Travelling so far away from home can be daunting, especially if you are going solo. There is a lot you cannot know about your adventures ahead and how to go about them. Trust me, it’s so worth it and there’s nothing to worry about; it is all solvable as you go.

But to take the strain off your mind a little before you make the leap, here’s 7 tips I've picked up on my travels so far…

Don’t pack too heavy

So you’re preparing to set off on your big adventure thinking about all the things you can take with you to be best prepared. You think about your warm weather clothes. What about if it gets too cold? How many shoes to bring? Will it rain a lot? Will I miss my teddy bear or favorite blanket? Etc, etc…

And before you know it, you're carrying so many things and it becomes an absolute chore to carry around every time you move to a new destination.

Many travelers I speak to, wish they hadn’t taken so many things and often find out there are so many items of clothing and equipment they barely use.

I recommend carrying enough clothes to last you 7-10 days, one pair of shoes and the bare minimum essential cosmetic items you need. In terms of clothes, they need to go in the wash at some point either way and the cost is per kilo at most laundry services so it makes no difference how often you need to do it. Carrying less clothes will mean less weight you need to carry around from place to place. Also, wherever you go, it is super easy to buy whatever you need (probably at a cheaper price too) so it is better to be lighter than too heavy…

A local farmer on the Bali rice fields — 2. **Local food**

When you get to your hotel or hostel, it is likely that it will be located near to all the action where touristy activities are going on. This often means more western restaurants to dine at. This normally often means a huge mark up in price compared to the normal food price in your destination.
If you want to keep costs lower, I highly recommend you venture out of these tourist zones and look out for the more local places. The more locals you see dining at the place the better the sign.
You will often find the food in these restaurants is tastier and up to 3 to 4 times cheaper than the touristy restaurants. It really makes a huge difference and can simply mean walking one or two streets extra away.

3. Bring a good pair of shoes

Now, I know I mentioned to you in tip number one that bringing one pair of shoes will be sufficient for your trip and that you can buy anything you need out here. The quality of these products however aren’t normally of the quality we are used to back home.

This isn’t normally a huge deal as what you get is very cheap. However, where quality is important I believe is to have a good pair of shoes. You will be walking around a lot as you explore all the new places you see and you want to be comfortable as you do so.

4 months into my travels and I unfortunately lost my decent pair of shoes in the river Mekong due to an unfortunate kayaking disaster… My search for shoes afterward was rather difficult as I tried on many different fake branded products. In the small town I was in, this was all I could find.

So I bought the best pair I could find and within 2 weeks the soles had split open and there were huge holes in the bottom…

Obviously I couldn’t control my disaster but let this be a lesson to you, have a good pair of shoes from back home to take with you that will get you through all your adventures ahead.

Also, if you go kayaking with a French girl, make sure she understands the phrase “we are sinking” before you set sail…

4. Trust your instincts

When you go into a new country, everything will be foreign to you. You won't initially know how things work or what to trust, where to go, or what food is good to eat. This can be a little intimidating at first.

However, what you do have is your human instincts that you have picked up already from your experiences in life. Generally, wherever you go (particularly in Asia) will be very safe but always trust your gut feeling if something feels off.

If you feel like someone is ripping you off, you could be right. If you feel unsafe to do a particular adventure, don’t take the risk. If you feel like you should strike up a conversation with a particular group of travelers at your hostel, do it.
I think your gut feelings can tell you a lot.
My personal example was a recent stop at a restaurant in Mai Chau in Vietnam. The food was delicious and the lady serving it was lovely. Then it came to the soup at the end of the meal. I took my first sip and it seemed very off. It tasted like moldy grass… But the lady was lovely and I didn’t want to be impolite so I continued on as I suffered through this soup…
Then I go home and to bed. 2 am comes along and I wake up with terrible stomach pains. And for the next 2 hours and the days following, well… I'll spare you the details…
The point is, trust your gut feeling, and this can mean for good and bad situations…

5. Shop around for hotels and transport

When I initially began travelling in south east Asia, I initially just stuck to one site for transport (12 go Asia) and one for accommodation (Hostelworld). I thought this would be the most convenient way to have everything in one place and to take the thinking out of the process.

However, this certainly wasn’t the cheapest way of doing things as I later found out. Different sites have different deals on different places as you go. You can really save a lot of money by having a quick browse on 2 or three sites before you make your decision.

Equally for travelling, try to find out what sites and services the locals use and these often come up with the best deals (but again, not always). The cheapest deals you can often find for transport between destinations will be at the actual bus stop or train station.

**6. Barter (and get used to it)**
In our western culture, we are typically not used to negotiating on prices for things. I think locals know this and will try to make the most of it.

This isn't done in restaurants or supermarkets but if you are looking to purchase items or food at stalls or take a ride from a tuk-tuk. Never accept the first price as final. Normally, the person selling the product or service to you will go down as much as 50% or more from their original offer, so be polite but be bold.
I know this will feel awkward at first but you will learn to love it and it will save you a lot of money over time too!!

7. Learn some of the language

Many travelers come into a location (mostly us English) and expect that people will speak and act as we are used to. While many places do have English as a second or third language I believe it carries a lot more respect if you make an attempt to at least speak a small piece of their language.

This will earn you a little more respect from the locals and as a result you will obtain better connections with them. As a bare minimum I recommend you learn the words for “Hello”, “thank you”, “sorry”, and “good bye”. “How much?” is a useful one also. Knowing this will really improve your experience with the locals, I promise.

Also, there is one universal piece of language that everybody knows and is liked by all. This is to smile. Whenever you go to greet somebody or make interactions with them, be sure to smile. This is a universal piece of body language that will relax the situation and allow you to have a more friendly connection with people whether you speak their language well or not.

Bonus tip:

So those are my 7 tips I have for you. I hope they helped and that you now feel a lot more confident that you can take on your upcoming adventure with ease. I wish you all the best with it and I know that you will have the time of your life.

Before we depart though, I want to leave you with one last bonus tip…

Don’t stress…

You're going to be thrown into a completely new environment and you're going to find yourself in many situations where you don’t know exactly what to do or where to go. Just please don’t worry about these.

When you're travelling, you’ll be surprised at how many kind people are out there, be it locals or fellow travellers. Most places are even safer than back home and with the internet always at your fingertips, and google translate easily to hand, everything is solvable.

You'll learn so many new things, gain incredible experiences and build confidence like you never had before. There’s a whole world out there and you’re going to have the best time out there exploring it.

All the best,

Harry