makes you jaded to locals and compromises your appreciation of some beautiful places/people. Try enjoying a walk down the Nile in Luxor at sunset or a appreciating the spenders of Agra/Delhi in India, the latter being places where all travellers seems to be permanently on edge! Some of the worst places in the world are the tourist hotspots of Egypt, Morocco, India (particularity the state of Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan) and Indonesia (notably Kuta beach in Bali). However it is worth noting that the following text and advice does really relate to these kind of hotspots and is not reflective of the vast majority of the world including the Americas where hassle is limited.
Humour goes a long way and keeps you and everyone in a good mood. Street seller approach you selling an item that even they, for sure, know you won't want. A guy offers a huge bar of laundry soap - smile and say 'no thanks, no water'! Rickshaw driver insists you visit a shop, let him know you are desperate for the toilet and if you don't get to your destination fast you'll soil his vehicle! Taxi driver repeatedly offers his services, tell him you'll on trip to walk across the country (in India saying you're on a Salt March is a good one). You get the picture. One suggestion is to ask 'is it free?' in the local/native language, which works as treat. After this for the more persistent breed who may still be bothering you, be firm, make eye contact and let them know your answer and then ignore (if you keep saying no, looking or or didn't make it clear first it sends the message you are not sure).
Simply ignoring is often the best policy as it can be difficult to respond to everyone particular when you are greeted which volley of hassle you might find around major monuments. Just keep taking to a companion and/or walking. Often responding in anyway can and does encourage hassle, likewise asking for a price of an item you are not serious about buying will give you increased hassle - you'll often see touts/salesmen/beggars following tourists for great lengths of time, because they smell a commission/sale/donation in their actions. It's not pleasant being followed, but it's one of many physiological tactics you'll find employed, all of which bully you to giving in to what in real terms isn't a huge amount, but quite simply the golden rule is don't get bullied. If a driver or other asks for a tip or a greater than agree price for his service and you feel he doesn't deserve it - don't give it. If someone offers to help you out of kindness and then asks for payment or someone takes payment and keeps standing with his hand out looking disrespecting at the agree amount you gave, don't fold - chances are it will only be over a small amount, but by giving in you increase hassle for the next traveller and that small amount would be better given to a needy beggar who isn't targeting tourists. Don't be made to feel bad about it, if you are clear at the onset you are not in the wrong.
The same goes for operators (be them hotel or tour) and especially rickshaw drivers who hack up a price or maintain they misunderstood your agreement. Again be firm and don't get bullied. If necessary leave the agreed money on the rickshaw seat (they often will not take it by hand) and just walk off. You soon learn to be firm and very clear in agreeing prices/services. Make sure you are understood and do not give into any, 'yes, yes' or 'as you like' agreements or acknowledgements. In places like India, with the right (smiley, not ultra-serious) attitude and use of eye contact, you will get a lot less hassle after a few weeks.
Equally drivers, salesmen and strangers will often bombard you with question like 'where are you staying?', 'have you visited this or that?', 'where are you from?', or anything that gets you saying yes. On the whole once they get talking, on friendly terms and have enough information, services offered are much harder to turn down. Once again it's just another tactic and as always there is rarely a need to be rude, but if you don't want something say no and if at the first question motives are clear, don't enter into the conversation. A variance of this and probably the most jading and invidious instances are when you meet a nice guy who after taking the time to talk to you and often helping you, turns out to have alternative motives and is selling something (see confidence tricks in the above section).
To summarise, you will soon develop your own techniques - be firm, polite and accompany your firm 'no thank you' (in the local dialect if you can) with a smile. After that don't make eye contact, don't keep repeatedly saying 'no' or get angry. With salesmen, if you show any more interest this is when touts are particularly determined and most frustrating.
On some occasions beggars, especially children, will make body contact, tugging on your clothing. In this case remove their hand and looking them directly in the eye, make your 'no' clear. When a beggar or salesman sees you have no interest, they soon move on to their next target. Remember constantly turning around to say no over and over again shows you are obviously not sure and worthy of further hassle.

Comment:
'I think something you should add to your section on begging is that if any backpacker is really feeling like doling out some cash, he/she should give it to someone who deserves it. In many countries around the heavily touristed areas people beg because by doing so, they know they can make much more than a hardworking local will on a daily basis (and are often resented by the locals in such cases). If feeling generous, one should give a couple of extra bucks to the woman that works nine or ten hour days at your guesthouse scrubbing your floors.' - Brian Hnatiak


Bargaining
Constant bargaining is something else you will probably have to deal with and it really is (in 8/10 cases, but which ones?) a they win, you lose situation, as the smart seller's way is normally to massively inflate the price for ignorant tourists. The actual price can be up to ten times less than the starting price and it is when you hear these quotations and know the correct/fair price and have to spend so much time and effort to achieve something close to it, is when you get so frustrated. If so count to ten and move onto the next vendor and make it clear why you are doing so. This almost always happens in locations that have a large tourist footfall. Many traders are honest and getting a little ripped-off is just a fact of travelling - after all, you can afford it, so don't get too enthusiastic or disillusioned.
This subject still needs more explanation as it's often misrepresented in guide books and by other travellers, who sometimes assert that every price is negotiable. This is a half truth, almost always applicable to souvenir sellers, taxi, rickshaw etc. drivers and a few others that become clear when on the road, but not always in other situations depending in large measure on the nature of the country you are in.
Prices are always going to be higher in a sellers market than a buyers one, so if you need something like a long distance ride in a taxi or a souvenir where there is much competition don't get too enthusiastic and waiting to be approached rather than approaching works wonders. Equally the western mentality of asking a price and retreating if not interested can be considered as an insult. Bottom line is if you don't have serious intentions of buying - don't ask the price and certainly don't start negotiating, doing so will only invite hassle.
It goes without saying that the problem facing the traveller going from town to town and country to country is knowing when they are being asked a fair price, and thus hitting the right balance between politely paying up and aggressive posturing to establish if they are being ripped off. To complicate the matter further is the notion of a fixed price, as locals will bargain as well. The best approach is to visit a few stalls and get a feel for a price (walking away will always lower a very high price) and if a stall owner is reluctant to negotiate, you can assume you have a fair price. Likewise quotations that start with the word 'around' or 'something like' are certainly far off realistic.
Conversely, if buying a 'daily item' like a bottle of water, ice cream, bus farSe or similar, and you find yourself in a bargaining situation, where maybe the seller has dropped the price after your hesitation, don't bargain. These are not items anyone bargains for and you are simply being ripped-off. In the event tell the vender to get knotted and walk to another seller. However let's keep things in perspective, in experience it is only in areas with a high tourist volume that absurd prices are asked and everyone seems keen to add their own 'little commission'.
As stated, tourist souvenir sellers (especially African curio sellers and mass tourism areas of Asia) in particular always ask an inflated price. These are often so whimsical that you can't really have a rule of thumb. But even when buying curio (African wooden carvings) and similar, you can bargain too far. Have watched a couple off an overland truck in Malawi buy a carving which the seller wanted the equivalent of US$10 for. It was a nice piece and probably took about two to three days to make. Generally the going price for an item like this would be US$7 which the seller soon dropped to. However the couple then spent the next 15 minutes getting him down to US$5. Another example that was e-mailed, was in Sumatra, where one of a tourist group hassled a stall keeper to a point where she sold an item for a 5 cent profit. This sort of behaviour is disgraceful and goes on all the time (see the 'value of your money' write up in the following section). Rather than giving to beggars, consider being a little generous when dealing with individual souvenir and fruit sellers (not large stalls).

One argument often heard is that travellers have an ethical duty to bargain prices as low as possible, otherwise they risk triggering inflation that will eventually put goods out of the reach of locals.
If you think hard about this, apart from a few extreme cases, you'll only see this sort of statement to be obnoxiously self-serving.
Overcharging on transport, private or otherwise, is common place in many countries and there is little you can do about it except be philosophical. Nobody likes being ripped off but if that's the price, you have to pay it and if it is a little inflated then why should a few dollars extra ruin your day/trip? That said, always arrange a price before you get into a taxi or any other mode of transport: ask a local if unsure. Some drivers are very good with 'as you like' or 'cheap' type sayings, mimicking bad English. Be firm - don't get bullied. If there is no meter, agree a fair price before you set off.

