How to prepare for a one-backpack trip around the world

After working for eight years in France in IT, we decided that working in a large corporation can wait, but whether there will be opportunities, time and energy to go on such a voyage in 10–20 years, we do not know, so we need to go now. We had a simple plan - to go wherever and whenever we wanted, until we ran out of money or until we got tired of the adventure. This trip around the world is only formal, that is, we will still overtake the globe, but we will visit no more than 10–12 countries.

Budget

So, having decided on such an adventure, the first question that we had to solve was the financial one. You need to consider how long you want to travel, how much you usually spend on vacation, and plan your budget accordingly.

It all depends on the countries you are going to and the level of comfort. In Southeast Asia - Indonesia, Cambodia, Thailand - you can live on 10 euros a day, and, for example, in Japan or Australia, even 100 euros a day for a couple will not be enough. We took our monthly budget for living in Paris as a basis and multiplied it by 12 months. We figured that in the countries of Southeast Asia, we will definitely spend less than planned, but in New Zealand and South America, we may have to save some places.

Our monthly budget includes room, board, entertainment and local travel by bus and train. To this amount we have added the cost of all flights - approximately 8,000 euros for two - and medical insurance for the year - 600 euros per person.

Route

It so happened that we definitely decided to leave in September, right after the summer holidays, without starting new projects at work. This became a decisive factor in the choice of directions. We made a list of countries and looked at what months the weather is good there. That is, for example, in October it is already cold in Mongolia - we cross it out, and in China it is still warm and sunny - we are going.

The list of countries can get long - this is normal, you will correct it along the way. But spending less than 3-4 weeks in one country will be very tiring. It is also worth considering how long and difficult it is to obtain a visa. It is necessary to check whether it is possible to obtain a visa online or only from the country of residence.

Among other things, at first, when you still have a lot of energy, it is worth visiting the "harder" places. These may be countries where you have to make an effort to travel a lot by public transport, overcome culture shock or language barriers.

We tried not to overdo the planning, but to be ready to change our route at any time. To begin with, we bought one-way tickets to China, the first country on our list. It was not that difficult to get a visa, but it took a couple of weeks of waiting. And that was also one of the reasons why we decided to start with China.

Tickets and transfers

There are special tickets for travel around the world from airline alliances like Star Alliance. The bottom line is that you prepay the fixed cost of tickets and plan your route.

On average, you can make about 15 major flights, and they must be in the same direction: from east to west or from north to east. In addition, you must return exactly to the city from which you flew. These tickets are open dates, and you can book a flight by simply calling a week before departure. Very convenient, but it costs between 3,500 and 5,000 euros per person.

For us, the main problem was strict planning of the route, albeit with open flight dates. We wanted to choose directions on the go and not be bound by decisions that we made a year ago, when we were still vaguely aware of where we were going.

Travel style

This is not about clothes and their color, we will talk about this a little further. What style are you going to travel in? Do you want to spend the night only in hotels and take a taxi, spend time in big cities or on the beaches, go hiking, sleep in nature, go to places with a cold and rainy climate, limit yourself to a smartphone or do you need a computer and tablet?

It would be nice to think about these questions ahead of time, because your freedom of movement on foot will depend on the shape of the luggage and its weight. In addition, you can save a lot if you limit yourself to hand luggage when flying. In general, there is something to think about.

Our travel style is to be in nature and hiking for as long as possible. And we filled our backpacks accordingly to be ready for any weather conditions. Minimum weight and equipment versatility were the main criteria. We have chosen things that are suitable both in the mountains and in the city. And if we suddenly decide that our wardrobe is not enough for warm countries, then we will buy the right one on the spot.

Contents of backpacks

Having decided that we are hikers, we made the choice of clothing and equipment in favor of versatility, lightness and strength. Preferably synthetic materials, no cotton - it is heavy and, when wet, dries for a very long time. We discovered a cool material - merino wool. T-shirts, socks, and everything else are made from it. It is lightweight, dries quickly and does not smell even after several days of wearing. In general, the same thing for dirty backpackers.

All equipment fit in backpacks with a volume of 45–55 liters, and the weight of each did not exceed 10 kg, that is, a little less than 20 kg for two. And by the way, the more bulky you take bags or backpacks, the more chances that you will fill them to the top. So it is better to limit yourself to medium or small bags from the very beginning.

And regardless of the style of your travel, we would recommend packing such luggage that you can carry for at least half an hour in search of a hotel somewhere in Jakarta.

Our clothes

Merino wool thermal underwear.
A pair of T-shirts made of the same material.
Briefs and light and warm socks (no more than three pairs) are also made of merino wool.
Hiking lightweight softshell pants.
Fleece jacket.
Light down jacket.
Membrane jacket for protection from rain and wind.
Membrane pants.
Running shoes (you need to keep fit while traveling).
Lightweight trekking boots.
Lightweight wool gloves.
Heavy duty wind and moisture resistant gloves.
Transformable Bandana Buff.
Glasses.

