For the fortunate few, life isn’t complete without a backpacking trip through Europe. Here are backpacking tips need to be succesful backpacking.
These travel tips will be helpful.
Millions of people head off to Europe on a backpacking trip each year.
I mention this because you should keep in mind you can buy everything there if you forget it here.
The first time people go backpacking in Europe, they tend to completely overdue it on the packing front.
You are not climbing Mount Everest, so don’t overdue it!
The first things to pack are clothes.
Depending on where you are going, you may need clothes for warm weather or cold.
Assuming it is warm, you need a couple of shirts that are wrinkle resistant.
You will buy others there, so don’t pack ten.
You also will need a pair of shorts and a bathing suit. If you plan on visiting museums and churches, you will need a pair of long pants to get into many of them. This is a important backpacking tips.
Pack something light that is wrinkle resistant.
For your feet, you can load up on socks because they do not take much space. You will need some sandals and then a pair of something comfortable.
Some prefer hiking boots, but I usually went with cross trainers.
Whatever you do, make sure you get used to the shoes before heading off. You are going to walk a lot, so blisters from new shoes can be a killer.
On the personal front, you need a brush, toothpaste and any medicinal needs.
That is it. You can buy anything else you need as you need it. There is zero point to lugging around shampoo all over Europe.
Murphy’s law says it will open in your backpack! Keep it super simple.
While your trip will result in great memories, they will fade in time.
Take a camera and, of course, one of our travel journals.
The camera should be hardy so it can take the inevitable beating that will occur.
Our Nomad travel journals are compact and in a case. They are perfect for trips to Europe because we were on one when we got the idea!
Europeans can read. This means you can buy guidebooks over there.
If you plan to visit three or four countries, take the guidebook for the FIRST country only.
You can pick up the others over there or trade with other backpackers. Guidebooks are heavy and this will save you the aggravation of hauling them everywhere. Also, cybercafés are everywhere, so you do not need to bring a laptop unless you really have a specific need like blogging.
Finally, keep copies of your passport and any supporting documentation with you.
One set goes in your backpack while another goes in your shorts, money belt or wherever you have space.
Pack light. If you forget something, you can buy it over there.
That being said, you must take some things with you. On the positive side, you don’t need that much.
Europe is not another planet.
Of course, others have opined that copious amounts of alcohol, sun and Amsterdam have something to do with it.
Regardless of your purpose, you still have to figure out what to take.
Backpack – Getting In Touch With Your Inner Mule
Obviously, the first critical item is your backpack. Picking your backpack is the most important backpacking tips.
While one doesn’t need to buy the $10,000 Himalaya Turbo Pack, you should also avoid the $12 blue light special. So, how do you pick a happy middle ground?
The best method for picking a backpack involves three phone books.
With the books, head to the backpackapalozza section of the store and pick out a few sturdy/cool/outrageous rigs. Stuff the phone books in, adjust the straps and go for a walk.
Now break out into a run to simulate future dashes for trains/ ferries/ toilets and make the sales people nervous. These steps should quickly reveal the perfect pack.
Now, you may have read other publications suggesting highly technical ways to select a backpack.
Trust me, until you have run for the last ferry from Italy to Greece, you have no idea how to pick a pack.
What To Take [ Backpacking Tips]
There are a few mantras that every person should chant before packing for Europe. These chants were developed originally by the little known, Oh-My-Back Monks of Southeast Asia.
The “OMB” Monks were known for traveling half way to far off cities, turning around, returning home and then traveling the full way to said cities. Religious experts opined as to the deep metaphysical meaning of such trips.
They were later embarrassed when the monks revealed the back and forth nature of the trips was due to forgetting something, often whether they had turned off the iron. Nonetheless, such chants have become the guiding light of experienced backpackers.
Let us slowly and clearly chant together,
“I will pack only that which will not result in me being hunched over like a Sherpa.”
“Remember, I can pick it [(lower voice) toothpaste, book, soap] up over there.”
“I will not stuff thy pack to the point of bursting, for thy damn zippers always break/get snagged/refuse to work.”
“I will learn humility through wearing incredibly wrinkled clothes and shall not bring an iron.”
“I shall bring only one guide book, not one for each country that I MIGHT see.”
“I accept that I will come home wearing something I didn’t take and will have lost/traded/burned much of what I did take.”
For female travelers and, okay, the occasional male,
“I will not bring high heels or a gaggle of make-up.”
Admittedly, chanting these mantras will not bringing you immediate enlightenment. Fret, not. You can always throw items away or send them home in a box to your parents/friends/parole officer.
For the resourceful backpacker, it is not unheard of to send particularly smelly/discolored/toxic clothing to an ex-girlfriend/ex-boyfriend/little brother.
Follow these practical guidelines and you will soon happily be speaking in a loud voice to make foreigners understand you. When packing things look at these backpacking tips.
The Evidence
This is the hard part for most travelers to wrap their minds around.
You will forget those special moments of your trip when you met the hunk Sven or babe Svenetta from Sweden and had a romantic evening/danced the night away/got arrested in Ios/Ibiza/the airport.
Maybe not immediately, but you will eventually forget.
You will also forget or lose the contact information of people you meet, despite meticulously writing it down on the back of a coaster/napkin/your hand in a bar/poetry reading/jail at three in the morning.
Surprisingly, said coaster/napkin/hand often survive the night/day/weekend and get deposited in your already trashed backpack.
Of course, their presence is often forgotten when you later put a Oktoberfest mug/wet towel/toothbrush in.
The extra padding at the bottom of your pack is specifically designed to deal with the decomposing result.
To properly record the magical moments of your trip, you must take a diary or journal. Don’t worry, you can burn it later before you get married/your parents get nosey/you have kids.
You want a journal in a water/beer/sweat resistant case.
Of course, I prefer a Nomad Travel Journal, but just make sure you take something. When you have some extra time in the bus/train/jail cell, you can record how you got there and the people you met.
Trust me, when you, you are old and your nine children are sitting on the porch, you will greatly enjoy reading your journal.
Of course, that assumes you didn’t burn it.
Happy Backpacking! I hope these backpacking tips help you!