Responsible tourism
Travel to the furthest corners of the globe is now commonplace. The mass movement of people for leisure and indeed business is a major source of foreign exchange and economic development in many parts of the world. The benefits of travel are self-evident for both host and travellers. However, there is a big downside, with tourism far from being the smokeless industry it is self-promoted as. Impacts can seem remote, like the pollution caused by your air travel, but individual choices and awareness can make a difference and collectively, travellers can effectively shape a more responsible and sustainable industry. The following considerations are solely a few ideas, but should always be borne in mind:
Avoid giving to beggars who you can see are specifically targeting tourists. It creates more hassle for future tourists and a non-sustainable dependence. See dealing with hassle and beggars above.
Spend money on locally produced (rather than imported) goods and use common sense when bargaining - your few bucks saved may be a day's income or more .
Learn about local etiquette and culture (the 'culture shock' series is very good if this is something you want to do in-depth, otherwise the front/back of your guidebook and a few questions is normally sufficient). Consider local norms and behaviour, especially dress appropriately (the biggest sinners are normally Americans, Australians and (the norm) Israelis) for local cultures and situations.
Use water and electricity carefully - travellers may receive preferential supply while locals are overlooked.
Don't buy souvenirs or goods made from wildlife, no matter how cool, unless they are clearly sustainable. The same goes with removing antiquities, whether bought or nabbed by you, from the country. Besides being unethical, the above can land you in trouble on the border.
By getting involved in illegal activities such as purchasing drugs or prostitution, you are supporting an industry that ends in misery for suppliers (and sometimes buyers). A good example is the quest to rid poppy crops from the Golden Triangle or the Filipino sex trade.
Always ask before taking a noticeable photograph or video of people.
Always consider staying in local accommodation rather than foreign-owned hotels, and give less popular guesthouses without a guidebook listing a chance.
If you are a smoker, please take your butts with you when you leave a beautiful place - they leak out toxic chemicals into the environment. An empty film canister fits into a pocket easily and is great for carrying butts.
Gifts for children:
You should have very little time or love for those travellers who carry around sweets or trinkets which they then hand out indiscriminately to children. The motivation for this sort of thing is entirely selfish, in that it makes the giver feel good about him or herself, not to mention, there is something nauseatingly paternalistic about dewy-eyed tourist adopting a beatific smile at the sight of 'adorable' children scrambling in the dirt for small change or whatever.
A last concern (admittedly a selfish one) is whether we really want to encourage children to beg from the next traveller who passes through. There are towns and villages all over the world where even right now children will ask travellers for money or sweets ('bon-bon' is a favourite) or a pen (another favourite implying education - the child is just more sussed than one asking for a shilling, a rupee or a dollar) perhaps a hundred times and hour. Then there are other places where children are genuinely friendly and never ask you for a thing and all it will take is only one naive tourist and a big bag of sweets to transform the latter into the former.
The value of your money:
Above all else, never forget the value of your money, how lucky you are to have it and what it means to others. Lets take Africa: from a United Nations statistic more than half of African countries have an average annual per capita income of US$600. This is the same in many parts of Asia and Latin America. So your shoestring budget of $20 per day is more than many earn in a week; your week's budget could be up to a year's worth of secondary education and it goes on.
The deal is, we all get into haggling, want to keep the price of our trip down and hate foreigner pricing, but a fruit vendor's profits for a day could be as low as $1 and he needs to get the bus home! You'll read posts on the net by travellers writing about their stay in $50 a night foreign owned hotels in places like Myanmar and then in the next line go off on one about the taxi to the airport being $1, but the driver asking them for $2 and how you have to stand firm. Be realistic talk to locals and develop your own understanding.
We are like many others, quite particular about this issue and consider all the effort put into this site worthy if only to put this point across and get future travellers on board and making their feelings known out on the road. This practice of handing out gifts is presumably a response to the guilt instilled by the visible gulf in wealth that separates most Westerners from Africans, Latin Americans and Asians. It is a perfectly understandable response, but don't think it is in anyway the right one. Consider why this gulf exists, and you will recognise that the most constructive role tourism can play in a depressed economy is not random handouts but to encourage legitimate and sustainable local business.
Considering that a high proportion of money earned by package tours stays in the hands of foreign investors, independent (all be it budget) travellers have a particularly high level of control over where their money goes. Collectively backpackers, even just the visitors to this site, can make a difference by not salving their consciences with a few ultimately meaningless donations to beggars or children, but by thinking about how and where they spend their money and whenever possible lending their support to locally owned businesses and community projects.
You are not expected to be a saint, but the above is of particular importance for backpackers as they often get to far more remote destinations than the average tourist. You may well find on your travels some wonderfully isolated places and think - this is not a place for tourists/backpackers. Conversely, you will almost certainly go to some remote places, completely changed by the number of visitors - the hill tribes of Thailand, for example.
E-mailed comment: On my first trips to undeveloped countries I found it quite hard to deal with begging children, especially if you even happen to see their parents (or any grown-ups in "charge") pressurizing them to hassle (white) travellers in order get money out of them (see, for example, Angkor Wat, where you can hardly walk a few meters without this happening). I personally can't support this and don't give the kids any money but it is in fact breaking my heart. Everyone needs to find their own way of dealing with it but if you like children, even only in the slightest, I found the best way to deal with it is to actually chat with the kids, talk to them and play with them - most of them don't get this kind of attention very often and they really do appreciate it. Especially in Cambodia, the kids love practicing their English and it even happened to me that the children who wanted to sell us yet another bracelet at some beach near Sihanoukville in the end gave us their stash of bracelets for watch while they had a dip in the sea. Of course that's only useful if you like children but it'd be a pity if people only walked around regarding them as a dirty trouble while they are often made to begging or hassling, or do it because they have no other choice. - Laura (UK/Germany)

before you go

Here's what you need to give consideration to before you go backpacking and suggestions of how to deal with it - listed in this order:

insurance and buying a ticket (RTW or regular)
immunizations and malaria prophylaxis
daily travel costs and how to take funds
visas and general safety
travelling alone and guidebooks in the planning stage
travel photography and general destination planning advice
volunteering and 'Voluntourism'

Travel Insurance
It goes without saying that you'll need insurance, but it's not something you should be sorting at the last minute as policies vary significantly and you need to spend a while reading all the small print. There are hundreds of travel insurance companies. Just Google the words and you'll find thousands of results. However, not all are equal in price nor policy. For example, check if cash and indeed any of your valuables are covered - which they are often not on cheap policies - and how much the excess is that you may need to pay. Cheaper policies are fine for the important health aspect, but don't expect to have your $500 camera, a dive or any previous medical condition covered. Conversely even on more expensive policies, don't expect your $2000 camera to be covered unless you have made special measures for it. If you are interested the key features you should be looking for in a policy, they are listed in a separate insurance page for one recommended company here, but all the following examples provide an excellent level of cover.
One recommended and well-known insurance company is Columbus, but new companies are always coming onto the scene (e.g. Globe Link) and the market is very competitive. One such newer start-up that comes well recommended from several e-mailed comments and personal experience is World Nomads. They claim to be set up with backpackers in mind. You can do things like extend policies indefinitely and/or make claims online whilst still on the road. They offer a money back guarantee, cover the likes of surfing, diving, trekking and bikes (which many don't as standard) and you can buy from any country in the world. All this is useful and makes them worth checking out. It can be said (after years of comparison) that their terms and rates are also favourable.
With all policies, geographic regions may vary the price; try to get a policy that excludes North America or just a Europe policy that covers places such as Israel, the Caucasus, and North Africa. Be warned that starting a new policy for another geographic region is often not possible during your trip (i.e. having a cheap European policy and then travelling into Africa/Asia). Only a few companies can give you cover on-line while you are away (i.e. allow you to insure yourself for extra lengths of time if you don't know how long your trip will be when you first take out the policy). Multi-trip year long policies limit the length of your trip to 30 or 60 days (although 90 days can be found), making them fairly useless for many longer term trips. Good insurance with loads of protection is normally quite expensive: again the cheaper policies will not cover personal possessions only medical costs.
Making a claim
The most important thing is to take your policy details away with you. If anything goes wrong on your trip do everything by the book, including contacting the company immediately (they will give you a hotline number). In addition make a list of anything you buy for your trip and keep the receipts. The same goes for ATM slips and currency conversion receipts while you are away. In most cases no receipt means no claim. Remember there is no substitution for suitable precautions against petty crime. Read them here.
Insurance companies have really tightened up over the past years and a claim is now almost impossible unless you have followed their guidelines to the letter which normally means dealing with serious red tape in the country of any incident. Check what you can claim for on your household insurance and don't do anything silly like travelling against medical advice. Also don't forget extensions for expensive items and dangerous activities such as diving, rafting and climbing.
As for making wholly spurious claims, insurance companies will probably pay up, but the local police in most popular destinations are very wise to this sort of thing and it can end you in serious trouble, as it is fair to say it really pisses them off for wasting their time.
On a separate note, even if you have no interest in their insurance, World Nomads have a selection of language guides which are free to download in MP3 format. It's not just Spanish and French, you can find Lao, Thai, Hindi, Vietnamese and the like. There are free to all and a helpful introduction.
If you would like a quote directly through this site and for details of the key features you should be looking for in a policy, then see the insurance resources section.

Lost credit/bank cards
For those who worry or just want a little bit of extra peace of mind, a credit card protection policy such as the one provided by CPP (and loads of other companies), is a good idea. For about US$20 a year you register all your credit and bank card details with them. Then if lost, you can make one free call (they pay reverse charges) to cancel all your cards or whichever ones you have lost and automatically order replacements.If you are the victim of theft it is vital that you cancel the cards you have lost immediately.


Buying a ticket - cheap flights and round the world options
Most travellers set off on a round the world trip (RTW) with just that ticket. What round the world really means is Australia and back with stop-offs and if you break this mould, you pay for it. (If you aren't interested in making such a trip, skip to this section for advice on the many other options available.)
Here are the most popular types of tickets you can get (there are others) - see respective websites to plan where you can stop:
The first is Star Alliance ( Air Canada, Air New Zealand, ANA, Asiana Airlines, Austrian Airlines, BMI, LOT, Lufthansa, Mexicana, SAS Scandinavian Airlines, Singapore Airlines, South African Airways, Spanair, Swiss, TAP, Thai Airways International, Tyrolean Airways, United Airlines, US and VARIG) whose members have really increased over the years, is based on miles and handy if you are heading for SE Asia as Thai Air is a members so you can get some good little hops (although budget flights in SEA aren't a problem any more). Another recent member South African really opens Africa to round the worlders.
The other is One World ( Aer Lingus, American Airlines, British Airways, Cathay Pacific, Finnair, JAL, Iberia, Lan and Qantas), Global explorer and oneworld explorer (better) based on continents with varying conditions. This is the ticket to get for a serious trip and with the LAN network now a member, excellent for South American internal flights and maybe an Easter Island stop off.
A third option is the SkyTeam Alliance RTW (Aeromexico, Air France, Alitalia, CSA Czech Airlines, Delta and Korean Air).
And finally The Great Escapade (Air New Zealand, Singapore Airlines and Virgin Atlantic).
The Great Escapade is mileage based (29,000 miles, one Atlantic crossing, one Pacific crossing allowed) with unlimited stopovers (except in New Zealand). South America is not included and South Africa is the only African stop, but if that's not a problem for you and you are flying from London/Manchester this option has been recommended.
Please confirm all of this with a travel agent. Things change quickly in this industry.
All of the above RTW options are valued for one year and date changes are free or only a small charge. Changing destinations on route (if possible) will incur a larger charge (about £70/$150) - believe if you do this with One World it can actually extend your ticket from that point (but policy seems to vary office to office). All of these tickets are normally cheapest in the UK and excellent value for money if you utilise them properly. Cheap or not, such tickets are not the only way to go. Many setting off on a RTW trip are increasingly shunning RTW tickets so as to have more flexibility and not be limited to a year trip. It is hotly debated as to whether buying tickets as you go, or buying one RTW ticket is best.

» Round The World (RTW) ticket -
» Do It Yourself (DIY) ticket -
Pros:
Date changes are normally free or pretty cheap.
Many feel secure in planning a grand route and knowing a schedule in advance.
They normally work out cheaper and from London are bargains especially if on a simple Oz and back route in the low season.

Pros:
Not being limited to 12 months.
No need to plan in advance without the information you'll discover while on the road.
Gain a huge sense of freedom - the major growth in budget airlines opens so many doors.
Better if doing more interesting routes with lots of over-landing (recommended).

