Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with backpacking

In 2009, how much does it cost to backpack in Europe?

kitcat — Fri, 25 Dec 2009 22:27:36 -0800

Mainly to settle an argument: what is your best estimate on what it would cost for 2 North American adults in their 30s to spend about 6 - 8 weeks traveling through Eastern Europe? They say $10,000. I say - that's ridiculous. After a conversation about travel with friends of ours this evening, I'm wondering if I'm way out of touch with how much backpacking costs these days. 10 years ago, I did 8 weeks in Western and Eastern Europe for about $3,500 - flight included. 6 years ago, I spent 6 months in Russia studying and teaching and spent about
$7,500.

So - what does it cost now - especially when it comes to accommodations? Are we too old to stay in hostels now? Is it still possible to rent / sublet apartments - in Poland and Russia, for example - for a couple hundred dollars for a few week's stay? Please bring me a little bit up to date and tell me (if you can) that it most certainly would not cost $10,000 for a backpacking trip where one maintains a reasonably comfortable standard of traveling.

A note - these funds are in CDN $.

Going on a round the world trip. Am I starting out right?

sacrifix — Thu, 10 Dec 2009 18:30:34 -0800

[TravelFilter] I'm leaving the country next week, with no return ticket. I'll be starting off in Thailand (Bangkok), with a basic itinerary including other countries in Southeast Asia, Australia, and (eventually) Europe. I feel mostly prepared. But I'm curious as to what I'm forgetting? Your help is appreciated. I plan on being gone for at least a year, maybe more depending upon my funds. I've read the other appropriate posts on AMF, also various other blogs, guidebooks, etc. I'm feeling pretty prepared, but I get the feeling that there is something that I am forgetting but I can't quite put my finger on it. Any suggestions as to things that you forgot to do before you left, or wished you had taken care of, would be greatly appreciated. Also, any particular tips for this kind of travel are also appreciated. I apologize if this is too ChatFilter-y.

I have:

- good walking shoes
- a good backpack (packed well, only about a week's worth of clothes)
- my shots
- a decent first aid kit
- passport
- travelers checks, American dollars, Visa card, Mastercard, and 2 checking accounts
- notified all of my credit card companies and banks that I will be using their cards overseas
- a flash drive with Portable Firefox, saved passwords, photocopies of passport, social security card, credit cards, etc (any apps that you have found useful in your travels would be appreciated)
- an unlocked iPhone

I have not:
- gotten travel insurance (any suggestions on companies?)
- gotten a Thai visa (but it doesn't seem like it would really be that beneficial to get it before I get there)

I'm so bored with the USA

hamandcheese — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 13:26:15 -0800

Where should my wife and I go traveling in January and February on less than $10,000 CDN? Hi all,

Well, as a follow-up to my previous life-choices question, it looks like my wife and I will be able to do some backpacking in the New Year. And we're wondering where to go.

She has recently been laid off from her job (with a decent payout package) and I will be leaving mine as well. She has a good job offer in another small Canadian city, and if she takes it we will be moving there in February or March. This was not part of our long-term plan, but we're okay taking the plunge. The thing is, if we decide to do this (and if the final offer is good enough), we will be foregoing our actual plan of buggering off to teach English in Thailand for a while longer, so we want to reward ourselves with some overseas travel in January and February.

We will probably have about $8,000 CDN or so, and I'd like to be able to stretch this to cover our expenses for 6-8 weeks if possible. Our flights will have to come out of this amount as well and we'll be flying out of Canada. We've both been to Europe multiple times so would prefer somewhere a little more exotic. I'd like to go to the Old World, but we are really open to travelling pretty much anywhere. Where should we go? What should we see?

We are both experienced budget travelers, fully comfortable in hostels, budget hotels etc. It would be nice to get our own room once in a while of course. We're into things like history, archaeology, nature, museums, and tasty food.

Also, good resources for budget travel deals or websites would be welcome as well.

Where would you go? Thanks!

Do I have the Betamax of camping stoves?

zombiedance — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 15:18:59 -0800

Are the blue Camping Gaz cartridges still commonly available in the US? I have a backpacking stove that takes the Camping Gaz CV270 cartridges. These are the blue cartridges that look like standard propane/butane cartridges (MSR, Primus, etc.) but have a click rather than screw-on attachment to the stove. Nowhere in the San Francisco bay area seems to sell them anymore, and I can't find anywhere that sells them mailorder (though being that they're full of compressed gas, this isn't surprising.) Are these obsolete now? When I do a Google search, it seems like the only places that still sell Gaz stoves are in the UK.

