FiveLittleThings about Backpacking

Research : If you are going somewhere then you’ve really got to know a bit about it before you go. Have an idea about what there is to do there, what challenges you’ll face, what diseases you might need a jab for, visa requirements…just get the basics sorted and then once you are on the ground you can take it from there.

Blend : There is nothing worse than a loud, obtrusive tourist. It’s not a game and it’s not a freakshow. Rather than sticking your camera in the local’s faces just go, have fun, join in. Try and get a basic grounding in the language. Even if it’s just a few standard Hellos and Thank Yous. Making a little effort goes a long way.

Go with the flow : It’s frustrating sometimes. Bureacracy, reservations being lost, buses and trains not turning up, market stall owners constantly trying to make the sale. If you wanted a nice easy life you’d be on a beach somewhere getting burnt to a crisp. It’s nothing personal so don’t take it that way. Count to 10 and smile. One day’s disaster is another day’s anecdote so just chalk it up to experience.

Respect : You ain’t in Kansas anymore…the locals have a different way of doing things, it might be something little or it might be something ridiculous but you’ve got to toe the line. If they ask you not to take a picture then don’t, if they ask you not to clamber all over their treasured monument then don’t. When in Rome…

Walk : When is the next time you are going to be here? Possibly never. Explore. You might be hot and tired but make that extra effort to do as much as possible. Squeeze as much as possible in because ultimaltely that’s why you are there. There’s nothing worse than getting home and finding there was something truly fantastic round the next corner but you stayed in the pub all afternoon.

In 2003 SEO consultant and sports blog writer Stuart Brandwood travelled round the world visiting India, Thaliand, Nepal, Malaysia, Cambodia, Australia, New Zealand, Fiji, The Cooks Islands, Mexico and Guatemala, since then he’s been to places like Peru, Japan…and Belgium. He knows he’s barely scratched the surface.