Cons:
In most cases you are limited to 12 months to complete your travels.
You are going to have to plan your route and lock yourself into it before you go. Route changes on the road will cost you.
Best to have Australia as a focus of your trip.
You will need to take some one-way local flights anyway and often back track for your next leg.
Limited to major hubs, you will have to take internal flights to get to the likes of Nepal, Vietnam (without back-tracking) and notably across the Darien Gap (South to Central America).

Cons:
The main disadvantage is not having an onward ticket - which can pick you up a little steam by not being able to prove onward travel, see below. In practice, it's more an annoyance than a hindrance.
The cost of this type of DIY ticket will be more than RTW deals you can find.
Requires more time and greater flexibility.
It's fairly hard to price your ticket sitting at home as current ticket prices can only really be gauged accurately when you are in the region travelling.
You can sometimes have a nasty surprise on the price of a flight if you hit a peak season or a route not being discounted.

Example of a RTW ticket from London using One World: (all prices are approximate and depend on season)
London - Tel Aviv or Dubai - Mumbai - Bangkok (surface) Singapore - Sydney - Auckland - Santiago (surface) Rio - London. See how it is necessary to on the whole stick to major hubs. Say you want to see Nepal from India, that means you have to head all the way back to Mumbai (Bombay) for your next leg - when in fact it would be easier just to fly yourself to Bangkok from Kathmandu. The same goes with exploring the Middle East from Tel Aviv (you have to back track and miss out Syria/Lebanon due to your Israeli passport stamp).
Total cost: £1400 (€2000/US$2800). This ticket would be much cheaper if you just focused on Asia, Australia and the USA (skipping S.America/Africa) and is when it becomes too good a deal to miss - sometimes less than £800/ €1100/$1600 (originating in Europe in low season). In this case the price is greatly increased by including South America; the same is true when including Africa.
Remember One World price by continent and many example fares are shown on their website.

Example of a RTW ticket from London using singles: (all prices are approximate and depend greatly on seasons)
Destinations are suggestions, huge scope exists. London - Athens £80 (easy on the internet, could also fly to Rome); (surface) Cairo - Mumbai £180 (easy); (surface) Kathmandu/Calcutta - Bangkok £100-200 (very easy, but cheap flights fill up at the end of the trekking season, this flight would be cheaper out from India or Bangladesh); Bangkok/Hong Kong - Los Angeles £300 (or overland to Bali where you can pick up a budget flight to Australia and fly to LA from Sydney - however many RTWers would like to travel on to NZ and then Chile.
RTW tickets can be brought in Bangkok for okay prices and are an excellent way of continuing your trip. Regional South East Asian flights are however cheap and easy (see links) and connecting from Singapore or Bali to Darwin is great value. Oz to NZ is easy enough, but getting on to South America is pricey and a flight via LA or heading south on an epic overland is the most effective means.
If heading for the USA buying a return ticket might be wise and you will probably be able to have a third of the price refunded to your credit card for not using the return bit.); LA/Las Vegas - Lima £200-300 (like most countries Peru makes noises about requiring a return ticket, but here as in most developing countries there is rarely a problem on a one way ticket, especially if you have a credit card.); (surface) Rio - London £400-£750! (getting home from somewhere like South America will always be expensive and you would be better to finish your trip in North America. Buenos Aires or Sao Paulo to Madrid/Milan or similar will be a bit cheaper. Much cheaper will be a flight from Quito or Bogotá (£250) to Spain. With this flight and all of them you might need to book a few weeks in advance and not during European summer and avoid all travel during peak holiday periods.
Total: around £1500 (€2100/US$3000 - this prices about the same starting and finishing in New York) to as little as £1200. See RTW alternatives below.
Worth noting is you'll probably pick up a little steam from not having return tickets which can be quite frustrating. It may even be that you do have a return ticket, but not from the immediate country you wish to fly into. If you are having problems buying a single ticket try the airline office direct or better still use their website to book online. It's generally travel agencies that give you grief about booking returns (see example). Don't let them panic you. It is extremely uncommon to have onward travel checked and if you do, fabricating a story, showing your funds and a credit card will smooth your passage. You'll need patience at times particularly when crossing borders via airports.

» Away from Round the Word travel and tickets:
Remember not all trips have to be RTW trips. Regional or bi-regional trips for a few months are much more practical, cheaper and just as good (if not better). It's the feelings of more than a few, that a year is too long to travel for unless working on route, and that a few weeks or one, two, three, four month individual trips are more profitable and practical.
Getting a good deal normally means picking up a promotional fair. There are two basic types of fares: published fares which are set by the airlines, and unpublished fares which come from consolidators and are often lower priced. You can buy fares at published prices either direct from the airline or a travel agent. You cannot buy unpublished fares from an airline these have to be purchased either via a travel agent or direct from the consolidator if they deal with the public. This means planning far ahead, being flexible and getting in there early before all the cheap tickets are snapped up.
Young person's discounts
If you are a full time student or under 26, you may not realise it but you are already getting a great deal as these tickets are heavily discounted. Not only is the price reduced, but so are restrictions on tickets. At age 25 and 11 months you could fly London - México City - OVERLAND - Panama - London with American Airlines off-season for £425 with a $25 date change charge.
At age 26 the same ticket would cost £550 with a date change four times inflated. STA and other agencies specialise in these discounted fares. Under 26 is also the magic age for many discounted rail (particularly European) and flight passes. So what better reason have you to travel before you turn 26?
Timing your journey carefully is essential, especially on long flights. Fares will probably go up sharply on July 1st and cheap Christmas flights just don't happen (although travelling a little earlier or after Christmas gives considerable savings: you can find okay prices in the window between Christmas day and New Year's Eve if you book far ahead). Likewise going anywhere in August will be expensive. Be as flexible as possible with your dates. Flying on the wrong day of the week can put an extra hundred bucks on the ticket price. Weekend travel is normally more expensive for long flights. The fare tariff applies to the date of the outbound flight and the tariffs change on the first day of the month or in the peak season in the middle of the month. If you were planning to depart in the last few days of the month, check to see if the fares drop the following month. In the peak season the reverse applies - going a week earlier may save you a good deal. Most flights are generally cheaper Monday to Thursday.
Remember a cheaper priced ticket is often endorsed non-refundable and non-transferable. Most cut price tickets can have the return date changed for a fee but only after the outward journey has been completed. Not all cheap price tickets have the same restrictions so it is important to read the terms and conditions of the ticket and understand what you are buying. You could spend your life waiting for the ultra wonderful deals you hear about, which are normally a few special offer seats or charter flight seats which depend on you being incredibly flexible, (flexible like coming back the very next week to use the return bit of your ticket or going to package holiday type destinations). More about charter flights later.
The cheapest flights will normally be the least convenient - non-direct (e.g. Europe to Asia routed through Gulf States), out of or to major hubs and be with less well-known airlines. A third option for travel to some destinations is low cost, no frill airlines (aka. budget airlines). As a general rule, tickets are only available from the airline in question and you won't get too far from your home country unless making a few precarious connections, but can be useful to get to or from a major hub to make cheaper long-haul flight. For example, say want to visit somewhere like the Philippines. In most cases, there will be no direct flights and a ticket is going to be pretty expensive. However, picking up a good deal from a major hub, to say Hong Kong (which is a regular and competitive route) and adding a low cost carrier flight at one (or both) end(s), could save you hundreds of Euros/Francs/Dollars/etc.. You have to be willing to spend more time travelling, but sometimes (not always) the savings can be too great to ignore, especially if you want to get to a less visited country and are flying to or from a region with a good cheap budget airline network. More about budget flights later.
If you do have the time and flexibility, buying a one way ticket and then travelling as far as you like (taking cheap regional flights when you can't use or have had enough of buses/trains) is an excellent idea (as discussed above). If you do this make sure you will end up in a good place to fly home from, e.g. Hong Kong, Tel Aviv or Bangkok and not somewhere like Latin America where it will cost you a fortune to get anywhere but America - the same goes with most of Africa. Good value one-way tickets are a difficult thing to arrange away from budget airlines. They can often be the same price as a full fair and rarely 50%. Charter flights (with the exception of to The Gambia), are very rarely one-way. When you can find well priced one-way tickets this opens up the most useful type of ticket... the open jaw.
An open-jaw ticket as you probably know is flying into one destination and out of another. This of course has huge advantages in saving back-tracking and allowing you to see more. These type of tickets work in two ways. The first, most common is with the same airline, i.e. Delta for Central America, BA/Qatar for Asia or KLM for Africa. The second way is when one-way tickets are available at the right price and you simply just strap two good fares (different airlines - normally code sharing) together.
Locating these flights (the one-way type and 50% of return) is tricky as internet searches are generally not geared up for finding them. A knowledgeable travel agent is the biggest help (normally they will try and sell you a package with the same airline or alliance airlines - since they know they cover that route and it's easiest for them to look up). Return flights are almost always better value. The best tip is to find a cheap airline (i.e. Gulf state carrier or developing nation's national carrier) and find which destinations they serve within the region you are looking at, then search sites like Expedia or Opodo on the multi-stop search option for these destinations - trying as many combinations of dates as you can.
It's not really appropriate to recommend places to buy tickets, only to say that the general feeling is some bad experiences with the call centre type agencies and good experiences/advice with student agencies like STA and web only based discounters like Opodo. STA (walk-in) and Opodo (web) rated highly. You might experience phoning around for flights and been quoted say US$800 and told 'you must fly with American..' etc. Then upon phoning an agency back the following day, spoken to a different operator and had he/she work out a totally different ticket at a totally different price. It all depends who you get on the end of the phone or in the agency and how rushed/knowledgeable they are. Either way shop around!
Better still, do the work yourself on the web. Take an established discounting agent (e.g. Expedia or Opodo). Such web agents can send you out news of promotions on routes you are interested in. Don't be put off if the first prices you get back are high. Book early and be very flexible with your dates (avoid Friday/Saturday/Sunday and keep trying different options) and try searching destinations/dates served by cheaper airlines such as Qatar Air and routes that perhaps aren't direct but you can make the connection easily yourself (see budget flights, right). All this takes time, but is your best for finding low prices. Promotional fares, flights originating in London (or other major hubs) or non-direct flights on lesser known airlines or new low-cost start-ups, individually or in a combination, will normally give the best deal. Remember away from the big international carriers there are many airlines that operate regional that these guys can't sell tickets for. Equally always bear in mind that logic generally doesn't apply to ticket pricing and a route from say London to Entebbe via Amsterdam can come out cheaper than direct Amsterdam - Entebbe (even those the distance is less and there is no connection).
Charter flights
Charter flights are almost always return, returning normally 7 or 14 days after arrival and always from the same place. Charter flights generally fly from destinations in Europe to other European destinations. Long haul charter destinations are: Kenya, Cancún, The Gambia (good value and unusually on offer one-way), Israel, Turkey, Egypt, Greece, Thailand (Islands), Sri Lanka, Goa, the Caribbean (sometimes Cuba) and sometimes Brazil, UAE and Canada.
These are useful to look into especially if you want a cheap short independent break, although prices are never that wonderful unless you are leaving at very short notice (cheap last minute fights to Goa or Cancun are particularly famous) and in low season. If travelling from the UK, take a look at www.charterflights.co.uk for some ideas about prices and destinations. If you are looking to head to West Africa, charter flights will probably be one of your cheapest options. See the excellent www.point-afrique.com for schedules (all flights fly in and out of Paris to Francophile West African nations; site en Français).