Planning a 100 Mile Hike

MorningPerson — Tue, 08 Sep 2009 09:07:14 -0800

We want to do a 100 mile backpack trip over a week next spring. What do we need to know? A group of 4-5 friends wants to hike the 105 miles of the Appalachian Trail that run through Shenandoah National Park. We're tentatively planning the trip for late May or early June. All of us live within 20 minutes of the park, so it's terrain we already know pretty well.

All of us have plenty of hiking experience, but only some of us have extensive backcountry camping experience. We'll be doing some shorter 2-3 trips over the fall/winter/spring to "practice" and test out the gear/distances.

But aside from that, what should we do to plan? Are there books you'd recommend? Tips? Trail Wisdom? I'd love to hear anything and everything you think we should know to make this trip amazing.

Central America

freddymetz — Fri, 04 Sep 2009 06:23:49 -0800

Backpacking from Mexico to Colombia! More inside Im planning to go backpacking in central america sometime over the next year. Has anyone here already done this? whens the best time to go? what should i watch out for? i know about mexico well enough, but how safe is guatemala, honduras, costa rica and panama? i also heard that there are no roads from panama to colombia and that one has to take the boat?
thanks in advance!

I'm going to try doing GLASTONBURY 2010. Difficulty: Never been to Europe, have no idea where to begin, kind of dumb. Help me make this beautiful dream a reality.

Senor Cardgage — Tue, 18 Aug 2009 10:35:05 -0800

I'm going to try doing GLASTONBURY 2010. Difficulty: Never been to Europe, have no idea where to begin, kind of dumb. Help me make this beautiful dream a reality. I am a hardcore US music festival junkie. I try to hit up most of the major ones (and quite a few of the minor ones) every year. As next year is the 40th Glasto, I have decided to make a run at it.

This is a daunting prospect for me as I:

• Am 35 and have never been to Europe at all
• Havent yet got a passport
• Am sure there are a million details I have no idea about that I dont want to get dogpiled with when I'm two weeks from the festival

So, basically, where would one begin with trying to get their head around this kind of undertaking?

Further, how much time/expense/difficulty would it be for me to decide to hop on to the main continent for a few days and rail around a bit?

I am also looking for people with GLASTO-SPECIFIC knowledge and not just general Euro-Trip info.

Anyhoo, forgive my ignorance on this topic. I know I set the goalposts a bit broad, but all I can think to do to start is to throw myself blindly in to the water and learnt to swim from there.

Thanks!

P.S. I should mention that I travel pretty spartan and am not reliant on posh accommodations. A backpack and a hostel seem like they would be fine, but again, Ive never had that experience either.

Help? :)

How do I carry my laptop while I'm backpacking?

borkingchikapa — Tue, 11 Aug 2009 20:38:58 -0800

I'm going backpacking through South America and Southeast Asia for a few months, but I need to work from the road. What's the easiest way to carry my (relatively large) laptop without destroying it? Can I do it without a separate bag? Bonus points for dSLR tips, too. I'm more concerned with physical protection than theft prevention.

I'd like to be able to carry all my crap in one big travel backpack. I can do it space-wise, but I'm not sure if I could fit a proper laptop bag. How well padded are standard laptop sleeves? Is there something I can put around it for protection without adding too much bulk?

Backpacking in the Northeast

wigner3j — Thu, 06 Aug 2009 08:13:20 -0800

I am looking for suggestions for a 3-4 day backpacking trail loop in the northeast. I know this has been asked previously, but I am hoping someone can suggest a good hiking loop so we don't have to double back on our hike.
I am fairly experienced but my new hiking partner is not, however she is very athletic. I don't want to scare her off from backpacking, but I do want to experience some of the more rare and beautiful sights. So, crazy mountain climbs or river crossings are probably out of both of our comfort zones.
We are located in Philadelphia and will leave next week. We are considering the Adirondacks park in NY, someplace in Vermont, or New Hampshire but are open to other places. We don't really want to drive more than a day to get to our destination, but I would like to get out of PA and see something new. Any suggestions for exciting multi-day hikes in the northeast in August?

