Before you Go

Here's what you need to give consideration to before you go backpacking and suggestions of how to deal with it - listed in this order:

insurance and buying a ticket (RTW or regular) immunizations and malaria prophylaxis daily travel costs and how to take funds visas and general safety travelling alone and guidebooks in the planning stage travel photography and general destination planning advice volunteering and 'Voluntourism'

    Travel Insurance

It goes without saying that you'll need insurance, but it's not something you should be sorting at the last minute as policies vary significantly and you need to spend a while reading all the small print. There are hundreds of travel insurance companies. Just Google the words and you'll find thousands of results. However, not all are equal in price nor policy. For example, check if cash and indeed any of your valuables are covered - which they are often not on cheap policies - and how much the excess is that you may need to pay. Cheaper policies are fine for the important health aspect, but don't expect to have your $500 camera, a dive or any previous medical condition covered. Conversely even on more expensive policies, don't expect your $2000 camera to be covered unless you have made special measures for it. If you are interested the key features you should be looking for in a policy, they are listed in a separate insurance page for one recommended company here, but all the following examples provide an excellent level of cover.

One recommended and well-known insurance company is Columbus, but new companies are always coming onto the scene (e.g. Globe Link) and the market is very competitive. One such newer start-up that comes well recommended from several e-mailed comments and personal experience is World Nomads. They claim to be set up with backpackers in mind. You can do things like extend policies indefinitely and/or make claims online whilst still on the road. They offer a money back guarantee, cover the likes of surfing, diving, trekking and bikes (which many don't as standard) and you can buy from any country in the world. All this is useful and makes them worth checking out. It can be said (after years of comparison) that their terms and rates are also favourable.

With all policies, geographic regions may vary the price; try to get a policy that excludes North America or just a Europe policy that covers places such as Israel, the Caucasus, and North Africa. Be warned that starting a new policy for another geographic region is often not possible during your trip (i.e. having a cheap European policy and then travelling into Africa/Asia). Only a few companies can give you cover on-line while you are away (i.e. allow you to insure yourself for extra lengths of time if you don't know how long your trip will be when you first take out the policy). Multi-trip year long policies limit the length of your trip to 30 or 60 days (although 90 days can be found), making them fairly useless for many longer term trips. Good insurance with loads of protection is normally quite expensive: again the cheaper policies will not cover personal possessions only medical costs.

     Buying a ticket - cheap flights and round the world options

Most travellers set off on a round the world trip (RTW) with just that ticket. What round the world really means is Australia and back with stop-offs and if you break this mould, you pay for it. (If you aren't interested in making such a trip, skip to this section for advice on the many other options available.)

Here are the most popular types of tickets you can get (there are others) - see respective websites to plan where you can stop:

All of the above RTW options are valued for one year and date changes are free or only a small charge. Changing destinations on route (if possible) will incur a larger charge (about £70/$150) - believe if you do this with One World it can actually extend your ticket from that point (but policy seems to vary office to office). All of these tickets are normally cheapest in the UK and excellent value for money if you utilise them properly. Cheap or not, such tickets are not the only way to go. Many setting off on a RTW trip are increasingly shunning RTW tickets so as to have more flexibility and not be limited to a year trip. It is hotly debated as to whether buying tickets as you go, or buying one RTW ticket is best.

 

Example of a RTW ticket from London using One World: (all prices are approximate and depend on season)

Example of a RTW ticket from London using singles: (all prices are approximate and depend greatly on seasons)

Worth noting is you'll probably pick up a little steam from not having return tickets which can be quite frustrating. It may even be that you do have a return ticket, but not from the immediate country you wish to fly into. If you are having problems buying a single ticket try the airline office direct or better still use their website to book online. It's generally travel agencies that give you grief about booking returns (see example). Don't let them panic you. It is extremely uncommon to have onward travel checked and if you do, fabricating a story, showing your funds and a credit card will smooth your passage. You'll need patience at times particularly when crossing borders via airports.

