15 Backpacking Tips For Beginners (Backpacking Travel)

Looking for some backpacking tips for beginners?

Then you’ve come to the right place as I’m a full-time backpacker so I know all of the best tips and tricks.

It can be hard to know how to start backpacking, and inevitably, you will make mistakes and learn from them, but I’ve put together a list of backpacking tips for beginners which can hopefully make your first few backpacking trips go a bit smoother.

It’s my favourite form of travelling, and it’s becoming more and more popular each year, so don’t worry, you’re not the only one in the “starting out” stage.

Let’s get on with it, shall we?

Backpacking Tips For Beginners

I’ve kept these tips as simple as possible, as you want to get the basics right before getting into the nitty gritty stuff. My post on how to travel on a budget goes into a bit more detail on more advanced backpacking tips such as always choosing a hostel with free breakfast or using volunteering programmes like Worldpackers.

1. Choose Your Destination Wisely

The first and most important backpacking tip for beginners is to choose your destination wisely.

Since backpacking is all about travelling on a budget, spending as little as possible, you’ll want to visit a country which is affordable to visit.

For example, backpacking in Thailand is incredibly popular, as it’s very affordable to visit and you can survive on a budget for a good amount of time.

Whereas expensive countries like Switzerland aren’t really designed for backpacking, or at least not for a beginner.

When you’re starting out, you want to visit somewhere where it is easy to visit on a budget, such as the likes of Thailand, Vietnam and Laos in Southeast Asia or Belize, Nicaragua and Panama in Latin America.

I’ve put together a list of the best countries for backpacking if you are in need of some ideas.

2. Don’t Overpack

This is one that you’ve probably heard before, and you’re probably sick of hearing it, but it’s super important. Don’t overpack.

I remember before I started backpacking, I used to read it and hear it everywhere and I got to the point where I began to not even take it in or listen to it.

But the truth is, that no matter how many people tell you, you’re still going to overpack for your first trip. It’s just how it is. You’ll take stuff that you think you’ll need or use or wear and the reality is that you won’t.

Don’t worry though- I still get that feeling. I pretty much take less and less with me on each trip I take and there’s always something that doesn’t get put to use.

I remember reading years ago someone who said, “Whenever you think you have packed, take half of it out, and then you have packed”. I used to think it was pretty extreme but to be honest, I’m slowly but surely beginning to think they were right.

So in short, only pack things you know you will use for sure. Don’t pack for every unlikely eventuality “just in case” or because “what if..”.

3. Have A Smile On Your Face

When you’re backpacking, you’re going to meet so many new people along the way, especially if you’re staying in a hostel.

And it makes it so much easier to make new friends if you have a smile on your face and you’re nice to everyone you meet.

It sounds like common sense and just a usual rule of life, but you’d be surprised how many people are always grumpy and rude when you speak to them in hostels.

There are some easy ways to show off that smile on your face:

• Always say hello when you walk into a hostel room, otherwise, it gets awkward, fast.
• If you ask locals questions (hostel/attraction workers, police, taxi drivers, etc.), turn it into a conversation afterwards.
• Offer to take pictures of people who are struggling to take a selfie and then chat after
• Ask people how their day is. I always do this to cabin crew when getting on a plane and no one else does…some people even ignore their hellos!
• Invite people in your hostel to join you in whatever you’re doing. Even if it’s just something like going to buy snacks. It’s friendly and means you can become friends.

4. Be Spontaneous

Continuing on from my last point of inviting people to join your plans, on the other hand, be prepared to accept those plans.

One of the most common “mistakes” I see beginner backpackers make is that they over-plan; their days are planned to the minute, and there is no wiggle room or flexibility.

But you want to allow some room for spontaneity. It’s one of my most important backpacking hacks.

You never know what you could be invited to join, and usually, the best times and memories come from last-minute things.

I took it to the extreme when I did the Banana Pancake Route in Southeast Asia with no plans except my first 3 nights in a hostel in Bangkok, but if you give yourself a small bit of flexibility, you never know what could happen.

If someone asks you to join their plans, why not say yes? What have you got to lose? It’s common to make really good friends and even continue to travel with each other.

