My First Solo Backpacking Trip: 5 Lessons I Learned the Hard Way
A personal account of a first solo backpacking trip and the travel lessons learned along the way.
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Explortaion is written by a small editorial team, but the best material usually comes from people who have just come back from somewhere. This is where that goes.
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First-hand trip reports, lessons learned and honest mistakes. Published with credit.
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Practical questions with practical answers. If one comes up often, it becomes a guide.
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The guides readers return to most, and the destinations that come up again and again.
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First-hand accounts from people who actually went.
Open questions
Answered here, and turned into full guides when they come up often enough.
What is the one piece of gear you would never travel without?
The most common answer is a power bank, followed by a spare pair of socks. Nobody says a drone.
Is it safe to travel solo as a first-time traveller?
Yes in most places, with the usual precautions. Start with somewhere you speak the language or where English is widely used.
How much should I budget for a two-week trip?
Work out your three fixed costs first — flights, accommodation, internal transport — then add 30% for everything you forgot.
Do I need travel insurance for hiking?
You need specific cover. Many standard policies exclude trekking above 3,000 m, diving and mountaineering.
Most-read guides
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2
Beyond Machu Picchu: 8 Inca Sites Almost Nobody Visits
Choquequirao, Wari terraces and fortress complexes that see a fraction of Machu Picchu's visitors. Where they are and what the hike involves.
3
Europe's Deepest Canyon Is Not Where You Think: The Tara River Gorge
The Tara River Canyon cuts deeper than most famous European gorges. How it formed, how it compares to the world's big canyons and how to see it.
4
Cave Diving: Why It Kills Divers Who Did Everything Right
Cave diving has a fatality profile unlike any other adventure sport. Silt-outs, line breaks, gas planning and the training that separates survivors from statistics.
5
How to Build a Survival Shelter in the Wild: 6 Designs That Actually Keep You Dry
Six wilderness shelter designs — lean-to, debris hut, tarp configurations and snow shelters — with the situation each one is actually built for.
6
New Zealand's Great Walks: The Four Almost Nobody Books
Most hikers book the Routeburn and Milford. These four Great Walks get a fraction of the traffic with the same alpine and coastal scenery.
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