How to Make a Budget

Like any activity, you have to plan carefully for your backpacking adventure. It’s not enough that you know what trains to take, which places to stay in and what food to it, you have to make sure that you have enough money to sustain you until the end of your journey.

Although backpacking seems like a very non-costly activity, in reality, it is. There are a lot of things you need to buy and prepare for, and it’s not just a sturdy pair of shoes and an all-weather backpack. You will need guidebooks, a digital camera, travel accessories, basic medicine — the works! In fact, preparing for a backpacking trip is harder than planning for a usual out of town holiday.

When you’re preparing your backpacking budget, you divide your estimated costs into two categories: Pre-departure and Post-departure. The pre-departure expenses cover everything that you need to buy before you reach your destination. This will include the following:

Round Trip Plane Ticket - Unless you live in Europe and can just walk out of the door to start your backpacking experience, you will need this.

Eurorail Pass - Rate varies depending on the length of your stay and your age. If you’re below 24 or above 50, you get a discount.

Travel Insurance - Will vary depending also on the duration of your trip.

Backpack - Get a sturdy backpack. You don’t want to rip it halfway through your journey and then end up buying a new one.

Guidebooks - There are general and country specific guidebooks. Select which one you think would be most useful.

Travel accessories - Aside from the clothes on your back (and inside your backpack), you will need your usual toiletry supplies (soap, shampoo, toothpaste), first aid kits (band aids, alcohol, gauze bandages, pain relievers, cold medicine, insect repellants), travel pouches, money belts, flashlights, umbrellas, etc.