For example, if you make a really good friend in Barcelona, you might end up travelling together to Madrid. But you wouldn’t be able to do that if your flight to Lisbon was already booked.

Don’t rule out opportunities for yourself before you even start travelling!

5. Don’t Forget Travel Insurance

Just because you’re travelling on a budget doesn’t mean you can skimp out on travel insurance. It’s still a really important part of travelling.

It’s expensive, it’s annoying, and unless you need to use it, it feels unnecessary, but it is. I always describe it as “It’s better to have it and not need it than to need it and not have it.“

I recommend SafetyWing for backpackers as you can choose multi-country options and it covers you for both travel and health-related incidents.

You never know what could go wrong while you’re backpacking, so I can’t encourage you to get travel insurance enough. If you don’t have it and something goes wrong, you’ll wish you did have it.

The amount of times I see people do the Ha Giang Loop in Vietnam with no prior riding experience, end up falling or crashing and needing to go to hospital, and then getting slapped with bills of thousands of dollars because they have no travel insurance is honestly quite sad. Don’t let yourself be that person.

6. Use Revolut

One of my favourite backpacking tips for beginners is to use Revolut. When you’re visiting countries that use a different currency to what you use at home, your bank will probably whack a huge fee for currency exchange.

Using Revolut means you aren’t charged a fee for currency conversion, which will save you money in the long run, plus, the exchange rates are better too. Some plans even include travel insurance so you can combine it with tip #5.

I’ve used it in over 20 countries and I haven’t had a single problem, I genuinely can’t recommend it enough. It’s a must-have app for travellers of any kind.

7. Don’t Cancel Your Subscriptions

When you’re travelling on a budget, you automatically think to cancel all of your subscriptions because 1) you think you won’t need them because you’re travelling and 2) it saves money.

I encourage you to do the opposite. Keep your subscriptions.

There will be times when you’ve to sit on a train for 6 hours and you’ve nothing to do to pass the time other than to watch Netflix. Or there’ll be a time where you go back into your hostel and there’s no one about, so you decide to listen to music on Spotify.

If you’re one of those people who spends hundreds a month on subscriptions that you never use, then yes, definitely get rid of them.

But there’s no harm in keeping one or two – it will keep you from being as bored while you’re experiencing the boring sides of backpacking because the truth is, it’s not all glamourous like you see on Instagram.

8. Make Use Of Student IDs

This is one of my favourite backpacking tips for beginners, and experts too.

If you’re a student, always bring your student ID with you. You can get discounts all around the world, especially in Europe.

You can get some amazing experiences that would normally be very expensive for very cheap.

As a random example, the multi-site ticket in Athens which includes entry to the Acropolis and other sites normally costs €30. You can get it for free as a student.

For backpackers, that’s €30 saved, which in Greece, is enough for a full extra day of travelling.

If you aren’t a student, I’m by no means telling you to make a fake student ID and bring it with you, but I will say that how is the man who works in a museum in Paris going to know if your University of London ID is legit or not?

9. Get A Day Bag

The whole point of backpacking is that you’re travelling with only a backpack. But this means that everything you own (at least while travelling) is in one big backpack.

No one wants to carry that around all day every day, so instead, get a smaller backpack which you can use for day outings.

You can use it to put in what you need for the day such as a water bottle, charging pack, any medication you need, wallet/purse, swim shorts, etc.

It can also double up as a backpack you use as a carry-on when taking flights, because most backpacking backpacks above 40L or so, can’t be used as hand luggage.

10. Go For Local Experiences

I can’t emphasise this backpacking tip for beginners enough! One of the reasons people choose backpacking as a form of travel is because you get a more authentic and unfiltered experience.

But only if you allow it to happen.

Always opt for local experiences rather than what you’re comfortable with, in my opinion. What I mean by this is rather than booking a Ha Long Bay cruise online and spending hundreds, just find a local company while you’re in Vietnam and you can get a much better and cheaper experience.

It applies to food too – while I do miss my “usual” food while travelling, it’s so much better to eat like a local, and again, cheaper too. And contrary to common belief, food poisoning isn’t guaranteed to give you food poisoning.