Internal, regional and budget flights
Don't think for a second that your initial ticket need be the main focus of your trip: with a boom in budget airline networks flying regionally, making a big round trip is really quite easy. Just remember that flights are always cheapest in their originating country. Most agents and internet search engines can't sell tickets for smaller cheap regional carriers and only offer tickets from (expensive) larger carriers. This can make planning quite frustrating, but unless on a really tight schedule, visiting during a national holiday period (e.g. Christmas, Easter, New Year), don't feel pressured into booking before you go via an agency in your home country if you can't do so on the airlines site or haven't time when travelling to 'play it by ear'.
A cheap return flight to say India could let you take in Sri Lanka, Thailand and Malaysia in a big easy to book (see Sri Lanka summary) loop, for a much better price that if booked in one block with major carriers and with all the flexibility of booking 'as you go'. For full details on which airlines fly which region see the links section and for more information on getting around by air including a budget airline lowdown by region see 'moving around' in the 'On the Road' section. Equally it is worth noting that there are some start-up low cost carriers flying international routes (generally out of London) with Hong Kong and North America (Zoom) being a focus - pricing is per flight, not return (perfect) and using these and their best promotional fairs, you could probably piece together a very basic RTW flight for very little compared to conventional means. Air Ninja is quite useful for hunting some of these budget airline flights out.


How much is it going to cost?
How much money do I need? Well that really depends on where you go, where you stay, how you get around, what you eat/drink and what you buy/see. The answer given here is based on pretty much a shoestring budget, but far from back-breaking or really roughing it (a little bit extra makes a lot of difference). You can probably greatly reduce these figures if you don't drink, travel long distances or do tours/expensive activities. Used to a great measure are mine and other common experiences, which may not match yours.
Apologies, reference is made often in GBP£. Despite widespread stories of its demise, the USD$ is still however the de facto currency abroad in all but a few cases and where you see a $ symbol please assume it is a US$. The USD trades at around 2 per GBP, having dramatically weakened (if you are using US$, travelling just got much more expensive). You can see real time exchange rates by clicking here, but the rules of thumb are easy to convert GBP costs given: to USD or Canadian: double it, to EUR: add a third, to Swiss Franc: half it; and to Ozzie $: times 2 and a half.
Average costs per day including everything you are likely to do (transport, food, accommodation, important trips, etc):
Asia
(general - Thailand, Philippines, Malaysia, China) £15-20,
(cheap - India, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Indonesia, Indochina) £10-15,
(expensive - HK, Eastern China, South Korea, Singapore) £20-25,
(v. expensive - Japan) £25-50(inc. rail pass)
Australia and New Zealand
£20-30 (NZ little cheaper)
Americas
Central America (cheap - Guatemala, Nicaragua, Honduras) £12.50-20,
Central America (general - México (expensive transportation), Belize (most expensive), Costa Rica) £15-25,
South America (general - Brazil, Peru, Argentina) £15-20,
South America (cheap - Bolivia, Ecuador) £10-15,
North America (hard to generalise) £25-40
Europe
Western Europe (capitals expensive, more with transportation) £25-40,
Eastern Europe £15-25
Africa
West Africa (costs vary enormously between countries like Ghana (very cheap), and CFA (ex-French) countries) £10-25,
East Africa £10-15 (excluding tours and safaris) - allow US$75-120 per day for safaris,
Southern Africa (cheap - Malawi, Mozambique (Northern areas more expensive), Zimbabwe) £10-15,
Southern Africa (general - South Africa, Namibia) £15-20 (excluding tours and safaris)
Middle East
£15-20 (Israel £25, Iran £15), Gulf States £30-50 (lack of budget accommodation)
Author's note:
The 'how much will it cost?' question is a bit like 'how long is a piece of string?' So assumptions are made based on typical backpacker experiences in a wide range of destinations. If anything, costs are over-estimated. Very few travellers really watch every cent to a pedantic degree - especially with prices in less developed countries being such a bargain.
In reality it is better to over-estimate since some 'must-do' activities will set you back quite considerably. Saving a bit longer at home rather than having to forfeit treats like a beer at sunset and other amazing experiences makes a lot of sense. It's important to remember that while you can live for next to nothing, you probably won't, and when undertaking a long trip even in a destination that's cheap to live and travel in, you'll probably find that backpacking is not as cheap as is commonly believed.
Just to keep things in perspective: after you have looked at this section and probably moaned after finding a calculator - take a look at 'the value of your money' bit in the on the road section.
A rough guide (click for actual):
£10 = €13/US$20/AU$22;
£15 = €20/US$30/AU$33;
£25 = €32/US$50/AU$55;

These rates are updated often, but change daily. The strength of your home currency will have an effect on how cheap you can travel. In general, throughout the last few years the USD has weakened and the GBPound plus notably the Euro has strengthened. Equally inflation has ramped up significantly in many developing countries and worth noting is huge increases in oil and other commodity prices over the past few years will have a notable knock-on effect to most day-to-day travel costs, notably in countries where fuel was previously subsidised by the government and become unsustainable when oil prices started going up and thus were dropped/reduced. Iran, China, Burma, Egypt, Sri Lanka, Indonesia... to name a few.
So what's the bottom line? Check out the Travel Budget Calculator - which this site has updated with many of the above costs as a guideline.
In short and on average, bank on GB£20/EU€30/US$40 (plus or minus 20%) per day. This averages itself out and will allow for activities and long distance travel (i.e. the odd internal flight, entry fees, trains tickets, etc.). However, in more developed countries and big/capital cities, the reality is more like £20 to £30/€40/$60 per day if you are active. It depends on so many things. For example trekking in Nepal, or lying on a beach in Goa, you can probably spend more like €10-20 (£7-13 / $16-30) a day, but you need to add (for trekking for example): the hire of equipment, the park entry and maybe a flight to get there/away. For Goa a breakdown might look like this: 500Rps for a beach hut, 400Rps for three good meals, 100Rps for water and another 100Rps for a couple of beers or other. Total - 1100INR about €20, but where does this allow for transport or anything else? It's worth remembering that India, like many other Asian(think China)/Eastern Europe countries are rapidly developing with an emerging middle class pushing inflation and general living cost to new highs.
Remember it is of course extremely cheap to 'live' in the developing world (at it's typical standard of living quality), however it might not be at a level of quality near to what you might be used to or able to accept - of course travel should not be an endurance test. Travel (as in getting around and to places) on the other hand is not necessarily cheap if not 'typical travel', that is travelling like locals where locals would commonly travel. Just like raising your living standard (e.g. having AC in your room), getting to places off the beaten track (like national parks), where locals would not frequent and where you find very limited or no public transport can get very expensive even in the most tin pot, cheap country (unless of course there are enough travellers to support a 'local cheap tour industry'). Take Africa for example, much of the continent lives on less than US$600 per year and as a traveller you can live on next to nothing too, however if you want a bed in the middle of the bush or to get to wildlife in its natural habitat your US$600 would last less than a week if not a day or two at worst. The same goes crossing remote mountain areas by land, (such as the Pamir highway) where hiring a 4x4 for +US$100s becomes the only option.
More to the point, in most developing countries where it is possible to spend very little, cumulatively you won't be doing yourself any favours if you don't make sure you keep yourself well rested and properly fed. Unfortunately it's true that to an extent the cheaper you travel the more hassle your trip will be and the longer you will spend getting around. If you do have the option to save a bit longer or shorten your trip in order to add 33-50% to the above average per day amounts you will not only be joining a greatly increasing group of more wealthy (by that it's meant not slumming it) independent travellers, but will likely have a more pleasant and enjoyable trip getting to see much more, while still benefiting from the many fantastic experiences travelling on the cheap offers. And if you don't spend it all, bonus you have cash for another trip!

It is also worth noting that as a foreigner you will often find yourself penalised by double-tier prices (such as museum entry, non-local currency priced air tickets and generally higher asked day-to-day prices). In addition it is unlikely that on a long or round-the-world trip, you will spend all your time in ultra-cheap countries and will want to visit treasures in more expensive nations: western Europe, Australia or North America being the perfect examples.
If you're after western quality, you pretty much always (apart from a few exceptions, normally due to undervalued currencies) you pay western prices, or more - even in the cheapest of destinations. It's also often the case, that big cities of normally very affordable countries (such as Mumbai, aka Bombay) can be quite expensive, particularly when it comes to accommodation and that the increases in energy/fuel costs over the past few years will eat into a budget.
Just don't cut yourself short - that's why everything above is kind of rounded up and hey it is always nice to have money left for another trip or to do the things you really want, like $600 Kathmandu to Lhasa and back or $1000 Galapagos islands or $150 Nile cruise or $100+ a day for an East African Safari.
Those travelling alone and not able to take advantage of shared accommodation (unless able to use hostel dorm beds) and (some) transport costs will spend roughly 25% more than the costs quoted here unless making other sacrifices to compensate.
....and remember the above per day costs are on top of all the other considerations mentioned on this pages such as jabs, visas, flights & insurance - which make a big dent in your funds before you even leave.

