Lucas's Blog

At the time of writing, I’ve visited 36 countries on 4 separate continents.

I’ve had trips with my best mates, trips with my girlfriend, trips with family AND trips by myself.

This has been over a period of about 12 years.

My first international trip was the Australian pilgrimage to the tropical island of Bali.

The last and current trip I’m on is to South America, making my way from Rio all the way to Mexico City.

I love traveling for a multitude of reasons I won’t go into today

But, I wanted to make a guide for people wanting to take that first trip by themselves.

Comparatively, nothing has taught me as much about my life than working it all out on the road.

From missing buses, getting scammed & succumbing to food poisoning countless times.

These collective experiences have shaped who I am as a person, my outlook on life & my attitude towards living.

Now, enough rambling.

Below I’ve written an unofficial guide if you’ve ever thought about hitting the track, with nothing but the bag on your back.

Take what you can from it, but, the most you will learn is from experiencing things firsthand.

Get out there & let the world give you feedback to continually progress.

1. Choosing your destination

What could be a more important task?

There are thousands of factors that go into picking a potential holiday destination.

But realistically, it boils down to one key question.

“What do I want to get out of this trip?”

For example

Do you want to learn Spanish? Travel to a country where you can immerse yourself in the culture

Do you want to relax? Find somewhere high in the mountains or on a beautiful beach

Do you want to eat delicious food, in the morning, noon & night? Think about your favorite Cuisine & go to where they make it!

Picking a country can be either super easy or very taxing depending on your personality type.

For me, I try & find a combination of the above factors or scratch an itch of curiosity about a certain place.

If you have limited time, don’t try to cram in 13 countries in 13 days.

That only ends in tears & exhaustion.

Slower travel will allow you to absorb into the culture more & get far more from the experience.

Bonus tip, always try and find out when high & low season is to determine how pricey & busy these areas might be.

For example, If you want to be in the hustle and bustle of a European summer in July, Great!

But I’d be bringing a few extra hundred dollars to allow for seasonal pricing.

If you’re a bargain hunter, seek the low seasons & enjoy discounted tours & accommodation pricing.

2. Packing Essentials

As a chronic, painful & recovering over-packer, the less you carry, the easier your life will be.

I’ve carried around pairs of shoes for 3 months that I didn’t wear, Jumpers that cost me souvenir space & toiletries I threw straight out.

When you’ve decided on where you want to go, take some time to do a trial pack.

Chances are, unless you’re hiking up a mountain for the next 30 days without contact with civilisation, you won’t need everything you just put in the bag.

Every country on earth has palaces where you can wash & dry your clothes

Worst case scenario, you can buy whatever you need when you land

As Tim Ferris mentions, always allow for a $200 settling fund to pick up any necessities locally when you arrive.

The golden advice I’ve created for myself

Less luggage, less stress.

3. Budgeting for your trip

The funds that will carry you across, land, sea & air to see the sights.

Budgets can be difficult to pinpoint for everyone

But first, you need to work out the kind of traveler you are, or the kind of traveling you want to do

If you prefer to sleep in your own space at night, save a little bit more so you can stay in a private room or a hotel

If you’ve still got the ability to handle people snoring all night & waking you up at all hours

Then you can spend less on accommodation

My general rule for traveling in pretty much every continent is $100 or less a day

In some countries this is harder to do, in some countries you couldn’t spend that if you tried.

But it provides a nice even number to factor in all things (accommodation, transport, food, medication etc)

Always assume you’re going to spend more.

People don’t generally come back from a really great trip saying “I’m so happy I still have this money”

My advice when traveling, be as frugal as you can when you can. take the bus over a taxi, and cook a meal yourself every few days.

But spend the money on things that will bring you the most Joy

If you like football, allocate some extra funds to watch a game, if you like Tango & you’re in Argentina and it seems expensive, do it while you’re there

I’ve met many people who have regretted not doing the local specialties while they were in town.

Saving & working hard to save money, you shouldn’t feel guilty for using it on things you like

Always do the cost-benefit analysis, but I’m always pro-experiencing things while you’re in the country.

4. Make the most of your experiences

Travelling is a unique experience for everyone

Some trips will fundamentally change who you are as a person for the better, some might not live up to your expectations.

I always find my mind has a lot more space when I’m on the road

reflect on how you’re feeling, what has made you happy, what things do you miss about home, what things you wish you were doing more of

My advice here is don’t go on any trip with any extremely high expectations, by all means, be excited.

There’s nothing quite like working hard for a period of time and then jumping on a plane

but try to enjoy things as they come & for whatever they are

Contrary to what you see on Instagram & Tiktok, traveling isn’t perfect 100% of the time

There will be trials & tribulations you never saw coming

days where things are quite what you thought

But those other days

where you smile so much your cheeks hurt

You meet a group of friends you can picture a lifetime friendship with

or you find yourself encapsulated by a sunset

those are what make it all worthwhile

Stick with it through the down days & enjoy those special up days

5. Stay connected

I’m a fairly independent person

I always have been

But I also have a lot of love for my friends & family

So naturally, being away for extended periods of time

There are times you do miss the comforts of laughing with a close friend or lying in your own cozy bed at night.

My best advice here

Stay connected, but not attached

You’re traveling for an experience that you can’t get at home

Stay in touch with everyone back home, but don’t make it your priority

Scrolling Instagram every day while you’re on a hike in Nepal won’t make you very happy,

Looking at the incredible surroundings probably will

Try and schedule a call with your family & friends every couple of weeks

Send photos & videos back home

People really appreciate seeing what you’re up to & the things you’re doing

If you do miss home, remember

• Almost everything at home will be the same when you get back
• People are always a call away if you need them
• Enjoy your own company & experience

If you rely heavily on people at home for entertainment, social interaction or to fall back on emotionally

make sure you’re ready to take the leap of solo travel before you embark

There are times where it will feel lonely

But those moments you will find out a lot about yourself

6. Travel with Purpose

This is more advice for life as well

Don’t approach any trip as solely something to pass the time

Go into wanting to get something out of it

I’ve seen countless people on Reddit or backpacking forums saying they want to go home early for a number of reasons

Which makes me sad to see

especially when you’ve worked so hard to get to that trip

Put yourself out there

Talk to the person sitting alone at the hostel

Go & do something you enjoy from home

You might just met someone else who enjoys doing the same thing

My advice, is always stay busy

Don’t fill every single trip to a new city with trips to the Museum or walking tours (unless that’s your calling)

Things I like to do while I’m away that give me purpose

• write this blog
• Do work for my business
• learn another language (currently Spanish)
• stay fit & active while I’m away (Running, walking, finding a local sporting field)
• Try local food
• Find out about the culture I’m in
• Read & learn more about what I’m traveling. This could be books, blogs, YouTube

Having these things every day keeps me sane & happy

and do a lot for giving me some kind of routine

Don’t get me wrong, there are some days where I barely tick any of these things off

But when I get a spare minute, I love getting deep into these.

Really

it’s similar to living your life at home

If you find yourself suffocating mid-week & your holding on for each weekend

Have a reassess to see how much time you’re dedicating to things that bring you enjoyment

A life filled with your own purpose is a life well lived

If you’ve stayed along this far, I hope you’ve gotten something from it

However, your experience will solely come from how you decide to take these travels

Use the above tips as guardrails

But if they don’t suit your style, that’s fine

Find out for yourself what works best

From experience, Solo backpacking have given me talents & allowed me to grow into my uncomfort zone

Talking to strangers, taking responsibility for my actions & choosing the direction of my life have all had incredibly positive impacts on my overall existence

Get out there, throw yourself in the deep end & see where you end up.

LB