You can apply it to pretty much anything. Not only does it offer more authentic experiences, you help out a local family most of the time, rather than giving money to a multi-billion dollar company like McDonalds or Tripadvisor.

11. Don’t Book Direct

Leading on from the last point, while I recommend Hostelworld as the best way of choosing a hostel to stay in, I don’t actually recommend booking with them.

I’m shooting myself in the foot here as I’m an affiliate for Hostelworld, meaning I make money if you book a hotel by clicking my link, but it’s almost always cheaper to book directly with the hostel.

So after you find your desired hostel on Hostelworld, search the name of the hostel on Google and see if they have a website where you can book your bed. If they do, it’s probably cheaper. If they don’t, you might be able to phone them and make a reservation that way.

Again, you’re directly supporting the local business – there’s a reason they can offer cheaper prices!

12. Learn Some Basic Phrases

Continuing the theme of diving deep into a country’s way of life and embracing the culture, one of the best parts about backpacking in my opinion is learning some basic phrases in the local language.

Not just because it benefits you and allows you to get by, plus all of the brain benefits it brings, but because of the reaction you get from locals.

Particularly in places where the language isn’t commonly spoken amongst tourists such as when you’re backpacking Kathmandu (the language is Nepali). The smile you get from the old lady in the shop when you say “thank you” is hard to beat.

You don’t need to become fluent, but just learning some basic manners and short phrases can really make a huge difference to your trip. Try it out and I promise, you’ll see what I mean.

13. Always Get Their Instagram

One of my unofficial hostel rules and backpacking tips for beginners is to always get someone’s Instagram if you make friends with them (or another way of contacting them in future).

There are a few benefits of this:

• You can keep in touch and remain friends
• You can see their future travels and get inspired
• It’s a potential future opportunity

What I mean by the last one is that if you travel often, you’ll probably end up visiting the country or city that they’re from. And by remaining in touch, there’s an opportunity to meet up with them again in future, or maybe even find somewhere to stay.

For example, I met a guy called Vincent in DC who was Greek-American who spends half of the year in Athens. Well, guess where I just happened to be visiting two months later? You guessed it, Athens. So we met up and had a nice meal.

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, the best part of travelling is the people you meet. But don’t just let those people turn into a “3 day friendship” and never speak to them again- stay in touch!

14. Have Rest Days

This tip particularly applies if you’re travelling for an extended period of time. If you’re travelling for 2 months, you aren’t going to be able to have a jam-packed day every single day.

It’s not realistic, as you will burn out very quickly. Travel burnout is a real thing, and when it hits you, you’ll not want to do anything for a good few days.

So to avoid this, allow yourself some time to relax. You don’t need to do something huge every day, take a day to just go for a walk in the park or even just chill in the hostel watching movies (remember to keep your subscriptions).

I even recommend booking a private room in a hostel every now and again, as having some privacy for even just one night is a huge refresher.

15. Take Free Tours

Last but by no means least of my backpacking tips for beginners is to take free tours.

No matter where I go in the world, one of the first things I do is always take a free walking tour.

It allows me to get a grasp on the destination and its history, so I better understand where I’m visiting. Plus, it makes it easy to meet new people which is a big perk of travelling solo.

Personally, I always use FreeTour as I find they have tours pretty much anywhere in the world.

One thing to note is that the term “Free Tour” is somewhat misleading as you are expected to tip the guide at the end. Still, tipping $10 for a tour that would usually cost upwards of $50 is a pretty good bargain in my opinion.

Tips For Backpackers: FAQ

Below are some questions related to backpacking tips for beginners along with my answers to each question.

Wrap Up

And there you have it, all of my best backpacking tips for beginners.

Backpacking is a fine art and it takes time and practice to become an expert, but don’t feel like you need to start out perfect.

It’s okay to make mistakes – everyone spends more than they should from time to time, and that’s okay. It’s the memories that count, right?

Now that you know how to get started as a backpacker, you might want to work out how much your trip is going to cost you. Check out my backpacking calculator– I recommend going for the “average backpacker” budget since you are just starting out.