» For more detailed daily average costs please refer to the country summary section on this site, where suggested basic daily budgets are listed for over 60 nations. Or for the most detailed information, a country guidebook or planning guide is recommended.
But I need to travel cheaper!
If you look for long enough on the net you'll likely find plenty of testament from those who claim they travel or travelled on around half the above suggested average budget. When and for how long they maintain it or how much they got to see/do it's hard to know, but of course it is possible to get by on a really tight budget. So here in a nutshell (without recommending any) are 7 secrets/realities of travel on the really cheap:
1) You'll need to forget about Australia, Japan, Europe, North America or any other developed country - equally it's advisable to steer clear of capitals/big cities and keep more in the wild away from major urban centres. 2) Covering long distances is a major expenses, so you'll need to limit your sphere and forget about travelling in comfort, that's not to say even on an okay budget you'll be in much comfort, but you'll have to get use to sometimes extremely uncomfortable, long, slow, bumpy journeys. 3) It does really depend on where you are, and sure sometimes it's dirt cheap, but a heavy night out in bars rarely is - alcohol is something you need to cut out or at less minimise. 4) Learn some lingo, you'll need to get the hang of services locals use like short-hop public transport. 5) Like walking and the outdoors - it's free and will fill your time, other main tourist sight are unlikely to be free. Taj Mahal, Inca Trail, Forbidden City and the like you'll need to admire from a distance or skip. 6) Forget about private rooms and private baths, you'll be looking for shared dormitory style rooms in hostels or doss houses patronised by locals. These are generally fine if you are male, but in more extreme case not for women; good security, a shower or much sleep are not always included in the price. If you move up a level to very basic private rooms then no bathroom or hot water are a must to keep the price down. 7) and finally: a basic diet, it's easy to eat cheap, only you'll need to stick with it long term and stay away from restaurants catering to tourist and all your favourite foods back home. You'll need to eat from street stalls, basic restaurants and produce bought from market vendors. The order of the day will be rice, noodles, basic breads, bananas, or potatoes; all of which will fill you up very cheaply, but needs discipline to stick with.


How do I take all these funds?
As you have no doubt established you are going to need a fair supply of money to cover your trip. In which form and how to take these funds can pose something of a dilemma. Cash is, of course, king all over the world, but do you really want to take all your funds in cash or even travellers cheques?
Obviously taking large amounts of cash is a risky strategy and it's best that the cash you set off with from home be - give or take - no more than enough for your first week. Whatever cash you do take, in whatever form it should be well hidden including, not to be overlooked, an emergency back-up cash stash. Find out what you are insured for and remember it's almost certainly at your own risk.
The best way to get money almost anywhere is through an ATM, either with a MasterCard Cirrus or Visa Plus card - that is using your bank or credit card from home to draw out of your home account. This offers numerous pros such as getting favourable daily exchange rates, running no risk of being ripped off, having the security of a PIN code, keeping track of your rates and balance on-line and having the option to specify exactly how much money you want to change. There are even occasions where you can pull dual currencies out of machines (local and US$/EU€).
Okay in some countries outside of big towns you're not going to find ATMs, but you will almost certainly in larger cities that you will use as transport hubs and always in capital cities. There are very few exceptions to this (Iran, Burma, Uzbestistan) and new sites are coming into use everyday. You can double check where you can get money from on either Visa or Mastercard's website.
Generally you will be charged a fee by your bank for making withdrawals abroad: about 2% (normally set within a minimum and maximum) or with a credit card around 3% (+ about a $3 access charge). If you have and use a Citibank account, and find a branch abroad, there is no commission. This is not the case with HSBC, Barclays or ABN AMRO. Nationwide in the UK and does not charge any commission for overseas withdrawals (comment) and other banks can have commission as low as 1% - it really pays to shop around and check before heading off. You could also use a credit card to withdraw money, although the fees are going to be much higher. If you are going to use a credit card you will need to pay money onto it (overpayment) so as not to be charged the cash advance fee.
Any recommendations of American, Australian (try Wizard credit card) or European banks that don't charge commission or have good rates are very welcome. This link has details for USA users.
If you don't have such a bank card or fees are too high for your liking then a new option to surface in the past few years is Visa Travel Money which works pretty much in the same way as a bank card only you don't need a bank account. You can have up to 3 cards, preloading them with cash before use. American Express also have their own version.
ATMs really are everywhere in major cities and always have an English language option. Not all ATMs you find abroad can access international networks, but this varies widely from country to country. For example, in Pakistan you will find tonnes of ATMs, but only a few international ones in each big city, as opposed to India or Sri Lanka where you can't walk 500metres in many a town centre without finding one. Simply look for the Visa Plus symbol (pictured) you see on your card. Generally speaking ATMs work on both networks, but this is not always the case and every now and then you find Cirrus or Visa Plus only machines. Therefore, if on a long trip it is handy to have (say your partner's card or credit card) on an alternative network as a back-up. If you had to pick only one, go with Visa Plus which is more common in Latin America and West Africa.
Money on arrival
You will normally find an ATM at the airport if arriving at a major international one, but just in case you don't or the ATM is empty, always carry some hard currency cash. The same goes for borders where there are rarely ATMs, but nearly always change places or money changers for some 'see-you-over' cash until you reach a bigger city with better rates.
It's a good idea to make sure you know what the exchange rate is before you reach a country, preventing you getting ripped off and generally letting you know how much the room you are checking into or taxi you hail is costing. This exchange rate can be found on the Internet with ease and noted before you leave. The FX Cheat Sheet is a great tool. It's wise to calculate costs with plus a few % to reflect normal tourist rates.
When changing money, whether on the black market or not, always re-count and check your money carefully. Small private exchange booths, that are common in most cities, will normally give much better rates than banks. Changing on the street is only worthwhile in a few situations: see the guidebook of the country you are in for details.

Traveller's Cheques
Traveller's cheques are, as you will no doubt know, a safer option compared to cash, but with a number of drawbacks. Firstly the commission required to buy and sell them and secondly that in some places they can be somewhat of a pain to change restricting you to bank opening times and long drawn out procedures. This is not always the case, but can often be when you need the cash the most and are in a hurry. Nevertheless, if on a long trip in countries you aren't familiar with, it's wise to have a few travellers cheques as back up to your ATM card.
The irony is where it's easy to cash cheques you are going to find numerous international ATMs. Any international brand of travellers cheques will be fine (Visa or American Express). It's worth knowing that commission can be minimised if buying from an Amex centre (1%) and selling at one, if you can find it, abroad (0%).
Don't forget to carry your purchase record/receipt with you - you may need it to cash your cheques and very importantly keep it in a safe place away from your cheques and make a note of the claim phone number(s) and cheque number(s) in case of theft. Best write these numbers, along with your insurance details, on the back of a photocopy of your passport that you always keep on your person.
Travellers cheques do have a place where ATMs can't be found and as a good backup, but can also be costly and a pain - a pain in less developed countries not so much in developed ones - ATM use if possible is much more practical and the way to go.
Okay, one word of warning regarding ATM withdrawals. 98% of the time the above is absolutely true, but for the other 2% there are situations out of your control such as empty or out of order machines or many other eventualities. So commonsense says don't rely totally on your ATM card. If you take a look at the country summaries section you will be able to get a good gauge, country by country, of the best way to handle your money. The best strategy to get at your money is always a combination of methods and back ups. And finally on the subject of cards - it's recommended that you do not carry your card (ATM or credit) around with you at all times if you can help it. For various reasons, it's best kept in your main bag unless you are using it.
Credit cards are useful, but much more so in developed countries. In less developed countries they can be used for larger purchases (e.g. a flight or Scuba course), but will normally have commission added to the total. However, they can be used to obtain cash advances in most banks world-wide (always with a commission - not the best value way to obtain funds, but extremely useful to fall back on when having ATM problems) and from ATMs. For all uses MasterCard or Visa are your best bet. Remember to consider your bills piling up at home with interest being charged and the fact if you are using them to draw money, it make sense to be in credit. Paying more money onto your card before leaving home, asking your folks to pay your bill or doing it yourself online whilst away is prudent.
With both traveller's cheques and cash don't get hung up on taking all US$ if your home currency is 'hard' (€uro, ¥en, GB£, CHF, AU$ etc.) except in Latin America where the dollar rules and in other very less developed or untouristy countries and outside big cities or right off the beaten track. Although when not carrying US$/€uro or a regional 'hard' currency, remember that you may be resisted to changing in business centres. Certainly when buying a lot of traveller's cheques or taking cash to start off, if you can help it there is little point changing your money twice paying commission each time.
Euros have very quickly become a fine currency to take to any major city worldwide. If heading anywhere in Europe (including the far eastern Europe and the Balkans) or West Africa, forget US$ and go with Euros. Everywhere else 'undeveloped' US$ are the currency of choice. Green backs are always accepted with open arms even in places like Iran.
Changing money from a hard currency rarely is a problem and Euro or US$ can often be used to pay for larger value items which are commonly priced in dollars and sometimes euros. Don't forget to keep an emergency stash (say a $100 or €100 bill) which you should keep separate from your main money supply. It's also worth taking a few lower value - US$10/20 bills (make sure all clean and crisp and not the old style) for unforeseen situations.
Money changing tricks
Be warned about old style dollar bills which won't be welcomed and other money changing tricks you might come across when changing in shady circumstances. Money changing tricks are the easiest way to get burnt whilst abroad. Two things to be aware of:
Firstly, your original money being returned to you as a fake or lower domination note when the deal is voided by the changer. If you are worried you could make a note of serial numbers of larger bills before you pass them over to make sure you get back the original. When you are handed back your money, do not return theirs until (no matter how much they try to fluster you) you establish that the carefully folded $100 bill is not a $1 bill - it's easily done (and normally when changing on the black market).
The second thing to be wary of is a successful change when the money you receive is no longer bank recognised or carefully folded to deceive. Only change money on the street where you can see it is day-to-day practice of locals and not in large amounts. Private exchange booths are your best bet to change money and always easy enough to find along with banks. Changing cash is on the whole the easiest thing to do whilst away.
Do make sure dollar/euro notes are in a brand newish condition. It does happen that less than mint condition or old style high value notes will be unwanted.


Immunisations and malaria prophylaxis
If you are heading somewhere exotic and developing you will of course need to head down to a doctors and get a variety of jabs before disappearing. Most of the important ones will be boosters of shots you probably had as a child. There are several others, but it is worth thinking twice about being sold on having the 'whole package' - it all depends on where you are going and how you feel about the risk. Many jabs are expensive and quite a few like Japanese B Encephalitis and Rabies are of debatable necessity.