 

» Away from Round the Word travel and tickets:

Timing your journey carefully is essential, especially on long flights. Fares will probably go up sharply on July 1st and cheap Christmas flights just don't happen (although travelling a little earlier or after Christmas gives considerable savings: you can find okay prices in the window between Christmas day and New Year's Eve if you book far ahead). Likewise going anywhere in August will be expensive. Be as flexible as possible with your dates. Flying on the wrong day of the week can put an extra hundred bucks on the ticket price. Weekend travel is normally more expensive for long flights. The fare tariff applies to the date of the outbound flight and the tariffs change on the first day of the month or in the peak season in the middle of the month. If you were planning to depart in the last few days of the month, check to see if the fares drop the following month. In the peak season the reverse applies - going a week earlier may save you a good deal. Most flights are generally cheaper Monday to Thursday. 

Remember a cheaper priced ticket is often endorsed non-refundable and non-transferable. Most cut price tickets can have the return date changed for a fee but only after the outward journey has been completed. Not all cheap price tickets have the same restrictions so it is important to read the terms and conditions of the ticket and understand what you are buying. You could spend your life waiting for the ultra wonderful deals you hear about, which are normally a few special offer seats or charter flight seats which depend on you being incredibly flexible, (flexible like coming back the very next week to use the return bit of your ticket or going to package holiday type destinations). More about charter flights later.

The cheapest flights will normally be the least convenient - non-direct (e.g. Europe to Asia routed through Gulf States), out of or to major hubs and be with less well-known airlines. A third option for travel to some destinations is low cost, no frill airlines (aka. budget airlines). As a general rule, tickets are only available from the airline in question and you won't get too far from your home country unless making a few precarious connections, but can be useful to get to or from a major hub to make cheaper long-haul flight. For example, say want to visit somewhere like the Philippines. In most cases, there will be no direct flights and a ticket is going to be pretty expensive. However, picking up a good deal from a major hub, to say Hong Kong (which is a regular and competitive route) and adding a low cost carrier flight at one (or both) end(s), could save you hundreds of Euros/Francs/Dollars/etc.. You have to be willing to spend more time travelling, but sometimes (not always) the savings can be too great to ignore, especially if you want to get to a less visited country and are flying to or from a region with a good cheap budget airline network. More about budget flights later.

If you do have the time and flexibility, buying a one way ticket and then travelling as far as you like (taking cheap regional flights when you can't use or have had enough of buses/trains) is an excellent idea (as discussed above). If you do this make sure you will end up in a good place to fly home from, e.g. Hong Kong, Tel Aviv or Bangkok and not somewhere like Latin America where it will cost you a fortune to get anywhere but America - the same goes with most of Africa. Good value one-way tickets are a difficult thing to arrange away from budget airlines. They can often be the same price as a full fair and rarely 50%. Charter flights (with the exception of to The Gambia), are very rarely one-way. When you can find well priced one-way tickets this opens up the most useful type of ticket... the open jaw.

    How much is it going to cost?

How much money do I need? Well that really depends on where you go, where you stay, how you get around, what you eat/drink and what you buy/see. The answer given here is based on pretty much a shoestring budget, but far from back-breaking or really roughing it (a little bit extra makes a lot of difference). You can probably greatly reduce these figures if you don't drink, travel long distances or do tours/expensive activities. Used to a great measure are mine and other common experiences, which may not match yours.

Apologies, reference is made often in GBP£. Despite widespread stories of its demise, the USD$ is still however the de facto currency abroad in all but a few cases and where you see a $ symbol please assume it is a US$. The USD trades at around 2 per GBP, having dramatically weakened (if you are using US$, travelling just got much more expensive). You can see real time exchange rates by clicking here, but the rules of thumb are easy to convert GBP costs given: to USD or Canadian: double it, to EUR: add a third, to Swiss Franc: half it; and to Ozzie $: times 2 and a half.

So what's the bottom line? Check out the Travel Budget Calculator - which this site has updated with many of the above costs as a guideline.