How to find someone to travel with? (Strangers will do.)

pixxie — Thu, 30 Jul 2009 14:41:50 -0800

Are there any websites that pair up lone backpackers/travellers with others who are also looking for companion(s) to travel with? Money saved up? Check. Physical stamina? Check. Time freed up (well, it's during the xmas break)? Check. Companion to go travel with? Nope. For the past 2 years, I have asked NUMEROUS people (college friends, HS friends, acquaintances, etc) to go travel with me in South America, not for long, perhaps for a 2- to 3-week period. Their replies have always been the same: no money, school, work, kids, too hot, dirty, language issues. All of those reasons are very understandable, and I guess I shouldn't obtrude upon others to commit in something that they don't feel very passionate about. If I wish to experience a completely different culture than mine, but too scared to do it on my own since I have never even stepped out of my OWN country, what should I do? (Please don't tell me to watch the Lonely Planet because, trust me, I have already seen them ALL.) Where can I find fellow "loners" who are in the same situation as I am? Thank you & take care!

Single female traveling alone and staying in a youth hostel in Shanghai: fun adventure or catastrophically bad idea?

aquafortis — Wed, 29 Jul 2009 21:52:12 -0800

Single female traveling alone and staying in a youth hostel in Shanghai: fun adventure or catastrophically bad idea? Do any women out there have any experience traveling alone to Shanghai and staying in a youth hostel? I've been thinking this would be fun, but don't know if I'd be better off waiting until my friends can join me some other time. Would Bejing be a safer choice?

All thoughts, ideas, and suggestions welcome-- thanks!

Good water filters for backpacking trips?

fdhidalgo — Tue, 28 Jul 2009 21:50:05 -0800

What are your recommendations for a good water filter for backpacking trips? I go on several 3-4 day backpacking trips per year in the Sierra Nevada's and I need a new water filter. Do you have any recommendations? Any advice on what I should look for? Ideally, I'd like a filter that is small and uncomplicated. Not incredibly expensive would be nice too.

Help us plan our Colorado Adventure

jpdoane — Sun, 26 Jul 2009 20:12:01 -0800

My wife and I are planning a backpacking trip to Colorado for the end of August. Where should we go? We would like to do a 3-4 day trip, preferably a loop as that makes transportation easier. We are moderately experienced hikers, but have less experience in the mountains (although I've done a few of the easier 14ers).

We are looking primarily at Rocky Mountain National Park, but are open to other locations as well. Our ideal trip would feature lots of great views, good campsites, and modest trail difficulties (nothing too heroic). It would be nice, but not essential to bag another 14er along the way, perhaps as a day hike.

We have a few guidebooks (this and this) on the way from amazon, but in the mean time, would love to hear your favorite Colorado hikes.

Bonus Question - We're probably staying in Denver or Boulder for a few days before our hike. What fun things should we be sure to do/see?

What else is there to do in Alaska beside running for governor?

halogen — Sun, 05 Jul 2009 12:31:37 -0800

Boyfriend and I decided to go to Alaska in August. We'd like to hike or backpack: where should we go? We'll be flying in from Seattle, a hub of Alaska Airlines, so it'd be easy to go pretty much anywhere they fly in Alaska. We're not terribly experienced hikers, but we've invested in quite decent backpacking equipment (assuming three-season tents and sleeping bags will do in August in Alaska) and want to see as much glorious scenery as possible. Guided treks seem unnecessarily expensive at $300-$400/person/day, and three days is about as long as I'm willing to go without a shower anyway.

Considering that there's just two of us, would it be a better idea to stay in a hotel/lodge/cabin and go on day hikes rather than risk multi-day treks in unknown territory? What would be a good place to pick as a base in that case (as in, most spectacular trails accessible)?

What else should we do while in Alaska? City sightseeing is also cool, but I don't know anything about the state.

Farewell gift for a traveler?

pixxie — Sun, 05 Jul 2009 03:45:21 -0800

I have a 20-something friend who's leaving on the 22nd of this month, he plans on traveling for a whole year throughout Europe and South America. I want to get him something that is useful/meaningful for the journey, any ideas? For example: A watch? A Compass? (good or bad?)

Backingpacking on the east coast this fall?

ryanshepard — Wed, 17 Jun 2009 08:14:09 -0800

Looking for an east coast backpacking trip this fall. I'm hoping to find a 7-10 day backpacking trip along the lines of those offered by Sierra Club Outings on the east coast this Sept. or Oct. So far I've struck out - does anyone have suggestions for smaller / local groups organizing these kind of trips that I might have overlooked?

