Backpacking around the world – What you need to know

I haven’t been everywhere, but it’s on my list – Susan Sontag

Backpacking is one of the biggest adventures you can undertake and it dubiously comes with its own peaks and pitfalls.

We’ve rounded up a couple of things to think about while planning your trip of a lifetime so you’ll have all the right questions prepared for the Holiday World Show exhibitors next January 2020 at the RDS Simmonscourt.

Health

Travel Insurance

Make sure you take out a Travel insurance package that covers:

• Where you will be going
• The extent of activities you will be participating in
• Applicable across all of the countries you’ll be visiting

As a backpacker you will be travelling across multiple countries over the couple of months or year you are travelling. This is a perfect opportunity to look into opting for the Backpackers type of Travel Insurance. It will be more cost-effective than booking a range of different policies for all of the countries you wish to visit.

You don’t want to cut corners where your health is concerned so it’s important to make a good effort when it comes to finding the perfect Insurance package.

A pocket First Aid kit

You may not need it once or you may call upon it use more than a handful of times, but whatever you do – don’t leave yourself stuck!

Here’s our top suggestions to keep with you at all times:

•  Plasters in all shapes and sizes
• Bandages
• Gauze
• Scissors
• Cleansing wipes
• Tape
• Insect repellent
• Antiseptic cream
• Painkillers
• Cough medicine
• Antihistamine

Vaccinations

Research your chosen destinations wisely as you’ll need to make sure you’re correctly vaccinated. A lot of vaccinations need time to work their way into your system before you travel so make sure you give yourself plenty of time to schedule this in before you go!

Hospitals

Make sure you look up the nearest hospitals as soon as you arrive, or perhaps even before this. Try to avoid putting yourself in a difficult situation by Google Mapping the nearest hospital and even better if there’s a chance of an International / English speaking hospital. You never know when you might need it!