In short and on average, bank on GB£20/EU€30/US$40 (plus or minus 20%) per day. This averages itself out and will allow for activities and long distance travel (i.e. the odd internal flight, entry fees, trains tickets, etc.). However, in more developed countries and big/capital cities, the reality is more like £20 to £30/€40/$60 per day if you are active. It depends on so many things. For example trekking in Nepal, or lying on a beach in Goa, you can probably spend more like €10-20 (£7-13 / $16-30) a day, but you need to add (for trekking for example): the hire of equipment, the park entry and maybe a flight to get there/away. For Goa a breakdown might look like this: 500Rps for a beach hut, 400Rps for three good meals, 100Rps for water and another 100Rps for a couple of beers or other. Total - 1100INR about €20, but where does this allow for transport or anything else? It's worth remembering that India, like many other Asian(think China)/Eastern Europe countries are rapidly developing with an emerging middle class pushing inflation and general living cost to new highs.

Remember it is of course extremely cheap to 'live' in the developing world (at it's typical standard of living quality), however it might not be at a level of quality near to what you might be used to or able to accept - of course travel should not be an endurance test. Travel (as in getting around and to places) on the other hand is not necessarily cheap if not 'typical travel', that is travelling like locals where locals would commonly travel. Just like raising your living standard (e.g. having AC in your room), getting to places off the beaten track (like national parks), where locals would not frequent and where you find very limited or no public transport can get very expensive even in the most tin pot, cheap country (unless of course there are enough travellers to support a 'local cheap tour industry'). Take Africa for example, much of the continent lives on less than US$600 per year and as a traveller you can live on next to nothing too, however if you want a bed in the middle of the bush or to get to wildlife in its natural habitat your US$600 would last less than a week if not a day or two at worst. The same goes crossing remote mountain areas by land, (such as the Pamir highway) where hiring a 4x4 for +US$100s becomes the only option.

More to the point, in most developing countries where it is possible to spend very little, cumulatively you won't be doing yourself any favours if you don't make sure you keep yourself well rested and properly fed. Unfortunately it's true that to an extent the cheaper you travel the more hassle your trip will be and the longer you will spend getting around. If you do have the option to save a bit longer or shorten your trip in order to add 33-50% to the above average per day amounts you will not only be joining a greatly increasing group of more wealthy (by that it's meant not slumming it) independent travellers, but will likely have a more pleasant and enjoyable trip getting to see much more, while still benefiting from the many fantastic experiences travelling on the cheap offers. And if you don't spend it all, bonus you have cash for another trip!

It is also worth noting that as a foreigner you will often find yourself penalised by double-tier prices (such as museum entry, non-local currency priced air tickets and generally higher asked day-to-day prices). In addition it is unlikely that on a long or round-the-world trip, you will spend all your time in ultra-cheap countries and will want to visit treasures in more expensive nations: western Europe, Australia or North America being the perfect examples. If you're after western quality, you pretty much always (apart from a few exceptions, normally due to undervalued currencies) you pay western prices, or more - even in the cheapest of destinations. It's also often the case, that big cities of normally very affordable countries (such as Mumbai, aka Bombay) can be quite expensive, particularly when it comes to accommodation and that the increases in energy/fuel costs over the past few years will eat into a budget. Just don't cut yourself short - that's why everything above is kind of rounded up and hey it is always nice to have money left for another trip or to do the things you really want, like $600 Kathmandu to Lhasa and back or $1000 Galapagos islands or $150 Nile cruise or $100+ a day for an East African Safari. Those travelling alone and not able to take advantage of shared accommodation (unless able to use hostel dorm beds) and (some) transport costs will spend roughly 25% more than the costs quoted here unless making other sacrifices to compensate. ....and remember the above per day costs are on top of all the other considerations mentioned on this pages such as jabs, visas, flights & insurance - which make a big dent in your funds before you even leave.   » For more detailed daily average costs please refer to the country summary section on this site, where suggested basic daily budgets are listed for over 60 nations. Or for the most detailed information, a country guidebook or planning guide is recommended.