Tent poll: Two people and a dog?

ph00dz — Sun, 14 Jun 2009 13:47:28 -0800

Great backpacking tent for two people and a large dog? Right now, I've got the REI Half Dome... and it's awesome. Not top of the line, but pretty nice and light and for the type of 2-3 day backpacking trips I do with myself and my dog.

However, now that I'm planning on doing some overnight camping with a friend from time to time, I need to upgrade a bit to a slightly larger, but still very portable. (Think -- not car camping.)

I love how easy it is to assemble the Half Dome... so the obvious choices might be the Hoodoo 3 or the Quarter Dome from REI. Anyone have any experience with one vs the other?

I don't mind spending a reasonable amount of money given that I get a fair bit of use out of these things, but a big bonus would be something from REI, since I think I can rent tents from them as needed as part of my membership.

Advice on my trip to Italy

Rustbeard — Wed, 10 Jun 2009 11:48:17 -0800

So I'm going to Italy for a class and then I'm planing on traveling around for a little while afterwords in the month of August. I'll probably stay mainly in Italy, but I would like to go to Greece and maybe visit my cousins in France. I've never done something like this so I really could use some help with my trip. Is there some guide for people for backpacking in Europe? What are just some overall recommendations on traveling like this? What type of bag and what to bring. How do I go about getting a euro pass? Or is it better to just rent a car? Should I go to hostels? If so how should I be prepared for that, I've never stayed at a hostel? what do people generally do about cell phones when traveling abroad?
How do people generally book hotels and other things if they can't speak the language?
I'll probably be bringing my netbook since my class recommends to bring a laptop, anything I should know about converters and stuff like that?
Is it better to get Euros here in the US at a bank or somewhere else?
Also I don't speak another language but will try to learn some Italian before I go.
Aslo some recommendations on where to go and what to see would be great. I'm more into nature and ruins, as well as food. Not really into clubs and touristy areas, crowds in general.
Sorry for the mass of questions. I'm a bit of an introvert and never really planned a trip like this for myself. And I will probably be doing this by myself so I'm a little nervous about it.
Just some general advice and recommendations would be really great.

Petrified new hiker needs your help

anthropomorphic — Sun, 07 Jun 2009 01:47:54 -0800

I'm a female in my early 20s and am going on a company hike to to the juan de fuca marine trail in a few weeks. We're hiking like 23 miles in two days and carrying 20-30lb packs. The trail has been described as "moderate to difficult." I am not overweight but I am NOT in shape. I do not work out. I am afraid this ordeal might just kill me. I am an indoor girl. I'm seriously regretting my decision to do this. But it's too late to go back now. I need to go buy some hiking boots tomorrow (San Francisco area) as well as some clothing for the hike. The backpacks, tents, stove stuff, etc. will be provided for us. I just need to buy boots and clothes. Any tips on which boots I should buy? I know we will be hiking through rainforest and streams. I know breaking boots in takes time (how do I do that?) but I only have until the end of the month. I also have fairly small feet, 6.5-7 if that makes any difference. Also where should I look to buy this stuff? Are there less expensive places than REI? I really do not anticipate hiking much after this ordeal is over. Thank you in advance.

Help me get from Santiago to Serbia.

acidic — Mon, 18 May 2009 23:03:06 -0800

What's the cheapest or best way to get from Santiago de Compostela, Spain, to Croatia/Serbia/Slovenia? Optional: a detour through the Netherlands. I'm backpacking through Spain this summer and ending up in Santiago de Compostela or thereabouts. From there I have the option to go to the Netherlands for a month and then Croatia/Serbia/Slovenia etc for a little less than a month, then flying out of Prague, or going straight to central/eastern Europe and spending a bit more time there. Wherever I go I'll be WWOOFing for part of the time but also camping and couchsurfing in larger cities. I'm interested in:
- The best way to get out of Santiago, and
- Thoughts on spending a month in the Netherlands-- how expensive is it? For a young female traveling solo how does it compare to central/eastern Europe? Would it be worth it to skip the Netherlands and spend almost 2 months in Croatia/Serbia/Slovenia and other surrounding countries? Eventually I need to end up in Prague, although I don't plan to spend much time there at all.

Any additional advice regarding any of my destinations would be appreciated as well, of course! Previous threads about Dubrovnik and Ljubljana are what convinced me to head to that part of the world in the first place.

