Thank you for your reservation. Flights booked. One way ticket to South America. For the first time in a long time I feel a huge wave of relieve rolling over me. After over two years of talking about it, wishing it, planning it and questioning it and after a hard couple of months at work, we finally managed to pull through. We are going on a trip around the world. South and Central America, Hawaii and then Southeast Asia. Finally!

“Do we need more work experience”, “What about our careers?”, “Isn’t it nice to be a little more settled for once?”, “What am I gonna do with my apartment?” or “What happens with my friends/boyfriend?”. We always knew that we wanted to go on a bigger trip again once we left our postgraduate program back in Edinburgh. But travels are much easier while you are still a student, at least thats what my initial feeling is right now. Money is tight – true. But the flexibility, the amount of free time and lack of responsibilities as a student are something that I truly miss sometimes. When I got my internship in Shanghai, it took me a week and a half from packing up my stuff to boarding the airplane. Same when I decided to do my masters in Edinburgh. I didn’t own a lot of stuff, so it was easy to just pack my suitcases and leave. But times have changed.

So, now that I sit here, two years later, with a postgrads degree, 2 years of work experience and my own apartment, comfort is hitting me hard. There is no doubt about what I want: I want to get out of here, I want to explore again and be on the road – traveling, backpacker style. But this time, it takes a little more preparation than all these times before. It’s not really a struggle, because I always know what I am doing this for. The light at the end of the tunnel, you know. Its just so much more to take in consideration this time around. And because of that, and because I know that I am not the only one in this situation, I’ve decided to write down some of the most important things to keep in mind before going on a backpacking trip around the world.

I have to quit my job, or do I?

Quitting a job is never easy, especially if you enjoy what you are doing. I knew that I was going to travel already a year ago, but I didn’t know how to approach the topic. Luckily for me, one of my co-worker was granted the chance to take a voluntary leave of absence to travel at beginning of the year, so I wanted to try to ask, if it would be possible to do the same. Now, this really depends on who you work for and what you are looking to do. I know some people that just wanted to be even more flexible and quit their job completely. Some definitely want to come back. I can’t really tell you how it is going to go, once you ask your boss, but it is always worth a try. Employers are trying to keep good talent, so if you are being smart about it, you might be able to work something out together. And no matter what you decide, just tell them early enough so that they’ll get the chance to prepare for you leaving. 

Tipp: As I said, it’s hard to predict what’s going to happen, once you ask HR and your boss. But this website might give you some insights about how to approach a sabbatical and what your rights are. Also, connect with other employees that have done it before, they will be able to give you some insights on how to go about it. 

Talking business with the lord of the land

Man, was I sure that subletting my apartment was the easiest of them all. “Just selecting someone, not a big deal”. It obviously came to a shock when the woman’s voice on the the phone from my landlords office told me: ” I am sorry, but we don’t always allow subletting one bedroom apartments, you can try but we are not 100% sure its gonna work”. You probably think, ‘oh, man – why did she even bother asking, just do it like every other person in Berlin and don’t even tell them at all’. Well, I believe in honesty, but mostly I believe in trouble free backpacking. I’d rather not be kicked out of my apartment, while driving through Ecuador and not being able to do anything about it. Anyways, I was determined to convince them from my super awesome renting abilities (is that even a word?!), sent them copies of my flight from Germany to Brazil and from LA to Taiwan, wrote them a heartbreaking letter and after waiting and hoping, they sent me the allowance to sublet. THANK GOD! Now I have found a wonderful girl who will take my apartment until next year, its official and I couldn’t be more relieved.

Tipp: In case you want (or have to) give up your apartment anyways – easy peasy. If you want to sublet your room or apartment officially, make sure to approach them early enough, for example if you have a certain period of notice, make sure to tell them beforehand so in case they say no and you have to move out either way, you won’t end up paying that additional month, while you are already traveling. Also, if you want to find a person to rent your room/apartment, I usually use (in Germany) WG-gesucht or Facebook sites to find people. Ideally you have friends of friends that are in need of an apartment. 

One ring to bind them all – keeping existing contracts in mind

I’ve cancelled by gym membership in January, my mobile as well as my public transportation contract in February. This was probably one of the more essential things, because I had to think about it way beforehand. Most of these contracts have a 3 months notice that you need to keep in, otherwise you will be stuck with paying money for something that you won’t use for the next year.

Tipp: Many mobile companies allow to freeze contracts if you are going abroad, so that could definitely be an option. My contract was running out in June anyways, so for me it was the best to just quit. Same goes for public transportation tickets (at least here in Berlin). You are able to transfer your ticket to another person when you leave the city, which is quite nice.

Talking money

How to manage your finances during a world trip is something to think about beforehand as well. I decided to take a certain amount of money with me for the first couple of months and then transfer the other half after a couple of months, instead of taking all of it with me. I am sure there are so many ways to do it, but this always works best for me (in case somebody steals my credit card, etc.). Also, I double checked with my bank before, what my options where regarding traveling for a longer period of time and my credit card. If you do not own a credit card that you can use worldwide (and for fee), you should most definitely get one, like now. It’s easiest to just call or visit your bank and check out what they can do or research online, which banks work best. 

Make travel insurance great again

One thing with going on a sabbatical (or on any vacation for that matter) is insurance. Thank god, my friends has an awesome dad that is a real insurance truffle swine and found  STA’s travel insurance for us. You can select the exact dates that you want to travel and the countries you want to go to. At the same time, you will need to contact your insurance company at home and tell them that you won’t be in the country for a certain amount of time. I just went to one of their offices and showed them to my flights and a copy of my travel insurance for the 8 months and it was fine. I guess every insurance will be different, just make sure you tell them beforehand.