But I need to travel cheaper! If you look for long enough on the net you'll likely find plenty of testament from those who claim they travel or travelled on around half the above suggested average budget. When and for how long they maintain it or how much they got to see/do it's hard to know, but of course it is possible to get by on a really tight budget. So here in a nutshell (without recommending any) are 7 secrets/realities of travel on the really cheap: 1) You'll need to forget about Australia, Japan, Europe, North America or any other developed country - equally it's advisable to steer clear of capitals/big cities and keep more in the wild away from major urban centres. 2) Covering long distances is a major expenses, so you'll need to limit your sphere and forget about travelling in comfort, that's not to say even on an okay budget you'll be in much comfort, but you'll have to get use to sometimes extremely uncomfortable, long, slow, bumpy journeys. 3) It does really depend on where you are, and sure sometimes it's dirt cheap, but a heavy night out in bars rarely is - alcohol is something you need to cut out or at less minimise. 4) Learn some lingo, you'll need to get the hang of services locals use like short-hop public transport. 5) Like walking and the outdoors - it's free and will fill your time, other main tourist sight are unlikely to be free. Taj Mahal, Inca Trail, Forbidden City and the like you'll need to admire from a distance or skip. 6) Forget about private rooms and private baths, you'll be looking for shared dormitory style rooms in hostels or doss houses patronised by locals. These are generally fine if you are male, but in more extreme case not for women; good security, a shower or much sleep are not always included in the price. If you move up a level to very basic private rooms then no bathroom or hot water are a must to keep the price down. 7) and finally: a basic diet, it's easy to eat cheap, only you'll need to stick with it long term and stay away from restaurants catering to tourist and all your favourite foods back home. You'll need to eat from street stalls, basic restaurants and produce bought from market vendors. The order of the day will be rice, noodles, basic breads, bananas, or potatoes; all of which will fill you up very cheaply, but needs discipline to stick with.

    How do I take all these funds?

As you have no doubt established you are going to need a fair supply of money to cover your trip. In which form and how to take these funds can pose something of a dilemma. Cash is, of course, king all over the world, but do you really want to take all your funds in cash or even travellers cheques?

Obviously taking large amounts of cash is a risky strategy and it's best that the cash you set off with from home be - give or take - no more than enough for your first week. Whatever cash you do take, in whatever form it should be well hidden including, not to be overlooked, an emergency back-up cash stash. Find out what you are insured for and remember it's almost certainly at your own risk.

Okay, one word of warning regarding ATM withdrawals. 98% of the time the above is absolutely true, but for the other 2% there are situations out of your control such as empty or out of order machines or many other eventualities. So commonsense says don't rely totally on your ATM card. If you take a look at the country summaries section you will be able to get a good gauge, country by country, of the best way to handle your money. The best strategy to get at your money is always a combination of methods and back ups. And finally on the subject of cards - it's recommended that you do not carry your card (ATM or credit) around with you at all times if you can help it. For various reasons, it's best kept in your main bag unless you are using it.

Credit cards are useful, but much more so in developed countries. In less developed countries they can be used for larger purchases (e.g. a flight or Scuba course), but will normally have commission added to the total. However, they can be used to obtain cash advances in most banks world-wide (always with a commission - not the best value way to obtain funds, but extremely useful to fall back on when having ATM problems) and from ATMs. For all uses MasterCard or Visa are your best bet. Remember to consider your bills piling up at home with interest being charged and the fact if you are using them to draw money, it make sense to be in credit. Paying more money onto your card before leaving home, asking your folks to pay your bill or doing it yourself online whilst away is prudent.

Do make sure dollar/euro notes are in a brand newish condition. It does happen that less than mint condition or old style high value notes will be unwanted.

 

    Immunisations and malaria prophylaxis

If you are heading somewhere exotic and developing you will of course need to head down to a doctors and get a variety of jabs before disappearing. Most of the important ones will be boosters of shots you probably had as a child. There are several others, but it is worth thinking twice about being sold on having the 'whole package' - it all depends on where you are going and how you feel about the risk. Many jabs are expensive and quite a few like Japanese B Encephalitis and Rabies are of debatable necessity.

A word to the wise... the following information is taken from various sources, some medical, some not, most third party. No one connected with this site is a doctor and therefore the information in this section should be taken with that consideration in mind. However, this is a good place to start and is evidence of how we have slowly unraveled the mystery of travel health and especially Malaria medication.

So what jabs do I need? You typically need for third world travel regardless of what country you are visiting the following shots: Typhoid (3 years - also available as a pill), Meningitis (A+C), Diphtheria (10 years), Hepatitis A (two doses, 10 years - or immunoglobulin that will last for 3-6 months)), Polio (10 years), Tetanus (10 years) and if you are heading to parts of South America or Africa then Yellow fever (10 years). It's only fair to warn you, you're going to feel a little groggy after some of these shots.