My backpack is crushing my sciatic nerve

a robot made out of meat — Sat, 11 Apr 2009 15:01:42 -0800

My backpack is crushing my sciatic nerve. I'd like that to stop. After a long absence from doing such a thing, this summer I'm going on a long (10-12 days) trip up a fair amount of elevation. To get my legs back into shape, in addition to running up more inclination that I usually do, I've been taking a loaded (50 lbs or so) bag up as many stairs as I can. It seems like no matter how I start out adjusted, the bag after a while will slip down in the back so that much of the weight is pressing down into my lower back. This happens much faster when the bag is heavy. If I'm only using 30 lbs 80 flights of stairs is fine, but if I'm using 50 lbs it happens after two or three dozen flights, and with 60 lbs it will happen after ten.

Part of the problem is that I lost weight. I'm about 40-45lbs lighter than the last time I went on this kind of thing. I'm working on building back up the muscles, but the fat pad isn't coming back. I'm not eager to replace perfectly good gear, but I have the hip belt pretty much as tight as it can go. I never had problems like this before.

What can I do to stop the low riding in the back? Do I need to bite the bullet and buy a new refitted pack? Can I reasonably adjust this to work comfortably?

Lima

ashaw — Sat, 04 Apr 2009 05:50:03 -0800

I'm in Lima, Peru for three whole weeks. Where do you suggest are the best places to go in the day and night for young (under 30) travellers and sightseers? I've looked in a few travel guides, and done the mandatory research online (yes, here too) but don't want to miss out on any local secrets whilst in Lima. I'm looking for things to do in the following:
Sight seeing attractions
Museums/Historical Interest
Cheap good restaurants and markets
Good places to relax, stroll, explore
Places to go at night
ETC!

I'm currently staying in Barrancos which seems very far from the centre, should I move to a more central hostel? And what are the easiest routes of travel to get outside of Lima (which i've been often told to do) to places like Arequipa, Paracas, Nazca, (add some more here) etc?

Many Thanks!

Let's figure out a good backpacking trip

phrakture — Wed, 11 Mar 2009 16:14:02 -0800

[BackpackingFilter] Dear Mefi, My brother and I our planning a week long backpacking trip for the end of the summer (August/September), but do not know where to go. Help! We our fairly open as to the where, except for the following preferences:

In the continental US / lower 48

Nothing stupidly strenuous - no "spend 7 days in the desert and then rappel down a sheer cliff"

Should include some decent and/or unique sights

Freedom to camp where and when we want - no campsite to campsite garbage

What do you suggest?

Recently, we started talking about finding something that's only 2-3 days out that we could do to and stay at that site for more than a day, doing smaller day trips from there, such as summiting a smaller mountain. But, we're open to most things.

Backpacking backpack suggestions

Autarky — Thu, 05 Mar 2009 10:39:44 -0800

I'm in the market for a backpack. A backpacking backpack, that is. Uses will generally be 3 season backpacking for anywhere from a weekend to a week, at the most. My budget is 200-225. Suggestions? Am I right to think I should be looking in the 4000 cu. in. range for volume? I've done a fair bit of backpacking, but I've always just borrowed gear and now I've started slowly accumulating my own so I don't know a whole lot about technical aspects.

Suggestions for specific brands are okay, but I feel like I already have a pretty good idea of that (Lowe Alpine, Gregory, Marmot, Osprey, etc.) Specific pack suggestions would be best. I'm 5'11 and male if that makes any difference.

Also, 225 would be stretching things. Stuff in the 175-200 range would be ideal. I realize dropping 400 on an Arcteryx bag would get me higher quality, but I just can't do that.

Am I safe to solo camp without a tent?

crazy finger — Mon, 23 Feb 2009 00:02:26 -0800

Solo tent-less camping - safety tips? I'll be doing field surveys in the southwest US: deserts, forests, mountains, usually near water sources. I intend to try going tent-less to save time, weight, etc... but since I'll be all alone and in the middle of nowhere, I'm a little concerned about the possibility of animals wandering into camp.

The reason this comes up, two stories:

1. A friend woke up with a rattlesnake in her bag once (tentless).

2. Another friend, camping in the same region, has often found Mountain Lion tracks near camp in the morning.

So that's all I've got. Two anecdotes that don't sound too frightening, but my bigger concern would be something along the lines of a Mountain Lion coming and snuffing me out in my sleep. Bears aren't a huge concern and I'm not really worried about them anyway, but I suppose if they were hungry and I was asleep... Thoughts?