A word to the wise... the following information is taken from various sources, some medical, some not, most third party. No one connected with this site is a doctor and therefore the information in this section should be taken with that consideration in mind. However, this is a good place to start and is evidence of how we have slowly unraveled the mystery of travel health and especially Malaria medication.
So what jabs do I need? You typically need for third world travel regardless of what country you are visiting the following shots: Typhoid (3 years - also available as a pill), Meningitis (A+C), Diphtheria (10 years), Hepatitis A (two doses, 10 years - or immunoglobulin that will last for 3-6 months)), Polio (10 years), Tetanus (10 years) and if you are heading to parts of South America or Africa then Yellow fever (10 years). It's only fair to warn you, you're going to feel a little groggy after some of these shots.
Within the UK and other EU countries with a national/socialised health service, for the immunizations listed above, you will typically be charged for Yellow Fever and Hepatitis A only, at a cost of about €110 (£85), with Hep A/Typhoid and Diphtheria/Tetanus/Polio being typically free - this will of course vary from country to country (in places like Ireland or Switzerland, it is unlikely you will get anything free!). Walk in clinics are good for those in a hurry, but will charge considerably more.
Within the USA and other countries without a government funded health service the cost of your shots will be quite substantial in some cases and are rarely covered on medical insurance (you might find Tetanus included). The following charges are typical for the United States: Typhoid - $75, Polio Booster - $50, Hep A & B - $200 (per shot 2/3 needed), Yellow Fever - $100, Meno Meningitis -$130 & Rabies - $200 (per shot, 3 needed). In the States you usually have to go to special travel doctors to get the shots, as most doctors and clinic's don't carry them.
Rabies, Hepatitis B and Japanese B Encephalitis in many opinions (all non-medical) are not necessary considering the cost/number of injections and rarity. The rabies jab, for instance is only to 'extend the time you have to get to a doctor' who will have to administer further treatment - so is only needed for extremely remote travel or particular danger zones and activities. Hep B is perhaps only advisable if you plan to be sexually active (especially male gay sex), as it is an STI.
As for malaria
As for malaria, there's little point getting too into the subject as it's a minefield. The thing is, you ask a doctor and no matter where you are going you seem to get prescribed Larium or similar at great cost. Most of the time, in hindsight, it seems and is unnecessary.
Chloroquine and Proguanil combined are fine for many common destinations and anti-malarial drugs such as Doxycycline are available at low cost in larger Asia and African cities (obviously buy from a reputable looking pharmacy - Boots in Bangkok price Doxycycline (6months worth) at about US$60). See comment for buying malaria medication on-line in the UK.
Both Mefloquine (Larium) and Doxycycline (Vibramycin - UK trade name) are good medicines to protect against malaria (and especially Chloroquine-resistant malaria). Both have good and bad points. A third option to protect against Quinine-resistant malaria (most malaria) is Malarone - more on that newer drug further down.
No Malaria medication protects you 100%, and the best thing you can and should always do is not get bitten, which is a different topic.
Remember of the 3500 types of mosquito (20 more are discovered every year) only a few carry killer diseases such as Malaria. The female (it would have to be!) Anopheles malarial mosquito bites mainly between 2300 and 0400 at night. This is when it is particularly important not to get bitten. Also worth mentioning is the Aedes mosquito (spreading dengue and yellow fever) bites during the day. Both feed at ground level so cover up your ankles with a little repellent.

It is really worth mentioning that there is a ton of misinformation floating around on the net and among backpackers on the road.
It needs to be emphasised that any medication listed in this section is vastly superior to not taking anything, and hoping for the best. Some Malaria strains are deadly and kill fast (90% of malaria deaths are children under the age of five, mainly in sub-Saharan Africa) - especially when you haven't been exposed to malaria since birth.
So in what areas am I at risk from Malaria? The blanket answer is that a 'risk' exists in almost all countries in Asia (below Mongolia/Kazakhstan), Africa and Latin America with the notable exceptions of Libya, Chile, Tunisia and Uruguay. If you want to see 'the map' take a look at the somewhat paranoid CDC Malaria page. However, this 'risk' really does vary and to colour an entire country red due to a sometimes localised and seasonal risk is kind of missing the mark. Whereas a serious risk may exist in a pocket of a country (say Thailand), there are many, many other regions where very little or no risk exists. So research carefully.
Take for example Nepal; Kathmandu and a normal trekking circuit poses no risk from malaria, but due to a risk in the lower lying parts of the country the whole country often gets a warning. The same can be said for Latin America outside of the Amazon basin, which is often bypassed by travellers or visited for only a few days.
Travel to rural areas always involves more potential exposure to malaria than in the larger cities. For example, the capital cities of the Manila, Bangkok and Colombo are essentially malaria-free. However, as noted, malaria is present in many other places (especially rural areas) of these countries. By contrast in West Africa, Ghana and Nigeria have malaria throughout the entire country. However, the risk will always be lower in the larger cities where independent travellers tend to focus their travels since these act as the main transport hubs.
On an African (where most of this information applies mainly to - don't take it as seriously if visiting South America (outside the Amazon interior), Southern Africa or Asia) trip you might meet several travellers who have contracted malaria even when taking prophylaxis such as Larium, which goes a long way to illustrate the importance of covering up. Individuals normally recovered with no problems (after some time out) and in a few cases, were not even aware that they were infected until taking a malaria test (prick on the figure blood test available cheaply in sub-Saharan Africa). Even taking malaria tablets meticulously and doing everything possible to avoid being bitten, it is possible to get a strain resistant to prophylactic drugs. Untreated malaria is very dangerous, but responds well to prompt treatment.
Once infected, malaria can 'live in your system for a while until it decides to attack' as one overland truck driver put it 'when my body is down - normally when I have a hangover!' It is not preferable to attempt self-diagnosis (as tests are easily and cheaply available in East/West Africa). While travelling in Africa perhaps the most sensible precaution you can take on top of avoiding bites is to purchase on your arrival 'Arinate' (Artesunate 100mg). This comes in a kit of six pills available from any pharmacy, priced at about US$5. At any sign of a fever (symptoms can take a week or more to show - unfortunately your weekly Larium can knock them continually on the head) and if medical advice is unavailable, you can start self treatment. Still aim to get tested as soon as possible: you may have typhoid. Having such treatment available not only allows for peace of mind, but is useful should you enter a risk area when it is not practical to take prophylactics, i.e. you are only there for a few days (Etosha NP, Kruger NP, jungle areas of South America being good examples).
Remember, it's always a little dangerous to assume that your choice of malaria prophylaxis is available in the country you'll be visiting, but most third-world countries stock at least chloroquine and normally doxycycline (certainly the major capitals of Africa and Asia). Quinine is normally available to, but is not recommended.
Both of the following prophylaxis regimes are recommended if entering a serious Malaria risk area with Chloroquine-resistant malaria, typically East/West Africa and jungle regions of Asia/L.America. Individuals respond differently: the vast majority have only very minor side effects. [You must seek medical advice before starting either programme as there are complications for certain people, such as children, those who are pregnant, or have the potential of becoming pregnant while on these meds.]
» Mefloquine (aka. Larium) - 1 tab (250mg) each week, starting one week before travel and continuing 4 weeks after exiting malarial zone.
» Doxycycline - 1 tab (100mg) each day, starting 2 days before travel and ending 4 weeks after leaving malarial zone.
Also keep an eye out for Malarone (aka, the mouthful: atovaquone proguanil hydrochloride) a fairly new drug with limited side effects. Dosage is 1 pill a day and then only 1 (not 4 as is common) week after. However, it's not good for long trips as 28 days is the maximum continued use recommended - including the 1 week after.
It's actually been on the market for quite a while now, is proven to be safe and lacks the nasty side-effects; although more expensive many would say it's worth the extra coin. Also note in certain areas (Eastern Africa for one) there are now several locations where mozzies have become resistant to all forms of prophylaxis other than Malarone. Malarone would be the drug of choice (if suitable and affordable) for many.
The above medicines are easily absorbed provided you don't have any stomach problem like diarrhoea/vomiting. Since compliance is always an issue, Mefloquine is easier because it is only taken once a week and has a long half life. They should be taken with a full glass of water and with food. Additionally, Doxycycline is irritating so after taking it, one should maintain an upright position (don't go to sleep) for an hour to decrease the chance that it will reflux back up. Just to mention, Doxycycline is one of the drugs used to treat traveller's diarrhoea, so using it daily to protect against malaria will also help to prevent traveller's diarrhoea or so the theory goes. This is because it is an anti-biotic - this also means that if you are on the contraceptive pill then you will have to take extra precautions during sex. Lastly, taking the medications faithfully and not stopping until 4 weeks (1 in the case of Malarone) after exiting the malarial zone is incredibly important and cannot be over emphasised.
Keep in mind that many of the reported problems with Mefloquine occur at dosages used for the treatment of active malaria, and not the prevention of malaria. The treatment dosage is 1250mg once, which is 5 times the weekly prophylactic dosage! This is where a lot of the Mefloquine confusions and scary rumours originate.
The most common side effect of Mefloquine is vivid dreams. These tend to occur the night the tablet is taken, and are not necessarily nightmares, just vivid dreams. For Doxycycline it is photosensitivity (increased sensitivity of skin to sunlight) and an upset stomach. Make sure you are taking the right medication for the region you are travelling in. Again... you may not need either Mefloquine or Doxycycline - it is quite possible to visit a country with a malarial risk and never get anywhere near an that risk area (Cambodia, Bolivia, Thailand, South Africa, Iran, Namibia, China, Burma, Nepal - there are loads of them!).
Why bother going to all this hassle/cost?
Once in a while, you will meet travellers who refuse to take prophylactics, either because they want to acquire resistance to malaria or else because they believe there is a homeopathic cure for this killer disease. Unfortunately (especially in Africa), they think they are being very clever.
For the record, travellers can't acquire effective resistance to malaria and if anyone knows of a homeopathic cure, please let us [and the medical profession] know.
Once again, especially in East/West Africa not using a prophylactic drug when in a high risk areas for long periods is risking your life in a manner both unnecessarily (the drugs are cheap in Africa/Asia) and foolishly.
As a footnote, many feel the focus on Malaria is misdirected, Dengue fever is common in regions such as SE Asia (its geographic spread is similar to that of malaria). The carrying mosquitoes of Dengue live indoors and bite during the day, when most are least vigilant. Dengue can be every bit as dangerous as malaria. However there's no need for paranoia - a quick squirt of repellent on the ankles or covering up is a simple, easy and effective measure. In contrast to malaria, which is more common in rural areas, it is larger cities that present the greater risk from Dengue fever.
See the 1000 travel tips malaria page for much more information (exact risk country) and please don't worry too much. Also see information on mosquitoes in the what to pack section and general travellers health problems in the on the road section. There are also many excellent traveller health sites in the links section.