Within the UK and other EU countries with a national/socialised health service, for the immunizations listed above, you will typically be charged for Yellow Fever and Hepatitis A only, at a cost of about €110 (£85), with Hep A/Typhoid and Diphtheria/Tetanus/Polio being typically free - this will of course vary from country to country (in places like Ireland or Switzerland, it is unlikely you will get anything free!). Walk in clinics are good for those in a hurry, but will charge considerably more.

Within the USA and other countries without a government funded health service the cost of your shots will be quite substantial in some cases and are rarely covered on medical insurance (you might find Tetanus included). The following charges are typical for the United States: Typhoid - $75, Polio Booster - $50, Hep A & B - $200 (per shot 2/3 needed), Yellow Fever - $100, Meno Meningitis -$130 & Rabies - $200 (per shot, 3 needed). In the States you usually have to go to special travel doctors to get the shots, as most doctors and clinic's don't carry them.

Rabies, Hepatitis B and Japanese B Encephalitis in many opinions (all non-medical) are not necessary considering the cost/number of injections and rarity. The rabies jab, for instance is only to 'extend the time you have to get to a doctor' who will have to administer further treatment - so is only needed for extremely remote travel or particular danger zones and activities. Hep B is perhaps only advisable if you plan to be sexually active (especially male gay sex), as it is an STI.

As for malaria

As for malaria, there's little point getting too into the subject as it's a minefield. The thing is, you ask a doctor and no matter where you are going you seem to get prescribed Larium or similar at great cost. Most of the time, in hindsight, it seems and is unnecessary. Chloroquine and Proguanil combined are fine for many common destinations and anti-malarial drugs such as Doxycycline are available at low cost in larger Asia and African cities (obviously buy from a reputable looking pharmacy - Boots in Bangkok price Doxycycline (6months worth) at about US$60). See comment for buying malaria medication on-line in the UK. Both Mefloquine (Larium) and Doxycycline (Vibramycin - UK trade name) are good medicines to protect against malaria (and especially Chloroquine-resistant malaria). Both have good and bad points. A third option to protect against Quinine-resistant malaria (most malaria) is Malarone - more on that newer drug further down. No Malaria medication protects you 100%, and the best thing you can and should always do is not get bitten, which is a different topic. Remember of the 3500 types of mosquito (20 more are discovered every year) only a few carry killer diseases such as Malaria. The female (it would have to be!) Anopheles malarial mosquito bites mainly between 2300 and 0400 at night. This is when it is particularly important not to get bitten.  Also worth mentioning is the Aedes mosquito (spreading dengue and yellow fever) bites during the day. Both feed at ground level so cover up your ankles with a little repellent.   It is really worth mentioning that there is a ton of misinformation floating around on the net and among backpackers on the road.

It needs to be emphasised that any medication listed in this section is vastly superior to not taking anything, and hoping for the best. Some Malaria strains are deadly and kill fast (90% of malaria deaths are children under the age of five, mainly in sub-Saharan Africa) - especially when you haven't been exposed to malaria since birth. So in what areas am I at risk from Malaria? The blanket answer is that a 'risk' exists in almost all countries in Asia (below Mongolia/Kazakhstan), Africa and Latin America with the notable exceptions of Libya, Chile, Tunisia and Uruguay. If you want to see 'the map' take a look at the somewhat paranoid CDC Malaria page. However, this 'risk' really does vary and to colour an entire country red due to a sometimes localised and seasonal risk is kind of missing the mark. Whereas a serious risk may exist in a pocket of a country (say Thailand), there are many, many other regions where very little or no risk exists. So research carefully. Take for example Nepal; Kathmandu and a normal trekking circuit poses no risk from malaria, but due to a risk in the lower lying parts of the country the whole country often gets a warning. The same can be said for Latin America outside of the Amazon basin, which is often bypassed by travellers or visited for only a few days. Travel to rural areas always involves more potential exposure to malaria than in the larger cities. For example, the capital cities of the Manila, Bangkok and Colombo are essentially malaria-free. However, as noted, malaria is present in many other places (especially rural areas) of these countries. By contrast in West Africa, Ghana and Nigeria have malaria throughout the entire country. However, the risk will always be lower in the larger cities where independent travellers tend to focus their travels since these act as the main transport hubs.

