Author(s): GLADIGAU, SHANE

Travel

Backpacking is a specific form of travel that comes with a specific mindset. Enjoying a degree of freedom is a key need coupled with the desire to be unstructured and spontaneous. Most backpackers will start with broad intentions, but work out the details along the way, experiencing moments that become character developing and life forming. Fully enjoying the freedom of having an unstructured plan and being spontaneous in a foreign country, however, means being effectively prepared before getting there. The day you start out, is not the day to start your preparations! So, you have decided you want to go backpacking and this is your first time? No matter what your age, you need "Backpacker Basics" -- for your first international trip.