Tipp: This is for the STA travel insurance only – If you are going on a world trip for more than 7 months and you are only staying in the USA or Canada for two weeks, DO NOT pick worldwide insurance inkl. Canada and USA. With the worldwide insurance without Canada and USA, the insurance company grants you a two week stay in either country and it costs you around 200€ less. Because I will be in Hawaii for only 10 days, this worked out perfectly for me.

Check yourself, before you wreck yourself

This is probably one of the things that I personally hate the most, but know that its absolutely necessary. Getting your shots right in advance of your trip is essential. Especially in destinations such as South America, you need your yellow fever shots in order to cross boarders (nobody ever asked me, but better to have it than to be sorry). I’ve decided to get vaccination against Japanese encephalitis (Southeast Asia) and it takes two shots which need to be given on day 1 and on day 28. Because a lot of these vaccinations require more than one shot its important to inform yourself about what you need and make an appointment with your doctor or any tropical center early enough, so you have plenty of time to fit them all in your schedule.

Tipp: Most of these vaccinations are more expensive, BUT there is good news. Many insurance companies in Germany cover half or more of the paid prices, so make sure to call them up and ask about it and remember to keep your bill in case you have to send it to them.

I believe I can fly – booking your flights and choosing a first destination 

One of the more enjoyable tasks that were on my to do list. Once you book the flight, time cannot fly fast enough. I always get super excited and would love to pack my stuff together right away. Of course you need to select a first destination first. We decided to fly over to Rio de Janeiro first, because it was one of the cheapest options  (and because we were in Buenos Aires already and wanted to see something new). I looked at flights over a longer period of time just to track how the prices would develop. I finally had to book my flight because of my landlord and booked via checkfelix.com which is one of my go to pages to book and compare flights. There are, of course, multiple other options such as Skyscanner Google flights or Kayak for example.

Tipp: Most travel sites track, how often you’ve come to visit the same offer – and adapt prices according to that (meaning prices are going up). Most of the times, you are able to remove their cookies and it will be fine. Further (but don’t quote me on that one) I feel like prices are lower on Tuesdays-Thursdays. Thats when I always try to book my flights as prices are usually going up over the weekend. Also, most of the time it is cheaper buying multiple stop flights or return flights rather than just buying a one way flight. I, for example, booked my flight from Frankfurt to Rio and added the flight from LA to Taiwan as multiple stop flight. 

The big V: Visa arrangements

Oh, visa arrangements – depending on the countries you are planning to go to, things can be easy or really complicated. For my first couple of stops, I won’t be needing a visa, however we need proof that we are flying out of Brazil within a certain period of time. When you travel, you need to be aware of what the requirements are and what you might have to arrange beforehand. Depending on the time of year, some embassies take longer to process than others. 

Tipp: Make sure that you can also arrange visas along the way or check the requirements of your destinations beforehand. It’s always good to bring a few pictures along that you can use for a visas, once you arrive at the destination. Besides that, you will needyour passport (duh!) and depending on the country some additional paperwork and money. 

And finally, only pack what you can carry

I tend to overpack – always. So, when I first started backpacking, finding the right amount of stuff to take was extremely difficult. But over the years, I’ve learned the perfect weight to carry (12-13kg) and the essential things to take down to shop b forehand. I am not saying that you need to have all of these things that I am about to write down, BUT there are just some essentials that you should be looking to get before you fly off to great adventures. My go-to shop right now is Decathlon, because they have a ton of active wear, backpacks and so forth, so a backpackers dream for a good price.

1. The Backpack – Finding the right backpack was one of the most crucial things. Four years ago, I decided to go backpacking with my dads old backpack- worst decision ever. I was already hurting so bad by the time I got to the check-in counter in Frankfurt. So, for my backpacking trip last year, I got a new and very comfy backpack (60 liter) from Quechua, which makes me not want to break down, every time I am walking around with it. I also got a backpack cover for the plane, so nothing can rip open or get lost.

1. Clothes – Being a backpacker means  that clothing needs to be comfy, practical and weather resistant, to say the least. But I also want to feel somewhat stylish (as stylish as you can look when wearing workout pants most of the time). So, here are a few essentials that always helped me get around so far: Rain pants, rain jacket with fleece jacket, sneakers, trekking boots, workout leggings, two shorts, jeans, a nice dress, sweat pants, basic shirts, a nicer blouse/shirt or my favorite – a body, two warm pullovers, one bikini and one bathing suit, socks, underwear, a skirt, cap. Of course, it always depends on the destination you are going to and on the person, in my case I will be needing a mix of warmer and lighter clothes and I usually try to find the perfect balance between nicer clothes, to dress up once in a while, and comfy clothes.

1. Technology – My camera Sony 6000, Ipad, Iphone and the WIMIUS action cam for underwater shots will be the technology that I will be bringing on my trip. Even though I am not the most professional photographer, I do appreciate being able to take amazing pictures during my trip, capture these memories in an appropriate manner, edit them and store them safely. Plus, I want to be able to continue writing my blog, so the Ipad is a must.

1. Additional – Fast drying towels, locks for your valuables, money belt, a notebook, a book, medicine, flash light, a light sleeping bag etc. are just a few of the things that you can bring to a trip like this.

So, with that all being said- I hope this list gives you an appropriate overview of things that need to be taken care of and to be kept in mind before you go on a backpacking trip. As I said, it’s different for every single person, so its best to try out what works for you.

As for me, I am currently selecting the last things to bring, before I leave for Rio de Janeiro on Wednesday. Stay tuned for a lot more to come.