It should be noted that our list is very minimalistic. The things themselves should be universal in color so that everything fits easily together.

And since we plan to be in nature for a significant part of the trip, we took with us a tent, sleeping bags, air mattresses and a burner.

Our electronic devices

Instead of a computer, a lightweight Surface Go tablet.
Kindle reader.
GoPro to shoot video and Sony DSC-RX100M4 to shoot. Both devices easily upload footage to the phone via Wi-Fi.
Garmin Oregon 450 GPS navigator to help you stay on track.
A great little Garmin inReach Mini gadget to give you an SOS signal if you need help from rescuers.
A sports watch that measures your heart rate and height.
A pair of external batteries to charge all your electronics on the go.
Three-port USB charging.
Adapter for Skross sockets. All over the world, sockets are not yet standardized, unfortunately.
A pair of Petzl headlamps. Many models are now USB charging.
A pair of USB cables and some cheap earbuds that don't mind losing.

Three favorite things

Anton

Down jacket Norrøna because it is compact and technologically advanced. With down and synthetic filling.
Garmin Phoenix watch. Because there is no better watch for running and hiking.
Gregory Backpack. Because it is lightweight, only 1,100 g.

Iny

Down jacket Patagonia, because it is warm and light.
Sleeping bag Cumulus, which is comfortable even at -10 ° C, because it is also very warm (we are finishing the article in Nepal, but at night it is very cold here).
Norrøna pants because lightweight, black and versatile - both for the mountains and for the city.

Insurance

Traveling a year long cannot do without some minor or major problems. The best thing is, of course, to find insurance that will cover both a visit to the doctor, and lost luggage, and a helicopter call at an altitude of 5000 meters above sea level. We did not find universal insurances that could be bought without looking, so we had to think about what exactly we want from the insurance package and see what was on the market.

Photo by authors

Here you have to delve into the details and understand what each insurance company means by "extreme sports". After all, I do not want to, having broken my leg, find out that mountain biking or surfing is not included in this list.

Find out exactly if you can claim a refund if you get robbed anywhere on the streets of Paris or Nicaragua. In this case, we have kept electronic copies of all receipts for the purchase of equipment.

The main insurance companies that specialize in travel around the world are World Nomads and True Traveler. And here you can choose different options depending on your travel style. Read the full terms of your contract and find out exactly what to do in each insured event.

Vaccination and first aid kit

Depending on where you will be traveling, you will need to get several vaccinations. For a list of countries and required vaccines, see the World Health Organization's recommendations for Vaccination Requirements and Recommendations for International Travel.

We have been vaccinated against the following diseases:

tetanus;
diphtheria;
polio;
hepatitis B;
hepatitis A (especially for Southeast Asia);
typhoid;
yellow fever (for South America);
rabies.

We also put together a small first-aid kit so as not to look for where to buy medicine at the first sign of a cold or indigestion. It is important not to overdo it here, because we also do not want to self-medicate. For any serious illness, you should, of course, contact a professional. And the first aid kit itself is better to collect in consultation with your doctor.

What's in our first aid kit:

plasters and bandages;
disinfectants;
remedies for diarrhea;
general antibiotics;
probiotics;
paracetamol (you shouldn't take a lot, you can buy it absolutely everywhere);
diclofenac gel;
sunscreen.

They took something resembling a school pencil case as a medicine bag. And you can save space by putting all the tablets in separate bottles.

Preparation plan

Six months before departure

Choose a route.
Approve the budget.

Five months before departure

Check the validity of your foreign passport and apply for a new one if the term is about to expire.
Start vaccination.
Solve the issue of vacation at work. If possible, it is better to go unpaid.
Buy air tickets.
Consult a doctor, visit a dentist.

Three months before departure

Start buying equipment.
If you are renting an apartment, notify the landlord that you are leaving.
Apply for an International Driving License.
Apply for visas to the countries you will travel to first.

Two months before departure

Find where to leave your furniture and other things if you move out of a rented apartment.
Check the validity of bank cards.
Check the card withdrawal limit.
Close your subscription to the Internet, phone, auto and medical insurance, if any.
Look through friends for possible acquaintances in the countries where you will go.

One month before departure

Sell unnecessary items.
Decide how you will share your impressions with loved ones: whether you will run Instagram, a YouTube channel, or just send photos in the messenger.
Read something about the first country of your trip.

Two weeks before departure

Buy medicines in the first aid kit.
Pay for travel insurance.
Download music and movies to your phone and laptop (if you take it with you).
Write down the numbers of relatives and emergency numbers (bank, insurance company, consulate) in a notebook.
Make several copies of your passport.
Print insurance certificate.
Take photographs for documents (10-15 copies). Useful for visas and permits to visit national parks.