On an African (where most of this information applies mainly to - don't take it as seriously if visiting South America (outside the Amazon interior), Southern Africa or Asia) trip you might meet several travellers who have contracted malaria even when taking prophylaxis such as Larium, which goes a long way to illustrate the importance of covering up. Individuals normally recovered with no problems (after some time out) and in a few cases, were not even aware that they were infected until taking a malaria test (prick on the figure blood test available cheaply in sub-Saharan Africa). Even taking malaria tablets meticulously and doing everything possible to avoid being bitten, it is possible to get a strain resistant to prophylactic drugs. Untreated malaria is very dangerous, but responds well to prompt treatment.

Once infected, malaria can 'live in your system for a while until it decides to attack' as one overland truck driver put it 'when my body is down - normally when I have a hangover!' It is not preferable to attempt self-diagnosis (as tests are easily and cheaply available in East/West Africa). While travelling in Africa perhaps the most sensible precaution you can take on top of avoiding bites is to purchase on your arrival 'Arinate' (Artesunate 100mg). This comes in a kit of six pills available from any pharmacy, priced at about US$5. At any sign of a fever (symptoms can take a week or more to show - unfortunately your weekly Larium can knock them continually on the head) and if medical advice is unavailable, you can start self treatment. Still aim to get tested as soon as possible: you may have typhoid. Having such treatment available not only allows for peace of mind, but is useful should you enter a risk area when it is not practical to take prophylactics, i.e. you are only there for a few days (Etosha NP, Kruger NP, jungle areas of South America being good examples).

Remember, it's always a little dangerous to assume that your choice of malaria prophylaxis is available in the country you'll be visiting, but most third-world countries stock at least chloroquine and normally doxycycline (certainly the major capitals of Africa and Asia). Quinine is normally available to, but is not recommended.

The above medicines are easily absorbed provided you don't have any stomach problem like diarrhoea/vomiting. Since compliance is always an issue, Mefloquine is easier because it is only taken once a week and has a long half life. They should be taken with a full glass of water and with food. Additionally, Doxycycline is irritating so after taking it, one should maintain an upright position (don't go to sleep) for an hour to decrease the chance that it will reflux back up. Just to mention, Doxycycline is one of the drugs used to treat traveller's diarrhoea, so using it daily to protect against malaria will also help to prevent traveller's diarrhoea or so the theory goes. This is because it is an anti-biotic - this also means that if you are on the contraceptive pill then you will have to take extra precautions during sex. Lastly, taking the medications faithfully and not stopping until 4 weeks (1 in the case of Malarone) after exiting the malarial zone is incredibly important and cannot be over emphasised.

As a footnote, many feel the focus on Malaria is misdirected, Dengue fever is common in regions such as SE Asia (its geographic spread is similar to that of malaria). The carrying mosquitoes of Dengue live indoors and bite during the day, when most are least vigilant. Dengue can be every bit as dangerous as malaria. However there's no need for paranoia - a quick squirt of repellent on the ankles or covering up is a simple, easy and effective measure. In contrast to malaria, which is more common in rural areas, it is larger cities that present the greater risk from Dengue fever.

See the 1000 travel tips malaria page for much more information (exact risk country) and please don't worry too much. Also see information on mosquitoes in the what to pack section and general travellers health problems in the on the road section. There are also many excellent traveller health sites in the links section.

    Visas

Visas can be a pain - not only can their costs really add up (Indochina, Central Asia or Africa), but you can end up stranded for days waiting for them (normally over weekends) and even have to back-track for days if your planning is off or your visa is wrong/expired. Other times visas can be effortlessly hassle free, being not required or just a simple free stamp at the border (Latin America or Southern Africa).