Visas
Visas can be a pain - not only can their costs really add up (Indochina, Central Asia or Africa), but you can end up stranded for days waiting for them (normally over weekends) and even have to back-track for days if your planning is off or your visa is wrong/expired. Other times visas can be effortlessly hassle free, being not required or just a simple free stamp at the border (Latin America or Southern Africa).
Generally speaking, in countries that are most commonly visited by backpackers, visas are available on the border or on arrival at a main airport for free or a fee - no advance planning is needed. More and more countries (i.e. Laos and Cambodia) are taking measures to make visas easier in order to encourage tourism. In other cases visas are available in a neighbouring country's major cities with much less fuss and cost than in your home nation. Therefore visas - if you have the time - are best picked up on route as you travel with the exception of specific countries outlined later. As well as this method being easier, cheaper and more convenient, you run no danger of your visa(s) expiring before you get to use them. Also you may find that smaller nations are not represented in your home country. Of course, pick up the visa (if required) for the first country of your trip in your home nation.
Always try to obtain up-to-date visa information, which can be hard to come across unless on the ground in the area. Guidebooks and websites are often out of date (i.e. the requirement to state exit and entry points for a Vietnam visa changed in the early '00s, but is still commonly referenced) and other situations are always changing (e.g. Serbia only recently started issuing visas on the border and Bulgarian/Romania have relaxed tight and expensive visa requirements).
The most difficult visas to obtain are those for Russia, former members of the Soviet Republic (e.g. Belarus, Tajikistan), strict Islamic countries (e.g. Iran, Saudi Arabia) and countries isolated from the west (e.g. North Korea, Turkmenistan, Libya). To obtain these visas an invitation letter (LOI) or voucher of sorts is normally required (this can be provided by a hotel, friend in the country, travel agent or tour) as well as a whole load of red tape. If you have no means to get these, transit visas can normally be obtained for a fee and with a valid visa for a neighbouring country.
A word to the wise
Remember when picking up visas on route to be flexible - things don't always go the way you expect and you certainly can't go anywhere you want, when you want. Visas maybe available next day in many embassies, but if you apply on Friday, you won't be able to pick it up for three days. In addition be very wary of festivals that bring everything to a halt and unexplained rejections or transit/shorter visas being issued when a full one was requested.
Patience really is needed to deal with a lot of pointless bureaucracy in some places. Luckily this seems to be in decline (apart from the former Soviet Republics) as governments discover the potential of tourism and the world becomes more open. Lastly, do yourself a favour and don't put down 'photographer', 'journalist', 'author' or anything similar on a visa application.
Internet newsgroups and your national travel advisory website are both good resources to ask questions and get answers. The only major problem scenario that comes to mind when travelling and picking up visas on route, - as is normally possible - is heading into China through the Karakoram highway and then into Central Asia. These visas are only available in Beijing or Islamabad which is a long de-tour or double back.
It's normally easier when on route to get an agency to deal with your visa for a small commission that saves you the taxi fares to and from the embassy. The use of these services can range from laziness to essential, when a recommendation or invitation letter is required. Whenever applying for a visa think about whether it is worth paying a little extra for the flexibility of a double entry visa, say for Syria (pop into Lebanon), Ghana (pop into Togo), India (pop into Nepal), or Nepal (pop into Tibet) to name a few popular examples. You'll save time and money in the long run. Upon getting your visa, check how many days you have (you may not get what you asked for), if there are any limitations, whether it can be extended (especially if transit) and whether all details are correct (all t's crossed and i's dotted) before you leave the agency or embassy - mistakes do happen. It is worth having a supply of passport photos to hand for visas and extensions (many need two or three photos). Below is a rough summary of major regions, but for a more detailed overview the Rough Guide: First-time series is recommended.
All information is based roughly on experiences of an EU passport holder. North Americans will have similar experiences. Australians, Kiwis, Israelis, Japanese and Koreans will run into more problems. South Africans and other nationalities will run into a load of problems. Here is a quick guide to regions (see country summaries for focused advice) - bracketed examples are not comprehensive lists and paragraphs are only rough guides for developed nation passport holders:
» Asia: Only more developed nations issue free visas on arrival (Japan, Sri Lanka, S. Korea, Thailand, Malaysia, Philippines and Singapore). Generally visas are best obtained in a major city in a neighbouring country, most effectively Bangkok, Delhi or Hong Kong for China. More and more nations (Nepal, Laos and Cambodia) have started offering visas for a fee when you arrive. This facility may however only exist if you fly in or enter at a major crossing. Almost everyone will need a visa before arrival for entry to India, Pakistan and Bangladesh. Independent travellers cannot visit North Korea or Bhutan. A tour must be booked - this is technically the same for travel in Tibet.
Central Asia, is always a pain and as with Russia, letters of invitation (LOI) are required for the most part (Kazakhstan & Kyrgyzstan notable exceptions, but many others falling fast). Without using an agency or other method get one, visas applications are tricky to impossible. With the LOI, sometimes you can collect on arrival (airport). At embassies, visas take a while to issue and are best in Turkey/Beijing or within the region. If on a tight schedule an embassy at home (or nearest to you, as some countries have few worldwide embassies) is the safest bet. From eastern China the nearest issuing embassies for those 'Stan' visas are Islamabad or Beijing (note some new consulates in Urumqi)- a hell of a backtrack.
» Australia and the Pacific: You do need a visa for Australia that is electronically stamped in your passport. This is generally free from the Australian embassy in your home country or about $US10 at a travel agent. If you wait until you are abroad, in say Bangkok, it will be more expensive. NZ and most of the rest of the Pacific is visa free in order to encourage tourism.
» Africa: (see North Africa left) Visa requirements vary dramatically for different passport holders. Generally visas are required for countries in East Africa, however these are normally obtained at the border (have $$ ready) with limited hassles (Tanzania, Kenya, Zambia) or in a neighbouring country's embassy for more off-the-beaten-track destinations (Mozambique, Ethiopia).
West Africa is a difficult place for visas and visa fees are a little expensive. Unless you are French or African you'll need a visa for most countries. With the exception of Nigeria and Cameroon (best picked up at home), you can pick these up as you travel with relative ease. They go for about US$20-50 a pop. Some are issued on the border, many are not and take 24hours in a neighbouring country.
» The Americas are visa hassle free for most (Australians and Kiwis have a few problems in South America). Visas are almost always free on the border and for a nice long period. Do check, there are some funny scenarios - for example: some EU countries may need a visa for Bolivia and so do US citizens. Brazil is also worth checking as US and many other non-EU visitors require an expensive visa. As a general note, for US citizens things are tightening up in Latin America with reciprocity tax causing visa costs to really mount up for USA citizens (see comment). Central America is free of most visa hassle.
» Europe: Apart from Belarus and Russia that require expensive and sometimes difficult visas (a letter of invitation will be required issued by an agency that makes you a real (or in the case of Russia, usually 'theoretical') hotel booking. Eastern Europe is now visa free for most. Some like Albania require on the border fees. Moldavia and the Ukraine have recently dropped visa requirements for most (EU, Swiss, Japan, USA/Canada) and the EU has extended to include the likes of Romania and Bulgaria, but with some Eastern European countries Ozzies, Kiwis and Yanks will require a visa (Baltic's, Poland & Bulgaria now don't). Western Europe is visa hassle free for most and with Serbia finally dropping their visa requirement, you can crisscross Europe at leisure.
» Middle East and North Africa: An Iranian visa is best achieved with an 'authorisation code' letter. For an easier ride, it's best to contact an agency such as Key2persia and get them to send a visa authorisation code to your embassy of choice. Many travellers settle for a transit visa (5 days), however they can no longer be extended. For more details see the Iran summary. Syria is another tricky one. Unless you have no Syrian consulate or embassy in your home nation (New Zealand) you'll technically need to get your visa in your home country. Otherwise you can get it at the border. Getting a Syrian visa in Turkey or Egypt is an expensive (you will probably need a letter of recommendation from your national embassy which you will pay for) and lengthy process. See Syria country summary as have been getting some mixed reports on this information - it seems things maybe changing. At least Syria doesn't mind independent travelers which isn't something the Libyan authorities are keen on and you will struggle greatly to be granted a visa without a tour, but there are tour agencies who will get you a visa, having to meet you at the airport/border (forget the embassies or the lottery with the Tunis consulate). Dispute widely reported independent travel is possible in the country (at least along the coast). If you still run into red-tape some agencies can provide a guide rather than a tour. Still Libya is very tough to get a visa for without a pre-booked tour. All visitors must have their passport office or embassy stamp a Arabic 'translation stamp' into their passport, you then fill out your personal details in Arabic.
Also worth mentioning here whilst on the subject of Syrian visas, is that for all Middle Eastern and North African countries (except Egypt, Morocco and Turkey) you must have no evidence of a trip to Israel in your passport - see Israel country summary for details on avoiding that stamp you don't want. The rest, apart from Saudi Arabia and Iraq - which are almost impossible unless you are a Muslim or aid worker - are normally easy enough. However, visas can be complicated for nations like Sudan and Djibouti where tourists rarely stray.
Mailed comment: If you ever get frustrated by the delays and mounting costs of visas, take a look at how much a national of the country you are trying to visit would pay for his/her visa to your home country, especially if you are an American. Don't forget with an EU or North American passport you actually have it pretty easy!

If you have heard differently or know different to any of the above then it may need up dating - please let us know.


General safety and crime
You really shouldn't worry too much about safety: a lot of people get paranoid. All you really need to do is to check your government's advisory website - the UK foreign advisory is pretty sensible, with limited scare mongering (although it's got quite a bit worse recently), unlike the USA equivalent. Find out the areas you really should stay away from or take special care in, what the latest scams and dangers are and generally stay in touch with the news in volatile areas like the Middle East.
All good guidebooks have sections on staying safe and all the latest scams and how to deal with them in their respective country. Going back on what was said in the beginning, maybe you should stay a little paranoid, since then you'll be on your guard and safe, but really there is nothing to generally worry about. The biggest risk you take whilst away is something you seem to do more often than anything else - getting on a bus. For this and many other reasons lip-services to terrorism won't be given here, since the reality behind the headlines and constant media focus is to most independent travellers in 99.9% of the world is there are much bigger issues to be concerned about.
As for crime, this is one of the most difficult things to write about in context on this website. Dwelling on the subject must inevitably fuel paranoia in first-time travellers, yet glossing over it can only place inexperienced travellers at greater risk of being robbed. Simplistically, you need to recognise two things. The first is that Asian and African (and to a lesser extent Latin American) society is inherently far more law-abiding than our own (to the extent that criminals are stoned in several countries). The second is that thieves will be present on your trip, as they are everywhere, and often target westerners, who are not only reliably wealthy relative to locals, but who also are very easy to spot.
A degree of discrimination and caution is appropriate when you travel, but only a degree. Bear in mind that people with a criminal intent make up a tiny fraction of 1% of the population, so that an attitude of indiscriminate paranoia, wherever you are, can only divert your attention away from genuinely suspicious characters. Experience suggests that the vast majority of crimes against tourists occur in one of a few specific places and/or in reasonably predictable circumstances.
Also see avoiding theft in the on the road section.
To generalise, follow these three rules for general safety: 1) Make sure you have clothes with secure pockets or means carry your cash/docs and keep everything well organised - only take out what you need for the day. 2) Be extra aware in large cities, bus and train stations, especially those with a reputation: treat anyone who tries to talk to you or distract you as suspicious. 3) Remember the vast amount of crime happens at night. Don't stray too far, get too drunk/stoned and return via taxi if necessary.