Generally speaking, in countries that are most commonly visited by backpackers, visas are available on the border or on arrival at a main airport for free or a fee - no advance planning is needed. More and more countries (i.e. Laos and Cambodia) are taking measures to make visas easier in order to encourage tourism. In other cases visas are available in a neighbouring country's major cities with much less fuss and cost than in your home nation. Therefore visas - if you have the time - are best picked up on route as you travel with the exception of specific countries outlined later. As well as this method being easier, cheaper and more convenient, you run no danger of your visa(s) expiring before you get to use them. Also you may find that smaller nations are not represented in your home country. Of course, pick up the visa (if required) for the first country of your trip in your home nation.

Internet newsgroups and your national travel advisory website are both good resources to ask questions and get answers. The only major problem scenario that comes to mind when travelling and picking up visas on route, - as is normally possible - is heading into China through the Karakoram highway and then into Central Asia. These visas are only available in Beijing or Islamabad which is a long de-tour or double back.

It's normally easier when on route to get an agency to deal with your visa for a small commission that saves you the taxi fares to and from the embassy. The use of these services can range from laziness to essential, when a recommendation or invitation letter is required. Whenever applying for a visa think about whether it is worth paying a little extra for the flexibility of a double entry visa, say for Syria (pop into Lebanon), Ghana (pop into Togo), India (pop into Nepal), or Nepal (pop into Tibet) to name a few popular examples. You'll save time and money in the long run. Upon getting your visa, check how many days you have (you may not get what you asked for), if there are any limitations, whether it can be extended (especially if transit) and whether all details are correct (all t's crossed and i's dotted) before you leave the agency or embassy - mistakes do happen. It is worth having a supply of passport photos to hand for visas and extensions (many need two or three photos). Below is a rough summary of major regions, but for a more detailed overview the Rough Guide: First-time series is recommended.

All information is based roughly on experiences of an EU passport holder. North Americans will have similar experiences. Australians, Kiwis, Israelis, Japanese and Koreans will run into more problems. South Africans and other nationalities will run into a load of problems. Here is a quick guide to regions (see country summaries for focused advice) - bracketed examples are not comprehensive lists and paragraphs are only rough guides for developed nation passport holders:

Mailed comment: If you ever get frustrated by the delays and mounting costs of visas, take a look at how much a national of the country you are trying to visit would pay for his/her visa to your home country, especially if you are an American. Don't forget with an EU or North American passport you actually have it pretty easy!

 

If you have heard differently or know different to any of the above then it may need up dating - please let us know.

    General safety and crime

You really shouldn't worry too much about safety: a lot of people get paranoid. All you really need to do is to check your government's advisory website - the UK foreign advisory is pretty sensible, with limited scare mongering (although it's got quite a bit worse recently), unlike the USA equivalent. Find out the areas you really should stay away from or take special care in, what the latest scams and dangers are and generally stay in touch with the news in volatile areas like the Middle East.

All good guidebooks have sections on staying safe and all the latest scams and how to deal with them in their respective country. Going back on what was said in the beginning, maybe you should stay a little paranoid, since then you'll be on your guard and safe, but really there is nothing to generally worry about. The biggest risk you take whilst away is something you seem to do more often than anything else - getting on a bus. For this and many other reasons lip-services to terrorism won't be given here, since the reality behind the headlines and constant media focus is to most independent travellers in 99.9% of the world is there are much bigger issues to be concerned about.

As for crime, this is one of the most difficult things to write about in context on this website. Dwelling on the subject must inevitably fuel paranoia in first-time travellers, yet glossing over it can only place inexperienced travellers at greater risk of being robbed. Simplistically, you need to recognise two things. The first is that Asian and African (and to a lesser extent Latin American) society is inherently far more law-abiding than our own (to the extent that criminals are stoned in several countries). The second is that thieves will be present on your trip, as they are everywhere, and often target westerners, who are not only reliably wealthy relative to locals, but who also are very easy to spot.

    Going solo - travelling alone

Although the advice here is essentially 'don't worry and just do it', it's not fair to gloss over the subject in such a manner as it's enormously difficult to give an accurate picture of the experience of travelling alone, since it can vary enormously and is almost always filled with highs and lows. There are a number of factors to take into consideration, from luck to the time of year and most importantly destination and personality.

Nonetheless, honestly s