Going solo - travelling alone
Although the advice here is essentially 'don't worry and just do it', it's not fair to gloss over the subject in such a manner as it's enormously difficult to give an accurate picture of the experience of travelling alone, since it can vary enormously and is almost always filled with highs and lows. There are a number of factors to take into consideration, from luck to the time of year and most importantly destination and personality.
Nonetheless, honestly speaking the best advice to those who are worried about being alone abroad or feel not having anyone to go with is preventing them from travelling is to remember that travelling alone is far, far better than not travelling at all and that there are many lone travellers, both male and female, all over the world right now (certainly it is seemingly a much more popular option with Japanese and Korea travelers than with westerners). Pick an easy country to start with (say, Singapore or New Zealand) and go. It will be the best thing you ever do - consider it the advantage it can be and not the disadvantage many see it as. The thing is you won't be alone all the time as making friends and teaming up with people is often easy. You will, when alone, meet and talk to far more people than if with a partner and especially locals, who are much more likely to invite you into their lives.
The flip side is not every day is great: you will undoubtedly find yourself in a situation where things don't go so fantastically and not having someone to share those frustrations with or to lend a helping hand can be a little depressing. Getting sick whilst travelling is the perfect example. You will also have days when you won't have a conversation with anyone which can certainly get you down. Finally luck plays a big part of who you meet - you might meet some great people to travel with in a remote destination and then on hitting a backpacker hub like Thailand find yourself isolated despite hordes of other travellers (or the opposite can happen). Signing up for local day tours is a great way to meet people, as is approaching others to share taxis from airports, bus or train stations. Both are easy to do and in the case of the latter very handy since this is when you feel your most alone. In developed countries, staying in hostels and using shared transport aimed at backpackers puts you in touch with a lot of people. To many this advice is unnecessary as they may well be confident in themselves and well travelled, although that's not everyone. It does take courage to head off alone, but you won't be the only one and if you have doubt as to just how you will fare at least find out. Most of the world is yours to explore and not, as the media would have us believe, some big bad dangerous entity that will eat you alive the moment you step off the plane.
For single women the question of whether to go solo is of course, a much more of a difficult question. Certainly it's worth thinking carefully about travelling without pervious experience alone in places like Northern India or Arab/Muslim countries, since men can give you somewhat more attention than you require. Lone females do sometimes attract such attention and it can be frustrating, annoying and at its worst, quite scary, although a lot of it is fairly harmlessly derived from the fact that a lot of males (South Asians in particular) have fairly warped ideas about women. It can't be totally prevented, any more than it can be in your home country, but it can be minimised with general commonsense such as dressing conservatively, having a more planned route with a few advanced bookings and being assertive when required. What is nice to know is that in many, many destinations women won't get any hassle and where such hassle can occur you will find women only queues and seating areas on trains and buses, and that you are generally looked after by locals who often take you under their wing. If heading off as a lone female you probably don't need to be told, but all the advice about staying safe on this site needs following to the tenth degree, particularly that about walking in secluded areas after dark. All this said, lone female travellers are not uncommon and such a venture is quite manageable and far, far from being unnecessarily dangerous given the correct attitude.
Travelling alone, whether male or female you are going to have to be generally more on your guard. In less travelled countries (like Central Asia or West Africa) unless you are outgoing, travelling alone can be miserable with fewer creature comforts, possible language barriers and less travellers to meet. To summarise: your feelings regarding the outcome of your trip are probably going to be mixed. Guaranteed will be some great experiences and a sense of fulfillment and confidence, but you are probably going to also recall a day or two when you were down in the dumps... all in all you're going to remember the good bits. For those contemplating travelling alone just remember the advice above... alone is always better than not at all. What's more, it beats the pants off taking a totally organised tour and more often than not it opens doors to the very best experiences travel has to offer. Let's not forget there can be many negative issues when travelling with friends, partners or relatives!

» All the above advice also applies to older travellers. Don't be put off - again just like couples and single travellers there are many older travellers enjoying life in exotic places around the world.
Age is no major hindrance to independent travel on a budget and it is easy to make friends and to pay a little bit extra for luxury when required.
Easy talk:
When travelling to a new country it's useful to learn who the country's leading football players, movie stars or cricketers are. It's a great way to start a conversation in any bar and if you have some knowledge of their sporting stars, it will endear you to the locals.


Guidebooks in the planning stage
If heading off on a long multi-country trip, it's worth knowing that you really don't need to take a guidebook from home for every country you intend to visit. The cost and weight is just unnecessary: guides (okay sometimes not the latest update or small print run editions for out-of-the-way countries) are normally readily available on the way if you look hard enough in regional and traveller centres.
As for using guidebooks in the planning stage of a trip, the standard 'do this - go there' country guides (such as Lonely Planet or Rough Guide) are little help with too much detail. The best book to read before heading to Asia is 'Asia Overland' from Trailfinders - this is one of the best (if a little out-of-date) travel resource around (see details of it here and of a newer South East Asia version). Rough Guide's First-Time series are practical, down to earth and well written with many anecdotes. They have one for every region and also a RTW version - these are the best planning books. The Lonely Planet: Read This First books are again good, but now out of print (due to be replaced?). Both series can be overviewed and seen in more detail by clicking here.
Check out the recommended books pages and country summaries pages for the best guidebooks recommended for each country and where/if you can pick them up on the way. Please also look at the in-depth guidebook exposé in the on the road section. You may want to make photocopies of city maps before you go: easier than taking the whole book out into town every time.
Another point is many are very surprised at the number of good guidebooks in their local library: these can be used for research or for photocopying sections.


Travel photography
Where to go and what to see - the planning stage
Oh God, where do you start? See camera details and advice in the what to pack section. In addition, there are many good links to sites dedicated to this subject in the links section. For that reason this huge area is being left somewhat empty, since it is worthy of a whole site itself. Recommended however is the great LP published book (pictured right) for literally everything you would need to know on the subject and some top advice.
See the where to go section for some tips and ideas, or any of the titles recommended in the 'planning books' section of the site.
Another very useful resource for answering specific questions in the planning stage are travel newsgroups such as rec.travel.asia or Lonely Planet's Thorn Tree.


Volunteering & 'Voluntourism'
It's not easy talking about volunteering and particularly to say anything bad about it. After all the notion of helping out and giving your time to those less fortunate than you is commendable. Nevertheless that's a romantic notion that does not reflect the majority of volunteering opportunities offered to gap year and other travellers by businesses in the developed world. 'Voluntourism' has grown exponentially in the past decade and is a booming business. Ten years back, companies offering volunteering opportunities abroad were few and far between. Today their are over 70 such companies in the UK alone, with the industry's estimated worth being over 800GBP million. From teaching to working with pigmy elephants there's a company that can sell you the opportunity to volunteer abroad.
For the most part the industry is focused around gap yearers between 18-24, new to travel wanting to go abroad, but unsure how to do so and a little apprehensive at the uncertainly and perceived danger of independent travel, and of course those who want to help out and 'give something to the world'. One such company and a major player is 'i-to-i', just to illustrate how much of a business this industry has become it's worth knowing that 'i-to-i' is owned by 'First Choice Holidays' one of the major package holiday operates in Europe (parent group is TUI and owns other brands such as Thomson). Take a look at their and other glossy sites (easily found through high-priced google ads) with promise of 'learning a skill', 'life changing travel', 'meaningful train tours' and prices topping several thousand Euros/Dollars.
The industry has developed, driven by a demand from individuals to do volunteering work on various projects, be it working with children, building a well or rescuing turtles in whatever location. This demand has translated into supply by commercially driving companies to find/create these opportunities. What is so wrong with this picture is the reverse should be true. When a project has a need, it is matched to an individual, not the other way around. So competitive has this demand for projects become there are examples of companies (with reference to i-to-i in Sri Lanka) requesting projects to sign exclusivity contracts agreeing they will only take their volunteers.
The whole phenomena starts with a would be volunteer/traveller seeing things as: 'I want to help out, I want to make a contribution, I want to travel in a way that is worthwhile'. There are just too many 'I' there, when in fact the whole notion of volunteering is not about you at all. Many of these 'opportunities' are offered short term with even weekend volunteering being available. This is perhaps the most damaging, consider teaching for three weeks in Africa, when a school term is three months which would be a minimum - aside from the fact that although giving your time is an admirable thing, many of these schools would be in greater need of books and even desks compared to the time of someone with no teacher training when teacher shortages are never normally a problem.
So the word to the wise is tread with extreme care, what are your motivations? Why are you paying large sums to volunteer? Where is the money going? How come the company is spending a lot on advertising? Should I not take the money I would have spent on my flight and donate to a specific project or at least fund raise at home? The slicker the site, the more glossy the opportunity (collecting turtle eggs anyone?) the more you need to be aware. Let's be fair most of those volunteering do so for largely selfish reasons and unless you are careful you can find yourself in a situation doing more harm than good. Consider the fact their is no shortage of those desperate for work in the third world and in a worst case scenario you can find yourself substituting local jobs to a degree. Equally many opportunities alone can isolate you from the country you are visiting and do not allow the wider experience an independent traveller (conscious of his means of travel, making donations or helping at specific points) might experience.
As a final note, the above is only something for consideration. A backlash and a word of warning to how what is essential a good thing has been cynically exploited by a newly created industry. There are loads of worthwhile opportunities available and tonnes for free or non-profit making ones with you can contact directly - of which there are some links to on this site in the links section and can easily be found with some savvy web searching and questions. Aside from this lets not forget schemes such as VSO and Peace Corp of which function in a totally different manner.